European Masters snooker: Defending champion Judd Trump favourite for glory after reaching final
Defending champion Judd Trump is odds-on favourite to win the European Masters final against Stuart Bingham in Lommel on Sunday.
Trump's resounding 6-1 victory over China's Cao Yupeng gives him the chance to defend a ranking title for the first time in his career having beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-8 in last year's thrilling final in Bucharest.
Cao was making his first ever appearance in a ranking semi-final - his previous best being the quarter-finals at the 2013 Wuxi Classic - and made a solid start by winning the opening frame with a break of 63.
But seven-time ranking event winner Trump reeled off the next six frames on the spin with consecutive breaks of 61, 100, 63, 87, 115 and 41 in just under an hour and a half and he'll now meet either Stuart Bingham or Zhou Yuelong in Sunday's final.
He told World Snooker: "I always know if I play well it is going to be quite comfortable and I played pretty well there. Even when I play badly now I still have a good chance, but if I can score like that and play like I can in practice it will be a great opportunity for a trophy.
"Stuart is a great player, I watched him play against Mark Selby last night and he was very good. Tonight is going to be a close one but now I can just sit back and watch it. It is good to see young players like Zhou Yuelong come through and take out some of the older players. I think this year could be a bit of a changing of the guard."
Trump is 1/2 with Sky Bet to triumph on Sunday against Bingham, who can be backed at 6/4.
Bingham, who knocked out world champion in the previous round, had to work much harder for his place in the final, winning 6-4 against Zhou Yuelong.
After starting with a clearance of 84, the 2015 world champion soon found himself trailing after Zhou - who had whitewashed Anthony McGill in the last round - produced a break of 101 to lead 2-1 and again at 4-3.
The world number 11, however, stuck to his task and clawed the deficit back to take frame eight with a run of 68 before going on to close out a hard-earned victory.