Judd Trump cruised into the semi-finals of the Masters after beating Ding Junhui 6-3 with a brilliant display at Alexandra Palace.
The world number one reeled off five successive frames after trailing 3-1, making breaks of 97, 125 and four more half-centuries to set up a last-four encounter with Kyren Wilson or Luca Brecel, who play later on Friday.
Ding, who won the tournament 14 years ago, made successive breaks of 70 and 74 to open up a 2-0 lead before being punished for missing a long red in the third, with Trump compiling a 75 to reduce the deficit.
WHAT A PERFORMANCE!
— WST (@WeAreWST) January 17, 2025
After trailing 3-1, Judd Trump reels off a near-perfect snooker show to beat Ding Junhui 6-3!#TheMasters | @JohnstonesTrade pic.twitter.com/GzVc2J0D55
The 37-year-old Chinese regained his two-frame advantage to lead 3-1 at the interval, making a clearance of 72 after Trump had faltered during a break of 49.
But Trump hit back with a score of 97 in the fifth frame and levelled the match at 3-3 with another half-century break after Ding had missed an easy red with the rest.
Trump maintained his momentum and a superb 125 break – the fourth-highest of the tournament – put him into the lead for the first time before he raced to victory with two more half-century breaks.
