Judd Trump was once ‘sick’ of one of his snooker rivals
joked that he was once ‘sick’ of but believes the tables have now turned after their meeting. The Ace won a tense battle between the duo in York.
Higgins previously had the upper hand over Trump, who grew tired of losing to the 49-year-old. However, Trump has since mastered defeating Higgins and won thanks to a final-frame decider at the UK Championship.
Twelve of their last 13 meetings have been won by Trump, who believes his rival is ‘sick’ of playing against him. But there was a time when it was the other way around.
“After the interval I felt it was a good game,” Trump told . “There was the odd ball missed, but there were some good breaks and good long potting.
“I am delighted to come out on the winning side again. In recent times, I have managed to get the upper hand on John. At the start of my career it was the opposite.
“I am sure he is sick of me. I was sick of him, and it makes for a great match-up.”
Trump hit a century in the final frame to secure a 6-5 victory. He had initially made a safety error but the balls did not run kindly for Higgins. The world No. 1 took the opportunity to advance to the next round, and he has since booked his place in the semi-final.
“In the last frame I played a bad shot and left him in,” Trump said. “You are then hoping for a chance. He did not have the right angle on the pack and I tried to bide my time for a bit and hope for a chance.”
Judd Trump and John Higgins have shared some epic battles
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In a separate interview, Trump admitted that he would rank Higgins extremely close to Ronnie O’Sullivan. He said: “In terms of players I’ve played, probably one or two, he’s that close with Ronnie.
“When I first turned professional John was in his prime, I think, and I really struggled to beat him and I was playing well at the time. He would edge it every time with an unbelievable clearance in the last frame.
“Consistently at the start of my career I would have put John above Ronnie. I think Ronnie’s got longevity, just because John hasn’t won as much in the last 5-10 years in terms of big events. But on their day they’re both special.”