JUDD Trump started his Dafabet World Championship last-16 match against Wales’s Ryan Day in fine style at the Crucible on Saturday afternoon.
The 24-year-old Trump, occasionally branded ‘The Juddernaut’ was a semi-finalist in Sheffield 12 months ago – losing to eventual winner Ronnie O’Sullivan.
And of course the worldNo8 has gone further than that in the tournament, losing out to John Higgins three years ago in one of the best finals of recent years.
Trump was forced into an emergency dash back to Essex for coach Gary Filtness to fix a new tip on his cue last week after an unconvincing win over Tom Ford.
Normally the former UK champion would have liked several days to settle with the new equipment before any tournament, let alone the blue-riband event.
But he took early control against world No20, a former quarter-finalist at the Crucible, by claiming a 6-2 lead in the first session of a best-of-25 frame contest.
Trump rattled in breaks of 70, 76 and 78 – as well as a fine clearance of 48 to snatch the fifth frame on the black by a single point.
Day, 34, has never won a ranking title despite a decent record in Sheffield – and has it all to do on Sunday and Monday.
Photographs by Monique Limbos