| Judd Trump (right) shakes hands with Ronnie O’Sullivan after claiming the biggest title of his career |
Judd Trump celebrated a “dream come true” after claiming his first Masters title in emphatic fashion with a 10-4 victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan at Alexandra Palace.
Trump – playing in the final of the tournament for the first time, against a seven-time champion – dominated the opening session on Sunday afternoon, establishing a 7-1 lead.
O’Sullivan battled in the evening, making it 7-2, 8-3 and 9-4 as he posted two century breaks, before his missed pink allowed Trump to secure the victory.
It is the 29-year-old Bristolian’s second triumph in a ‘triple crown’ event, adding to his 2011 UK Championship win.
“It’s incredible,” Trump said on BBC Two when asked how it felt to be the champion.
“I’ve obviously waited a long time for this. It’s been seven or eight years since I won my last big one, the UK, and obviously at times you are wondering whether you are going to win a big tournament again.
“So to come here, and this is close to home now, only 20 minutes away, it’s like my local tournament, it’s a dream come true.”
Regarding the lead he had opened up in the afternoon, Trump said: “You are always surprised when you have a lead against Ronnie at any point.
“I think after how I played yesterday (when he beat Neil Robertson 6-4 in the semi-finals), I just felt nervous and horrible.
“I was quite surprised how relaxed I felt today and I was able to go out and play my normal game and only missed a couple. I just tried to hold myself together.”
He added: “He (O’Sullivan) looked sharp tonight. I had to be at my best to just even get to 3-3 tonight. Ronnie looked like he was flying.
“I’m just pleased at how I held myself together today.”
O’Sullivan, who last month won the UK Championship for a seventh time, lost to Trump in November’s Northern Ireland Open final.
And Trump was very much on top against the 43-year-old as Sunday’s contest got under way, taking a 4-0 lead with breaks of 89, 87 and 56.
O’Sullivan, having registered only 45 points in those first four frames, pulled back the fifth via a break of 69, before Trump added the next three.
The evening session began with O’Sullivan reducing the arrears and Trump then going 8-2 ahead with an 88 break.
The next three frames saw O’Sullivan twice bring the gap down to five again as he made fine clearances of 114 and 109, either side of Trump moving to within one frame of victory.
O’Sullivan then left a pink over the pocket and Trump completed the job.
O’Sullivan said: “I just want to congratulate Judd – he played a great tournament, he played fantastically well this afternoon and I didn’t really get much of a chance.
“Seven-one down against most players you’ve got no chance, and 7-1 down against Judd was nigh on impossible. I tried to have a go tonight but it just wasn’t enough.”