German Masters snooker 2021: Judd Trump on his 'rare' ability - 'Two best shots of my career'

ByEurosport

Updated 30/01/2021 at 11:22 GMT

Judd Trump will contest a seventh semi-final out of eight ranking events this season when he faces Barry Hawkins in the German Masters last four. The world number one has also reached the semi-finals of the non-ranking Champion of Champions in a campaign of staggering consistency. Trump's rousing run is perhaps matched only by his ability to produce some incomparable exhibition shots.

Judd Trump at the German Masters (World Snooker)

Image credit: Eurosport

Defending champion Judd Trump will face Barry Hawkins in the German Masters semi-final on Saturday afternoon (LIVE and exclusive on Eurosport at 2pm) buoyed by some superb shot-making in reaching the last four.

The sport's undisputed world number one completed a 5-3 victory over former UK champion Ding Junhui to reach a remarkable seventh semi-final out of eight ranking events this season.

"It's incredible consistency and something I'm incredibly proud of," said Trump, who was forced to miss the Masters due a positive Covid-19 test.

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Two incredible Judd Trump shots - but which was better?

Having also made the last four of the Champion of Champions non-ranking event, it has been a gloriously consistent campaign, even by Trump's dominant standards, in winning the English Open, Northern Ireland Open and World Grand Prix as he closes in on a fourth title in Milton Keynes.

Trump produced a stunning positional shot using check side in the second frame against Ding in making a 101 break that he compared to a similar effort in a 6-3 win over John Higgins in the semi-finals of the 2019 Northern Ireland Open, an event he has won over the past three years.

He feels that those two shots will be difficult to better in his career.

"It's a shot that I love playing. I love playing exhibition shots at the end of a frame and for that to come off is like a one in a thousand shot," explained Trump, who only came up two pots short of claiming the UK title in an agonising 10-9 defeat to Neil Robertson last month.

It literally is that hard. As soon as I hit it, I knew I hit it well. For it to end up as well as it did, you know as soon as you get off the table and check your phone you know it is going to be going mad for that one.

"Those kind of shots don't come around often. I know I played one in the Northern Ireland Open against John Higgins and this is another one.

"They are two shots in your career really. They are very rare and you have to appreciate them when they come round.

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"If that happens in practice, me and my brother (Jack) smirk at each other. We just laugh.

It's important to express myself when I get the chance. Everybody has a different style of play. It's just nice to play those shots that I know everybody will appreciate at home.

Jack Lisowski, who lost 10-7 to Trump in the World Grand Prix final, will face Tom Ford in the second semi-final on Saturday night at 7pm.

Ford finished with a run of 134 in his 5-1 win over Joe O'Connor with Lisowski edging out 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham 5-3.