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| Judd Trump produced a brilliant performance, thrashing four-time champion John Higgins 18-9 at the Crucible theatre in Sheffield |
Judd Trump was crowned world snooker champion for the first time after wrapping up a record-breaking 18-9 victory over John Higgins at the Crucible.
Trump fired a record-equalling seven centuries and became the first player to earn one million pounds in a single season as he claimed emphatic revenge for his previous final loss to Higgins in 2011.
A stunning final saw a total of 11 hundreds – a record for a Crucible match – including two near-maximums on the final day, and took the total number for the Championship to 100, shattering the previous best of 86.
Trump and Higgins raised the bar after two Sunday sessions that six-time champion Steve Davis described as among the most “incredible” he had seen at the Crucible.
Trump, who needed a deciding frame to squeeze past Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 10-9 in round one, had hit back from behind to reel off eight frames in a row and put himself firmly in control at 12-5 ahead of the final day.
But Higgins, no stranger to Crucible comebacks after almost overturning a seven-frame deficit in last year’s loss to Mark Williams, raised hopes of a repeat by taking the first two frames, including a stunning maximum attempt in the opener.
Higgins potted all the reds including an outrageous double on the last before missing a relatively easy final black with the colours at his mercy.
Trump was unfazed by the mini-revival and won the next three frames, including two more centuries.
Typically, Higgins dug deep enough to avoid the embarrassment of losing the match with a session to spare, his successive knocks of 67 and 70 extending the run of half-centuries to 10 consecutive frames.
And there was still time for Trump to finish a remarkable session with a maximum bid of his own, as he potted 13 reds and blacks before running slightly out of position and knocking the penultimate red into the middle jaws.
Returning for the evening session, Trump proved he was unfazed by the magnitude of his impending success as he seized on a loose break-off from Higgins to compile a break of 94, only running short of a record eighth century when he failed to dislodge the final red.
And he looked set to wrap things up in style in the next frame when despite breaking down on 62, he was embraced by Higgins and could celebrate his belated ascent to the top of his sport.
REUTERS
