Judd Trump won the last two frames to snatch the £500k jackpot in Saudi Arabia; Ronnie O'Sullivan was beaten in the quarter-finals by Si Jiahui, who lost to Williams in the semi-finals; Trump beat Williams 10-9 in an absorbing final
Saturday 7 September 2024 22:23, UK
Judd Trump produced a nerveless clearance in the deciding frame to beat Mark Williams 10-9 and win the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
Williams looked set to claim the £500,000 first prize in Riyadh, only to miss a mid-range red on a break of 62 in the decider, allowing Trump to step in with a brilliant 72.
Trump, who was checking flights home at 4-0 down to Wu Yize in his first match of the tournament but has now won 15 of the 16 he has played this season, told Eurosport: "I'm in shock. I struggled, Mark was much the better player. He was making breaks although the table was playing tricky. I don't deserve to win.
"It's not going to mean anything to him, but he was the better player - I just found something at the end. This is so special to win. I stopped breathing for the last five minutes of that frame but I managed to get over the line."
Williams, 49, was gracious in defeat, saying: "It was a fantastic game. We didn't play really well, to be honest, from the start, but towards the end it was really good.
"I nearly had a good break in the last, it was a red I fancied getting on 62 but it wasn't as if I twitched or anything. I hit it good and thought it was in but just shows what a champ he is, what a break he's made in the last frame there.
"For half a million quid, 62 behind, two reds safe - what can you say? Congratulations to him."
Trump led a low-scoring affair 4-1 before Williams reduced his deficit in style with back-to-back breaks of 121 and 132, although world number one Trump took a tense final frame of the session to lead 5-3.
Williams continued to score more heavily in the evening session and breaks of 101, 77 and a total clearance of 138 took him 9-8 in front, only for Trump to respond with a break of 90 - his highest of the match - to force a dramatic decider.
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