Trump into Masters semis and sets earnings record

Judd Trump, the world’s number one, defeated China’s Ding Junhui 6-3 in their Masters quarter-final at Alexandra Palace by winning five straight frames after the break.

By reaching the last four at Alexandra Palace, Trump surged past Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record for the most prize money earned in a season, with his earnings for 2024-25 approaching £1.3m.

The 35-year-old set the new mark in typically impressive style.

A flurry of brilliant break-building from the Englishman meant Ding, who had opened a 3-1 lead, only managed 39 more points in the rest of the match.

The pivotal moment occurred in the sixth frame when Ding, who was leading by 3-2, put all of his efforts into creating a frame-winning opportunity but the rest of the corner pocket missed a quick red.

Trump capitalized on the match’s momentum to win the match and advance to Saturday’s semi-final with Luca Brecel or Kyren Wilson.

In terms of scoring, Ding and Trump met in the quarter-final, with seven of the nine frames featuring breaks of 70 or higher.

Ding, the 2011 Masters champion, began in style with well-made contributions of 70 and 74 to take a 2-0 lead.

Left-hander Ding capitalized with a 72 clearance when the two-time Masters champion missed a conspicuous red to the corner in frame four, leading to a 75-run deficit.

After Ding’s error in frame six, Trump was brought back within one frame to score at 3-2. He scored a half-century after the match, which the world number nine could not recover.

The 2019 world champion was dominant from then on, with superb breaks of 125, 62 and 75 completing victory.

Trump told BBC Two: “I didn’t feel like I’d done a lot wrong]to be 3-1 behind].

Seven-time world champion O’Sullivan, who withdrew from the Masters on the eve of the tournament on medical grounds, earned about £1.26m during a 2023-24 season in which he won both the UK Championship and the Masters.

Trump will earn at least £75, 000 for his run to the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace, with a first prize of £350, 000 on offer to the winner on Sunday.

He has already won the previous three tournaments this year, including the UK Championship and the Saudi Arabian Snooker Masters, and his current form could help him break the £2 million barrier by the campaign’s conclusion.

Trump said:” Probably now I’d say I’m somewhere near my peak. I’m a lot better at playing now than I did ten or five years ago.

“I just think it’s the consistency, I’m able to have that inner belief over and over again.