Judd Trump feared ‘the worst loss of all time’ before winning UK Championship | Other | Sport

Judd Trump battled to victory to end his 13-year long wait for a second UK Championship title, edging out Barry Hawkins in a tense finale at York, and admitted he had feared a career-worst defeat before winning.

The world number one faced a formidable challenge as Hawkins clinched two consecutive frames, closing the lead to just a single frame.

Trump was left observing anxiously from the sidelines before taking advantage of Hawkins’ missed red, clearing up with a crucial 67 break that sealed his 10-8 triumph.

The encounter culminated in an intense safety exchange, with Trump confessing to moments of dread during his post-match interview. “I wasn’t enjoying myself in my seat at 9-8,” said Trump. “I was thinking this could be the worst loss of all time, so it’s just pure relief.”

With this hard-earned victory, Trump claimed his first UK championship since 2011 and achieved the landmark of 30 ranking tournament wins throughout his celebrated career.

Despite not showcasing his best form throughout, the 35-year-old summoned some noteworthy performances to ward off the persistent threat posed by Hawkins – the qualifier who had previously staged a remarkable comeback against Ronnie O’Sullivan and nearly did the same in the nail-biting conclusion.

Hawkins, four times a runner-up in ‘triple crown’ tournament finals, reflected: “If someone had said I’d get to the final I’d have taken it, but once you’re in the final you want to win.

“I’ve beaten some great players this week but I’ve lost to the best player in the world at the moment, he’s such a fantastic player and it’s no disgrace.”

In what seemed to be a turning point early in the 15th frame, Hawkins, who had been capitalising on Trump’s mistakes to stay close at 8-7, executed a poor safety shot, opening the door for Trump’s dazzling 133 clearance that put him within one frame of victory.

However, just as Trump was on the verge of triumph, he was forced to remain seated as Hawkins fought back with a courageous 75 to narrow the gap to 9-7, followed by an audacious 82, igniting hopes of emulating his remarkable victory over O’Sullivan.

Despite the late finish in his semi-final win against Mark Allen, Hawkins showed no signs of weariness as he initiated the scoring in the 18th frame, but after a break of 20, he missed a red to the middle, presenting Trump with the opportunity to make a decisive break.

Trump initially appeared poised to dominate the final, stringing together three consecutive frames to secure a 5-2 advantage. Yet, Hawkins struck back with an impressive 81, keeping the contest tight at the close of the afternoon session and setting the stage for an evening showdown marked by both exceptional skill and numerous mistakes.

Trump advanced to a 6-3 lead but failed to capitalize when Hawkins missed a black off its spot, allowing the Kent contender, who was the Crucible runner-up in 2013, to claw back to within two frames.

Hawkins managed to close the gap but couldn’t take advantage of his opponent’s errors, leaving him trailing 7-6. As Trump edged closer to victory, Hawkins took risks and narrowed the score to 9-8.

However, Trump’s break of 67 fell short, leading to a tense safety battle until a long brown clinched his win. “It was such a hard game, and the way Barry battled today considering what happened yesterday was incredible really, so fair play to Barry,” Trump said.

“He had the chance to go level and the game could have changed, and even towards the end I was leaving him half-chances and he was clearing up every time.

“It’s been 13 years, it’s not easy to win these events. I’ve played brilliantly a lot of times and still come up short, so to do it in the manner I’ve done it, with probably one of the toughest draws of all time, I’m so proud of myself.”