Ball – Breathtaking Final: Judd beats Williams and doubles at Masters (Snooker)

The 33-year-old Englishman Judd Trump, fourth in the rankings (and world champion in 2019), won the World Snooker Championship title on Sunday night for the second time in his career, winning the final held at Alexandra Palace in London. , Welshman Mark Williams, 47, seventh in the hierarchy (and three-time world champion, in 2000, 2003 and 2018), by 10-8 in the final, repeating, twelve years later, the 2011 victory in 2022/23.

‘The Ace in the Pack’ (Judd) added his fourth triple title on the day – two Masters, one World Championship (2019) and one British Championship (2019) – at ‘Ally Pally’ after a tough final, both physically and mentally. Terms, almost a marathon.

Three and a half hours of afternoon play, in the opening session, ending with 5-3 for Trump, plus another four and a half hours in the evening session to find the winner, unexpected failures, passion, drama, and great entries between two champions gave it all, as in The fourteenth “frame”, a massive tactical battle that lasted for an hour until the English managed to tie it 7-7.

Williams, ‘The Welsh Potting Machine’, scored three centenary appearances – one for Judd, four in the final – and started out on top, with a ‘break’ of 138 points to clear the table 1-0, but a series of errors cemented Judd’s appearance which did not He had yet to turn in his best in the first session, reaching 4-1 and forcing the Welshman to work hard to get back on track.

Mark got it 3-4 during the afternoon, closing with 5-3 for Trump after going in with 89 points, and in the second half he got it 4-5, but Judd forced a 6-4, with a “break” of 66 points. . Then came the moment for Williams – two-time Masters champion, in 1998 and 2003, who was trying to win his seventh title in Triple Crown events – to recover and win three parts in a row, turning the score from 4-6 to 7-6 in your favor.

Tactical “frame” in the 14th inning – almost 1 hour 58 minutes! – Adel Joud (7-7) in an hour! Williams responded with his century after (107-point inning) to make it 8-7. But since then, he faltered in some options and Judd, with nerves of steel and far more pragmatic and solid than in his days of playing off the bench and winning a few titles, always held on to the razor’s advantage, and with a three-pointer cut sealed the match and win at 10-7, percent. : 126 points!

“One of the best players in the world, Judd, and a great crowd. Congratulations to Trump. Jude was a little strong for me, I’m not young anymore but I still shared them, I was close, I gave everything on the table. I loved this week,” said Mark Williams, who resigned and promised to return in 2024: “It is the best arena for playing snooker, Alexandra Palace,” said Mark Williams, the Welshman and the final runner-up.

“It’s incredible. I tried to hold out, it was important to win the 14th “frame”: I should have been eliminated in the first round, in the second, in the semi-finals. But at 7-8 I thought everything was lost. It’s better Show me during the week. Mark’s long attacking match was incredible, he puts me under pressure the whole time. It’s, by far, the best and tastiest victory ever. And the crowd is amazing, and it makes us want to come back all the time,” said new Masters champ, Judd Trump, finally, in front of two thousand spectators who sold out the space again.

“It was a tough season, I lost so many championships bitterly, and now I’m on cloud nine,” added The Ace in the Pack, who should have been 3-5 in the Eights and watched his opponent, then. Welshman Ryan Day, who lost the black ball that would have given him 6-3 and eliminated Judd: In holding out, with his genius and ingenuity only showing up at intervals, but without making the defense easy and safe, Judd Trump ended up with three. Tires’ are beyond the reach of many ordinary mortals, and he’s got the beautiful trophy of the crystal triangle, the Paul Hunter Cup, an Englishman who was a three-time Masters champion, vanished early with terminal illness but won the three finals of the tournament he played…all in the ‘black’ (10-9).

Not eligible for the ranking – reserved for the ‘Top 16’ -, the Masters won its 48th edition (since 1975) in “Ally Pally”, handing out £725,000 (€816,441) in prizes, of which £250,000 (€281) 532) to Judd Trump – who succeeds Australian Neil Robertson, the 2022 winner – and £100,000 (€112,613) for Willo.

Monday’s World Grand Prix in Cheltenham

Snooker does not stop: 20 hours after the last shots at the Masters, a new competition will begin on Monday, 16, and until Sunday, 2nd of this month, at the Centaur Arena, Cheltenham Hippodrome (England). World Grand Prix, reserved for the best 32nd place in the standings for one year.

The tournament, in which England’s Ronnie O’Sullivan defends the title (10-8 to Australian Neil Robertson in the final of the previous edition), distributes 380,000 pounds (427,928 euros) in prize money, of which 100,000 pounds (€). 112,613) for the future champ.

In the first round, highlights include duels between Mark Allen and David Gilbert, Ronnie O’Sullivan-Barry Hawkins, Judd Trump vs. Iran’s Hossein Vafaei, Shaun Murphy vs. Ali Carter, Mark Selby vs. Thailand’s Nopon Saingham, and China’s Ding Junhui vs. Iranian. Stuart Bingham and Neil Robertson against another Chinese, Xiao Gudong.

The Round of 16 and Round of 16 are played with the best of seven possible “frames” – the first to win four (4-0 vs. a possible 4-3). “Quarters” are played on Fridays, to the best of nine ends, with the first to win five ends going to the “Half” (5-0 vs. a possible 5-4).

The semi-finals will be played, on Saturday, the 21st of the current month, with the best of 11 parts: the first to win six “frames” (from 6-0 to a possible 6-5) goes to the final. The decisive duel is played, on Sunday, the 22nd of the current month, in two sessions (13 and 19 hours) with the best of 19 “shots”: the first to win by ten (from 10-0 to a possible 10-9) is the champion.

Masters Final, this Sunday (Black Champion):

Judd Trump, Eng – Mark Williams, Gal, 10-8

The ’16’ World Grand Prix, Monday to Wednesday:

Mark Allen, EARN – David Gilbert, ENG (Monday, 7 p.m.)

Zhou Yuelong, Chn – Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Tai (Mon, 7 p.m.)

Jack Lesowski, England – Robert Milkins, England (Monday, 8 p.m.)

Mark Williams, Gal – Jimmy Jones, Gal (Monday, 8 p.m.)

Neil Robertson, Australia – Xiao Guodong, Chen (Tuesday, 1pm)

Ryan Day, gal – Ricky Walden, ENG (Tuesday, 1 p.m.)

Mark Selby, Eng. – Noppon Saengham, Tae (Tuesday, 2 p.m.)

Ding Junhui, Chen – Stuart Bingham, Eng (Tuesday, 2 p.m.)

Joe O’Connor, Eng – Liu Haotian, China (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)

Barry Hawkins, ENG – Ronnie O’Sullivan (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)

Keren Wilson, ING – Robbie Williams, England (Tuesday, 8 p.m.)

Judd Trump, Eng. – Hossein Vafaei, Iran (Tuesday, 8 p.m.)

Shaun Murphy, England – Ali Carter, England (Wednesday, 1 p.m.)

Tom Ford, ING – Sam Craigie, ING (Wednesday, 1 p.m.)

Gary Wilson, ING – Anthony McGill, ESc (Wednesday, 2 p.m.)

Luca Precel, Bill Joe Perry, Eng (Wednesday, 2 p.m.)