Kyren Wilson beat Judd Trump 10-9 to win the Players Championship final, but there was some controversy as both players complained about the cue ball during the match
Kyren Wilson and Judd Trump were both unhappy with the state of the cue ball at the Players Championship final. Wilson beat Trump 10-9 in the final as the reigning world champion struck an early blow against the world No.1 ahead of this year’s World Snooker Championship.
Wilson has now beaten Trump in three consecutive finals and the pair are among the favourites to win the World Championship, which is due to get underway next month at the Crucible in Sheffield.
However, there was some controversy during the final as both players complained to the referee about the cue ball and it was changed during the 10th frame. And Trump likened the cue ball to a ping-pong ball in his post-match interview.
“The balls were playing a bit tricky, it wasn;t like the rest of the tournament where I was able to play free-flowing,” Trump told ITV. “I don’t know what the difference was today.
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“It was very, very strange and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that before in a tournament. It was a good tournament and I’ll look forward to the next tournament.
“It was tricky. It was tricky for both of us. The ball was very light and it was taking off like a ping-pong ball. It was a bit strange. It was difficult because coming into the game, I thought it was going to be a brilliant standard.
“Me and Kyren have played some great stuff in the tournament. But it bogged us both down a little bit. It was not disappointing but we weren’t able to play our best. There was some drama in the decider.
“I wasn’t able to play my best. I thought I was going to hit the pink when I was going there but the white stunned for some reason. Well done to Kyren and his family, I look forward to the next one. Thank you everyone for coming to support us.”
Wilson, meanwhile, called Trump a “class act” and said his win gives him “confidence” heading into his world championship defence. “Every credit to Judd for speaking so well, he’s just shown what a class act Judd is,” Wilson said.
“It’s so special to lift trophies. It was mentioned this week that if I won, I would go level with the legend Jimmy White on 10 ranking titles. For me growing up, watching a legend like Jimmy, to be level with him is a dream come true.
“Judd hit the nail on the head. I feel like it’s a good, healthy rivalry, it’s just a shame we couldn’t peak like we have done all week. Any time you beat somebody like Judd, he’s so far ahead of me in ranking titles I’ve got to try and make the most of these ones when I get a chance.
“We’re a couple away now from the World Championship. It gives me a bit of confidence going into that.”
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