great news for Judd Trump! Title defense in Masters 2024 must be a proud moment for him.

Judd Trump started the defence of his Masters title at Alexandra Palace by defeating Kyren Wilson in a final-frame thriller after trailing 3-0.

Wilson got out to runs of 65 and 76 to build a sizable lead while Trump was having trouble getting into a groove early on.

Nevertheless, Trump proceeded to rattle off the following five frames, making breaks of 52, 101, and 83.

Wilson won the next two, and the world no. 2 sealed an exciting 6-5 victory with a 65 clearance.

Barry Hawkins defeated Neil Robertson 6-3 on Tuesday night in a rematch of the 2022 championship match, advancing him to Thursday’s quarterfinal against Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Trump, the two-time winner, will now square off against Ali Carter on Friday in the last eight.

Trump’s play resembled that of a year and a half before, when he struggled through the first rounds and defeated Mark Williams 10-8 to win his second Masters title.

Trump said to BBC Sport, “It was a strange game – nip and tuck the whole way through.”

“I was simply trying not to lose by four points. Kyren produced an incredible clearance to go 5-5 at 5-4.

“I was so nervous when I first went outside. There was a moment when I couldn’t even chalk my cue [in the last frame]. Wilson grabbed a small chance and was unlucky to miss the gap in the previous break as I was heading home [when he made 51].

“With my expertise, you would think that you would be able to overcome your fears, but being here, to the World Championship or the UK, is an entirely other experience. Simply said, you don’t want to lose in the opening round.”

Hawkins’ triumph prolongs Robertson’s dreadful campaign
Robertson of Australia has had a season to forget for the most part. His loss to Hawkins is the most recent in a series of tournament first-round losses that have dropped him to 88th on the one-year list during what is likely the worst stretch of his career.

The two-time champion had thought that spending his first Christmas in his own country since 2009 would inspire him, but against the Englishman, who had won the European Masters earlier in the season, he seemed lacking in match sharpness.

In the sixth frame, Robertson, who was averaging over 40 seconds per stroke and had a best break of 32 in the first five frames, did manage to make a beautifully fluid 117.

When Robertson followed it up with a fine of 110 to bring the score back to 4-3, it briefly appeared as though it was the start of a rally.

Hawkins, who had earlier made runs of 54 and 96 to take a 4-1 lead, answered with a critical break of 69 to restore a two-frame advantage at 5-3. In a lengthy final frame, Hawkins produced a 57 to secure his first victory against Robertson in this distance match since 2018.

“I haven’t beaten Neil in a long time, so to do so here is really pleasing,” Hawkins stated.

“Everyone is aware of his recent form struggles. It felt good to get the better of him because there was some pressure going into the match.

What an exciting moment [versus O’Sullivan] to look forward to. Since this is actually his competition, I’ll have to do better this time.”

Wilson laments a lost chance.
Even though Wilson lost to Trump 6-1 in the tournament’s quarterfinals two years ago, the way this loss came about may be more difficult to accept.

After taking the lead and establishing a dominating position, the 2018 finalist let Trump back into the competition and failed to regain control. This was evident in two expensive safety shots on the green in consecutive frames and a miss on a difficult red to the bottom-left corner.

Wilson persevered through a difficult ninth frame that extended the match with the momentum solidly in Trump’s favor. Wilson then produced a stunning clearance of 58 to set up an exciting finish.

However, he caught the far jaw in an effort to cut a tough red into the right center pocket, which allowed Trump to overcome a 55-0 lead and leave Wilson a brave loser.

Wilson remarked, “I should have hit home a little more at 3-0.”

“I regret not seeing it through to the end. I ought to have. That has been my season thus far. It has been the same all year. It’s unbelievable to me that I’ve left the red through the gap, and it perfectly captures my season, yet.