Judd Trump feels he has been the World Snooker Tour’s most consistent player in 2016/17, and he is looking to add further silverware to his collection in the second half of the season, starting at next month’s Ladbrokes World Grand Prix.
The top 32 players on this season’s money list will take to the historic Guild Hall in Preston from February 6 to 12, aiming to claim the £100,000 top prize. Trump is in third place on that list, behind Ding Junhui and Mark Selby.
Trump said: “I think the whole season I’ve been pretty consistent. In tournament wins I haven’t been the best, but in terms of overall standard I’ve played the most consistently of anyone. It has taken superb performances to beat me this year. You have to take something from that and if you keep playing that well eventually you will win a lot of tournaments.
“I can play badly and win events and then play better than most people and lose in the first round. I think it shows that players tend to raise their game against me. I’m bringing the best out of everyone. In most tournaments my matches are the best, the closest and the highest standard. That is certainly a positive. I know if I can find that extra five percent on my game I have a great chance to win a lot more events.”
Trump, age 27, has one trophy to his name this season, having staged a dramatic fightback against Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the European Masters in Romania in October. He trailed 8-6 before hitting back to win 9-8. The six-time ranking event winner feels that he can now build on that victory in the second half of the campaign.
The left-hander from Bristol took home the World Grand Prix trophy in 2015, again beating O’Sullivan in the final. “It was great to get the better of him and win on that occasion,” he added. “It gave me a lot of confidence and since then, even though I didn’t have a bad record before, I seem to have really taken off in my matches against Ronnie.”
Trump plays his opening match at the Guild Hall at 7pm on the opening day of the tournament – Monday February 6. Other top stars battling for the title will include Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, John Higgins and defending champion Shaun Murphy.
Tickets, starting at just £13, are still available but fans must BOOK FAST. To ensure your place at Preston’s Guild Hall visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets or call 01772 80 4444
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