Kyren Wilson wraps up win over Judd Trump to clinch Northern Ireland Open title
Updated 28/10/2024 at 19:14 GMT
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World No. 1 Judd Trump saw his bid for a fifth Northern Ireland Open disappear at the hands of a rampant Kyren Wilson at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on Sunday. Wilson won the first seven frames to open up a commanding 7-1 advantage, and he returned in the evening to secure victory and the Alex Higgins Trophy. It is Wilson's second title of the season after his victory at the Xi'an Grand Prix.
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Kyren Wilson got his hands on a first Home Nations title after completing a 9-3 win over Judd Trump in the Northern Ireland Open final.
Wilson did the damage in the afternoon session at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, as he ran through seven frames on the spin to take a commanding lead.
Returning in the evening, Wilson did to Trump what Trump did to Chris Wakelin 12 months ago, as he wrapped up a comprehensive 9-3 win for his eighth ranking title.
Wilson tasted defeat in the final of the English Open in 2017 and the Welsh Open in 2020, but at the third time of asking he got on the Home Nations roll of honour and his hands on the Alex Higgins Trophy.
After clinching the World Championship earlier this year, Wilson kept his eye on the ball rather than be distracted by the trappings of success that befell many other first-time Crucible winners, and victory is his second title of the season to follow his success at the Xi’an Grand Prix.
Trump came out in the evening session with an attacking mindset, but was left scratching his head after potting an excellent red, only to see the cue ball career round the table and drop in the left middle.
Undeterred, Trump continued to attack and he conjured up a stunning break of 64 from a difficult position to secure the first frame of the evening.
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‘Amazing’ - Trump plays superb positional shot to secure first frame of evening
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The mindsets of the two players were totally different, with Trump looking to mount a fightback and Wilson seeking to get over the line.
Wilson looked edgy early in the evening, and missed a makeable red in the 10th frame and hit the blue on a routine safety.
The 10th turned extremely scrappy and was comfortably the longest frame of the match at over 54 minutes, with Wilson making a number of negative shot choices.
It boiled down to a battle on the colours, and it turned Wilson’s way when Trump missed the yellow when trying to catch it thin. To compound his misery, he caught the knuckle of the left middle and gave a free ball to Wilson who mopped up the colours to get within one frame of victory.
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‘Goodness me’ - Trump miss allows Wilson to win 10th frame of Northern Ireland Open final
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Trump kept the contest alive in some style by equalling Mark Williams’ high break of 143 to take the 11th frame.
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Trump equals Northern Ireland Open high break with stunning 143
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Wilson could only watch on as Trump made the first century of the contest, as he did nothing wrong.
In the 12th he crafted a chance when rolling a red into the green pocket. What followed was a nerveless break of 119 to wrap up the match in sensational style.
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Wilson seals Northern Ireland Open final win over Trump with century break
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“I know it is what I am capable of,” Wilson told Eurosport of his demolition of the world No. 1. “Once I get on a roll and get the momentum I am a hard person to stop."
Reflecting on securing the title with a ton, Wilson said: “I felt the only thing missing was a century, so it was the icing on the cake today.”
FIRST SESSION REPORT: wilson takes big lead OVER TRUMP
Kyren Wilson won seven frames on the spin to take control of the Northern Ireland Open final against Judd Trump.
Trump went into Sunday afternoon’s opening session as the form player of the tournament - and the star of the season so far after title wins in Shanghai and Saudi Arabia.
But he was dominated by Wilson, who produced top-drawer snooker and seized on a series of surprising errors from Trump to take a commanding 7-1 lead.
Wilson will return to the Waterfront Hall later in the evening looking for two frames to get his hands on the Alex Higgins Trophy.
World champion Wilson said in his pre-match interview with Eurosport that he would approach the match with no fear, after taking positive feelings from his win over Trump in the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix earlier in the season.
There was nothing hollow about those words, judging on how he attacked the contest.
He got a chance in the first and crafted 58, which proved enough to get his nose in front.
Trump struggled with the pace of the table in the early stages as time and again he ran out of position. His potting got him out of trouble and when he found a superb plant he looked well set to take the second frame.
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Trump pulls off brilliant plant against Wilson in Northern Ireland Open final
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Wilson required a snooker with one red remaining on the table, but got a sniff of a chance when Trump failed to pot the red to the right middle.
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It proved a costly miss as Wilson got his snooker, forced a safety error from Trump and picked off a clearance from yellow to black to double his lead.
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Wilson pinches second frame against Trump after needing a snooker
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Trump attempted to fall back on his safety play in the third, but it did not help as the Wilson onslaught continued and he extended his lead with a break of 81.
World No. 1 Trump lost only four frames on his run to the final in Belfast, but that number was doubled heading into the interval on Sunday as Wilson capitalised on more errors from his opponent to stroke in a break of 77 to extend his advantage.
Trump was on the practice table at the interval, but it did not spark a revival as he missed a simple pink in the fifth. It proved to be a costly blunder, as Wilson got in, split the pack and picked off a break of 77 to guarantee himself a lead going into the evening.
Wilson was riding the crest of a wave, and produced two excellent breaks in the sixth to extend his lead - the second contribution being a sublime 88.
Trump dug deep to make 61 in the seventh, roared on by a Belfast crowd desperate to see a contest. But he failed to get position on the final red and Wilson won a battle on the colours to move seven frames clear.
Trump avoided the prospect of a whitewash and gave himself something to cling to going into the evening with a break of 83 to take the eighth, but it will take a comeback of the ages to deny Wilson a first Home Nations title.
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Watch and stream the Northern Ireland Open final live on Eurosport and discovery+
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