Stephen Hendry tips Judd Trump to win China Open for one key reason after Shanghai Masters triumph - 'Could spell trouble for rest'
By Desmond Kane
Published 05/08/2026 at 09:05 GMT+1
React to this story
Judd Trump made a sparkling start to the new snooker season as he won the Shanghai Masters title and a ÂŁ210,000 prize. It was a stylish all-round display that saw him live up to his world No. 1 status by compiling seven centuries at the prestigious invitational event.
Watch the moment Trump clinches Shanghai Masters from reigning champion Wilson
Video credit: TNT Sports
After defeating Barry Hawkins 6-4 in his tournament opener, Trump flattened John Higgins 6-0 before taking out world champion Wu Yize 10-6 and defending champion Kyren Wilson 11-6 to make a major statement at the outset of the new campaign.
Unlike last season when Trump suffered several malfunctions due to a lack of trust in his equipment, seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry has pinpointed the key reason behind his strong return to form.
"He's a lot happier with the cue he's using," Hendry told World Snooker Tour. "He said he only started using it six days before the World Championship.
"But now he's obviously had the whole off-season, and has really worked hard. He looked comfortable playing all the shots.
"The long game was there. The scoring was there. He used four different cues last season, I think. If he's now got a cue that he's very happy with, it could spell trouble for the rest."
Trump claimed the German Masters title last season, but the 2019 Crucible winner also suffered defeats in the finals of the Northern Ireland Open, the Champions of Champions, the UK Championship and the Tour Championship.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/08/02/image-121cb205-91bc-4164-98da-d96d31d651dc-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Trump puts Wilson 'in a lot of trouble' with dastardly snooker
Video credit: TNT Sports
A 13-12 defeat to Hossein Vafaei in the last 16 in Sheffield in April illustrated a sense of frustration amid his struggles to rediscover the winning habit that has delivered 31 rankings titles since 2011.
"Half of our discussions about Judd last season were to do with all the messing around with cues," said Hendry.
"So if he's found the answer to that, then that is going to be ominous for the rest of them."
Hendry is tipping Trump to follow up his triumph in Shanghai with victory at the China Open as he bids to retain his world No. 1 spot, a position he has held since August 2024.
- Watch every 147 of the season in snooker loopy start to new campaign
- Trump and Wilson show future can be bright for British snooker despite Hendry prediction
- Trump fears 'uphill struggle' to retain world No. 1 spot despite Shanghai win
Trump faces Noppon Saengkham in his tournament opener at the China Open at 07:00 on Sunday morning, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max, in his quest for the ÂŁ250,000 first prize in the Chinese city of Taiyuan.
Hendry commented: "I wouldn't be surprised if he wins the China Open. He's a winning machine when he gets on that roll.
"He just loves winning matches. I don't think he intimidates players the same way he used to in terms of aggressive all-out attack.
"But he definitely intimidates players the way he can play any sort of frame now.
"He's quite comfortable playing scrappy frames and I think the intimidation now comes from the fact he's world No. 1 and he plays like a world No. 1.
"He plays very few wrong shots now. Arguably, he's not as exciting to watch.
"Okay, you've got the flair shots at the end of the frame when he's won it, but arguably he's not in terms of taking risks and going for shots that maybe he used to 10 years ago.
"But he's a far better all-round player than he used to be. There's no doubt about it. You don't win what he's won and get to world No. 1 without having all aspects of the game."
Hendry feels occupying the world No. 1 spot is arguably as prestigious as being world champion.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/07/28/image-7cb6f146-e344-400a-8c21-5fd36e5aada5-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Watch: Trump wows crowd with unorthodox red pot
Video credit: TNT Sports
The jostle for the top spot in the rankings looks to be a close-run affair this season with Neil Robertson, Wu and Zhao Xintong circling Trump at the summit.
He is 378,350 points ahead of Robertson, with Zhao 401,000 points behind in third spot and Wu within 464,650 points of top spot.
But 500,000 points comes off his total from his 10-9 win over Williams in the Saudi Arabia Masters final two years ago.
That huge haul of points will affect Trump's lofty standing after the Wuhan Open, which is staged between August 23-29.
"I loved being world No. 1," said Hendry. "I think being world champion is obviously amazing. Winning the World Championship is a huge event.
"But I saw world No. 1 as meaning that I was the best player in the world over the whole season. I'd be surprised if Judd doesn't think the same way.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/09/16/image-75219dc9-5453-4ca2-a52f-d8cc4bde26f1-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Did Trump reach career milestone using a new cue? Eagle-eyed McManus thinks so
Video credit: TNT Sports
"You've proven that you're the best player in the world by staying at the top of the rankings.
"I dropped a couple of times, and got it back, and it was never a nice feeling for me to drop because I no longer felt I was the best player in the world anymore.
"It's a big thing. You can see it over the next three, four or five years, chopping and changing quite a lot as there's going to be a lot of players at the top end of the rankings winning tournaments."
Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this.Â
Watch and stream the 2026/27 snooker season, including the World Championship and Home Nations events, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement