Judd Trump claimed his maiden Master title in superb fashion with a commanding 10-4 victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan at Alexandra Palace.
Trump made a flying start to the contest by taking a 7-1 lead from the opening session and, despite The Rocket coming back at him in the evening with two centuries, kept his nerve and his focus to claim a deserved victory.
More than seven years on from winning the UK Championship, Trump finally added a second Triple Crown title to his collection while inflicting a heavy defeat on O'Sullivan, who simply could not recover from that shocking start as he chased an eighth Masters success in what was his 13th final.
Trump has long been touted as the long-term successor to O'Sullivan, but his erratic style had been holding him back in these big events until this week, when his game and temperament seemed to have matured with some excellent safety and shot selection complementing his long-potting skills.
Victory in a first-round grudge match with Kyren Wilson kick-started what proved to be a dream week as he finally came of age with an imperious display against arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport.
"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."
Judd Trump is the new Masters champion🏆
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) January 20, 2019
A 10-4 victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final👏#eurosportsnooker pic.twitter.com/d0Gq0purXs
Opening session blitz
The opening session did not have the champagne snooker many had hoped for, but Trump impressed to show a laser-like focus and producing some clinical and confident snooker, while O'Sullivan scrambled to find any sort of form.
Trump made a flying start as he captured the first two frames with breaks of 89 and 87 compiled with the minimum of fuss and with total control of the cue ball.
O’Sullivan was largely kept in his chair and in fact did not pot a ball until the third frame, 37 minutes into the final, but all he could manage was a lowly break of eight as Trump controlled proceedings to go 3-0 up.
Another half-century followed as Trump made it 4-0 at the mid-session interval, but O’Sullivan emerged smiling after the break and finally found some form with a break of 69 getting him on the board.
That could have started a few nerves jangling for Trump but despite going 37 points behind, the left-hander rattled in what felt like a crucial break of 66, filled with sumptuous potting and skilful positioning, to get right back into the ascendancy.
A 5-1 lead became 6-1 quickly enough with two 40-plus breaks from Trump proving enough as a familiar story of faulty potting from O’Sullivan coupled with clinical and sensible work from his opponent left The Rocket with a mountain to climb.
In the final frame of the session, Trump registered a break of 66 before breaking down and handing O’Sullivan the chance to turn the tide. Again, though, he failed, leaving a red over the jaws to allow Trump to clinch a 7-1 advantage, with three more needed for the title.
Centuries not enough for Ronnie
It was a different O'Sullivan that emerged for the evening session and he immediately took the opener to signal his intent, but Trump answered straight away with a run of 88 restoring his six-frame advantage at 8-2.
O'Sullivan raised the roof of Alexandra Palace with the first century of the final in the next, his 114 again cutting the gap, but it was swiftly answered as he left a black in the jaws and allowed Trump to step up and rattle in a 68 to go into the final mid-session interval just one away from victory at 9-3.
One more time The Rocket tried his hand with his second century in the space of three frames, but as he tried to reduce the arrears again he this time left a pink in the jaws of the pocket, emblematic of the rare inaccuracy he'd displayed throughout the match.
Trump this time made no mistake with a nerveless run of 53 taking him to a fully deserved first Masters title.
Time for the new Masters champion Judd Trump to have a glass of bubbly with the Eurosport pundits😊
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) January 20, 2019
This is worth a few minutes of your time👏#eurosportsnooker pic.twitter.com/p7CdcHeY4L
