Masters snooker: Judd Trump beats Barry Hawkins 6-1 to reach quarter-finals
2025-01-14
Category: sports

World number one Judd Trump began his bid for a third Masters title with a comfortable 6-1 win over fellow Englishman Barry Hawkins at Alexandra Palace.Trump was quick to pounce on any errors made by Hawkins, the man he defeated in the UK Championship final in December.The 35-year-old compiled breaks of 59, 60 and 56 on his way to a 5-0 lead.Although Hawkins responded with a 70 break to get a frame on the scoreboard, Trump wrapped up victory with a break of 112 to set up a quarter-final against China's Ding Junhui on Friday.In the second of Tuesday's last-16 matches, 2018 champion Mark Allen of Northern Ireland will take on Chinese debutant Si Jiahui (19:00 GMT).
'The first frame is so important'
Hawkins scored only 59 points in the first five frames, his cause not helped by knocking in a red when attempting to disturb the pack while potting the blue in the opening frame.Trump, who won the Masters in 2019 and 2023, told BBC Two: "The first frame kind of turned the whole game. He was a bit unlucky, I didn't see if it was a plant, but a couple of times he knocked a ball in."You have to be so careful because, I'm not exaggerating, that just turns the match. If he gets in and makes a break, then he settles down and I miss an easy ball in the next frame, it's 2-0 or 3-0 the other way."The first frame is so important, whenever I win that first frame I seem to be able to gain momentum. Little things like that can change the game."The same foul occurred in the fourth frame, by which time Trump was in full control of the match.
Former world champion John Parrott, working as a BBC pundit, said: "It was a very dominant display, the display of somebody who thinks he's number one in the world."The other thing is there was very little petrol used up. It was a nice 6-1 - you can expect to come here and have a 6-4 or 6-5 and go through the mill a little bit, but none of that at all. That bodes well for the rest of the event."Hawkins, twice a Masters runner-up, said: "I had a decent break to go 5-1 [down], but Judd's playing some great stuff and every time I made a mistake, he capitalised. He did his job properly."The mad thing is I felt good out there. This game is strange."