Judd Trump Suffers Quarter-Final Upset to Jak Jones at World Snooker Championship
Judd Trump faced a surprising defeat, falling 13-9 to Jak Jones in the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Entering the final session tied at 8-8, world number two Trump struggled to maintain his rhythm in a tactical match that played to Jones’s advantage.
Breaks of 87 and 61 allowed Jones to pull ahead at 11-9, and the Welshman secured a memorable victory with an impressive run of 106. He advances to the semi-finals, where he will face either seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan or 2015 winner Stuart Bingham in a best-of-33 frame match.
Jak Jones Makes an Impact
Playing in the tournament for just the second time, Jones, known as the Silent Assassin, aims to become the third qualifier to win the world title, following in the footsteps of Terry Griffiths in 1979 and Shaun Murphy in 2005.
“I feel good and pleased to get through,” Jones told BBC Sport. “I thought Judd struggled. He started with a century, which motivated me. I played well in the next three frames, and even though it was tied at 4-4, I felt like he was a different player and went into his shell a bit. I took advantage of it.”
Kyren Wilson Leads John Higgins
Meanwhile, Kyren Wilson holds a 9-7 lead against four-time champion John Higgins as they head into the final session of their last-eight match on Wednesday evening.
Trump Falls Short Despite Strong Season
Trump, the 2019 world champion, had a successful season, winning five ranking events and achieving 79 century breaks. He began his quarter-final match against world number 44 Jones as the clear favorite, but aside from a 110 break in the opening frame, he struggled to find his usual form.
Jones’s tactical safety play dominated Wednesday’s final session, as Trump’s highest break was a mere 22. “I just struggled,” Trump admitted. “I had a lot of chances, but it was slower than I liked, and I couldn’t get any rhythm. It felt like starting over every time I came to the table.”
Jones Takes Control
Jones took the lead with an 87 break in the 19th frame and benefited from Trump’s misses, including a failed pink in the 20th frame. Another miss on a yellow allowed Jones to close in on victory, completing his journey to the semi-finals.
