Judd Trump surpassed his “awful” record at the UK Championships to defeat China’s Xiao Guodong in the final and secure his place in the last 16 in York.
Despite winning the tournament in 2011 and appearing in two consecutive Finals, Trump has always struggled to top form the second biggest tournament of the season.
History looked set to repeat itself as he struggled for long periods against Xiao, ranked 34th in the world, pushing the lead for the first time in frame seven and missing a great opportunity to wrap things up before finally crossing the line.
“My record here is terrible,” Trump told the BBC. “Every game feels the same – I do well in the tournament, and then I go in there and I can’t even put a ball in hand.
“I don’t know what it is. I feel good and end up spoiling everything. I’m happy to pass because I love the prestige of this event and I would be devastated if I went home after the first game.”
Xiao won the opener from behind and made a good break of 118 in the third frame, while his consistent snooker figure seemed to frustrate Trump, who had chances but consistently failed to kill frames in one visit.
Trump appeared to lose control as he had the upper hand in a drawn-out security battle to pull a frame at 5-4, only to miss the red on what should have been a winning pass in the ensuing bout, allowing Xiao to strike back. With a 60 thumbs up for an imposing decision.
This time, it was Xiao who slid as he attempted an ambitious safety that left an open red for Trump, and the world number three kept his composure to bob the 88 to secure victory.
There were no such problems for Trump’s close friend Jack Lisowski, who hit breaks of 73, 83 and 66 as he cruised to a 6-1 victory over another Chinese player, Xu Si.
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