Judd Trump fears 'uphill struggle' to retain world No. 1 spot despite kicking off season with Shanghai Masters win

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Judd Trump opened up his 2026/27 snooker season with a second Shanghai Masters title, beating defending champion Kyren Wilson in the final, but believes he faces an uphill struggle to retain his spot as world No. 1.

Watch the moment Trump clinches Shanghai Masters from reigning champion Wilson

Video credit: TNT Sports

Trump made seven centuries on his run to the final, but the title match was down on quality as he battled to an 11-6 win over Wilson.

The scoreline suggested a comfortable day for Trump but he won a lot of tight frames to see off a player who had beaten him in their previous meeting in the final of the Players Championship in 2025.

Trump was unsure what form he would bring to the table in his first event of the season, though his work on some new tips over the summer paid off.

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”It was a good win,” Trump told World Snooker. ”It was a tough game compared to the other ones [wins over Barry Hawkins, John Higgins and Wu Yize] when I was in full flow.

”The standard in the final was maybe not as good, but any win against him is good for me because he has beaten me the last few finals, so it was nice to start the season in that kind of manner and get one over him.

”The first tournament of the year is always a bit of an unknown, but I put in a lot of work on the practice table, and new tips I am trying to get used to, just spending the off season trying to get more spin.

”It seemed to pay off in the first few games, as I played as well as I have in a while.”

Trump recovered from losing the opening frame to open up a 3-1 lead and then snatched the sixth frame on the black from 66-0 down with a superb 67 clearance.

Trump stretched his advantage to 7-3 heading into the second session and closed out victory in the 17th frame.

Fight on for world No. 1 spot

The win swelled Trump’s bank balance to the tune of £210,000 but the Shanghai Masters does not hold ranking status.

Trump’s lead over Neil Robertson and the chasing pack has been narrowing and, with big points coming off for his Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters success in 2024, the 2019 world champion is concerned about his status at the top.

"With the challenge of Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize now, and a few other players up there in the rankings, it is important [to play well]," Trump said.

"I did okay [in the last couple of seasons] but there are people just behind us now. You want to show you are the best in the world and it is important to win events like this."

On the battle to be top of the rankings, Trump said: "It is going to be tricky [to stay as world No. 1].

"With Saudi no longer on the calendar which I won two years ago, so those points will be coming off.

”It is going to be an uphill struggle to keep that No. 1 spot but, hopefully, come mid-season and the end of the season, I can make sure I am back there. "I love being No. 1, it is something I am very happy about.”

Trump is hopeful his win in Shanghai can spark a repeat season like his previous victory in the Chinese city in 2024, as he followed up with success at the UK Championship and in Saudi Arabia as well as a run to three other finals.

”The last time I won Shanghai, I had a great season,” Trump said. ”You need to be winning events like this to test yourself against the best, and it also gives you confidence.

”If I was going to have a great season it was important I had a good start and I have done that, so I just need to do the rest.”

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