UK Championship: Judd Trump deals Triple Crown a blow with major prediction – 'It's going to be the second biggest'
Updated 26/11/2024 at 10:35 GMT
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Judd Trump has won all three of the sport's self-styled 'Triple Crown' events - the World Championship (2019), the UK Championship (2011) and the Masters (2019 and 2023) - but the world No. 1 feels snooker is going through a major transition period, with scope for new events to overtake the UK and Masters as the biggest behind the World Championship, the sport's most coveted competition.
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Judd Trump predicts the Saudi Arabia Masters will soon be viewed as the second-biggest event on the snooker calendar behind the World Championship.
Trump won the inaugural staging of the new ranking event in Riyadh with a 10-9 win over Mark Williams in an epic final in September to secure a record £500,000 first prize.
It matched the cheque the undisputed world No. 1 picked up for claiming his solitary World Championship triumph in 2019 with an 18-9 final victory against John Higgins.
The invention of the 'Triple Crown' over the past decade has added weight to the reputation of the UK and Masters as the most prestigious tournaments in the sport, but Trump suggests such lofty status is living on borrowed time.
Speaking ahead of his tournament opener against Neil Robertson at the UK Championship on Tuesday afternoon, live on Eurosport and discovery+, the 29-time ranking event winner was quick to offer his views on why snooker is rapidly moving beyond its traditional boundaries.
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Winning the UK Championship will earn the champion £250,000 on Sunday night, with the Masters increasing its first prize to £350,000 for the first time in January.
However, the Saudi Arabia Masters already boasts a prize fund of £2,302,000 to rival the World Championship (£2,395,000) as the richest ranking event in history.
"They’re still special," said Trump about the UK and Masters. "You’re never going to take away the gravity of those tournaments.
"But when you play for that kind of money, and you come back and the first prize isn't as big, it's not going to feel as big."
Trump is convinced it is only a matter of time before the Saudi Arabia Masters is viewed as the second biggest, with the World Snooker Tour already describing the tournament as the sport's 'fourth major'.
"In the next three to five years, it's going to be up there as the second or third biggest event," said Trump.
"It’s not just the prize money, but how the tournament felt as a whole.
"The crowds weren’t what we wanted at the start.
"But when you go to a new country or even go back to the first staging of a snooker tournament over here, there wasn’t a full crowd because no one knew what was going on.
"If the crowds were full, there’s no doubt it would be the second biggest."
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Trump's comments come amid growing doubts over the future of the World Championship remaining in Sheffield when the contract with the Crucible expires in 2027, the 50th anniversary of the iconic venue's first staging of the blue-chip tournament.
Saudi Arabia could be a potential destination for the World Championship, with Matchroom Sport president Barry Hearn admitting money will talk when it comes to making the final decision.
"All the players say, 'Oh, we love the Crucible, we don't want to leave.' I'd say, 'I'll tell you what I'm going to do, I'll treble the prize money.' We're gone, straight away," said Hearn on Talksport.
"We're led by money, let's not kid ourselves."
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Watch and stream top snooker action, including the UK Championship, live and on demand via Eurosport on discovery+
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