German Masters snooker 2021 AS IT HAPPENED - Defending champion Judd Trump beats Jack Lisowski

ByEurosport

Updated 31/01/2021 at 20:05 GMT

German Masters 2021 AS IT HAPPENED – It's the final day as world number one and defending champion Judd Trump takes on his friend Jack Lisowski in Milton Keynes. Trump vs Lisowski gets underway at 2pm with the evening session set to begin at 7pm. Watch live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app.

Judd Trump during the 2021 German Masters final (World Snooker)

Image credit: Eurosport

Thanks for your company

That concludes our coverage of the 2021 German Masters, we'll be back with more live snooker for you in the near future.

Take care out there everyone, night night.

German Masters

'Good to take punishment' – Trump explains why mauling can boost Lisowski's career

01/02/2021 at 12:09

Trump's imperial phase

Judd lifts the Brandon Parker trophy in triumph. In retaining the German Masters title he has now won his 13th ranking event title in the last 27 months, during which spell he also claimed the Masters. This season alone, it's his fourth ranking event victory and he's been in six finals in total. It really is an astonishing purple patch. Lisowski has now lost five ranking event finals, but to rationalise that statistic, the last two have been to Trump. For anyone, anywhere on the tour to claim a ranking event in the near future, Judd represents a formidable road block to such dreams.

Player talk

Lisowski admits it didn't happen today, while Trump acknowledges how close a lot of the frames were. In his acceptance speech, Trump also pays a nice tribute to Brandon Parker and his work in establishing snooker in continental Europe.

Judd Trump is the German Masters champion

What a performance from the world number one. At about 4.00pm yesterday Trump was gone, 5-1 behind to Stuart Bingham in his semi-final. Since then, he’s won 14 of the last 16 frames he’s played at the German Masters to stun Bingham and brush Lisowski aside today. The 9-2 scoreline sounds like a thrashing, and it is purely in frames, but five of them were right in the balance and Jack had chances today. The fact that Trump won the lot is a testament to just how strong his all-round game is right now.

Trump 9-2 Lisowski

Trump tons up, eventually clearing up to the blue for 119 and frame, match and title!

Trump 8-2 Lisowski (68-0)

A black takes Trump to 67, with 67 remaining. The 11th red is frame ball, and it’s long to the yellow pocket. Trump’s walking as soon as he’s hit it; the ball goes right in the centre of the pocket, and he’s retained his German Masters title!

Trump 8-2 Lisowski (53-0)

A red to the bottom right brings another three into the open for Trump, securing a half ton and landing on the green. That goes in with the assistance of the rest, and he’s plum on his next red. Almost there…

Trump 8-2 Lisowski (20-0)

Trump breaks, and Lisowski misses a long red to the bottom right. That’s left Trump on a back cut red to the bottom left, which he drops in to land on the brown. He’s now buzzing around the black spot, and moves three reds into the open when potting another to land on the black. This could be the visit that wins the title.

Trump 8-2 Lisowski

That’s more like it; two breaks of 53 secure the tenth frame for Jack.

Trump 8-1 Lisowski (0-72)

Lisowski cruises past the winning post, and he's stopped his losing streak of seven frames in a row.

Trump 8-1 Lisowski (0-54)

Lisowski makes a half-century, but he’s lost the white when trying to split the pack and ends up in no man’s land in baulk. From his safety Trump misses a long red and leaves it over the bottom right for Lisowski, who strokes it in and lands on the blue.

Trump 8-1 Lisowski (0-30)

An attacking safety from Trump leaves Lisowski a thin red to the left middle, and it’s in. He’s put together a nice break of 30 already, and still has three reds in the open to play for.

Trump 8-1 Lisowski

Lisowski soon leaves the brown on to the right middle, and Trump clears up to the pink. It's been another close one, and Trump's taken it again to move within one of victory.

Trump 7-1 Lisowski (72-49)

Trump snookers Lisowski, who can’t drop onto the yellow off one cushion and gives another four away. This has been an expensive couple of minutes, and Trump now only needs yellow and green. Lisowski leaves a long yellow on to its own pocket, which Trump booms in, but he’s left himself a thin green to the same pocket. Trump takes it on…and it’s there! A safety follows on the brown, and he’s in control now.

Trump 7-1 Lisowski (63-49)

Lisowski misses a thin contact safety on the yellow twice to give away eight; as he was put back in by Trump from where the white landed in the first one rather than seeing the ball replaced after a miss, the three miss rule isn’t enforceable. It is now though, as Lisowski has missed it again. Trump takes the miss and has the white put back again, so if Lisowski can’t hit it this time he loses the frame…but he clips the side of the yellow and knocks it safe.

Trump 7-1 Lisowski (51-49)

Trump pots the final red, attempting to shift the yellow as he does so but missing it by a whisker. He pots the pink to take the lead in the frame and plays the yellow safe. We’re down to the colours for the frame.

Trump 7-1 Lisowski (28-49)

Ball by ball, Trump’s getting back into this one. The reds are good to go, his problem ball is the yellow which is on the cushion just above the right middle. If he can shift that at some point, the rest looks routine.

Trump 7-1 Lisowski (1-49)

Lisowski is clearly in the mood to go for it, and plays two good splits off the pack to turn this into a frame-winning chance. He's up to 46 already, but misses a red to the left middle and that could be very costly.

Trump 7-1 Lisowski (1-11)

This’ll cheer up Lisowski; he absolutely booms a long red into the heart of the bottom right after Trump’s break-off. He adds the yellow, but then misses a plant to the bottom right. Trump responds by knocking in a mid-range red, but then misses a yellow and this is a chance for Jack.

Here they come

Our MC Phil Seymour introduces the players. Judd needs two, Jack needs eight; let's get about it.

Any chance for Jack?

Tonight looks an impossible task for Lisowski. He'd surely need to clean sweep the mini-session before the interval; 3-1 would leave him right on the edge. It looks like his wait for a first ranking title is destined to continue for a while yet, but this is snooker; we wouldn't all be gathered for this on a Sunday night if we didn't all know this sport's capacity for surprise.

The prize

The tangible reward on offer for winning the German Masters tonight is a quite magnificent glass trophy. This has been renamed the Brandon Parker Trophy, in honour of the World Snooker Tour director who sadly passed away last summer.

So, where were we…

We’re back for the evening session of the German Masters final. Judd Trump has raced into a 7-1 lead over his good friend Jack Lisowski, and is on the cusp of winning his fourth ranking event of the year and his 13th in the last 27 months.

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Join us again in a few hours

We'll be back at 6.45pm for the evening session, either to watch Trump lift his fourth ranking title of the season or witness one of the greatest comebacks in snooker history. Until then, ta-ra.

Judd Trump leads Jack Lisowski 7-1

That was a brutal afternoon for Jack. His good friend Judd hasn't blasted him off the table with a blizzard of scoring, but he's won the four tight frames between the two this afternoon to establish a surely unassailable lead in this final. That's the difference between Trump pre-autumn 2018 and Trump now; his matchplay snooker - hanging in, pinching close frames and particularly his safety - has shot up to the level of his amazing natural ability to pot balls off the lampshades. He has morphed into a quite awesome force, to which Lisowski just had no answer.

Trump 7-1 Lisowski

Frame ball red goes, followed by the black. Trump makes 65 in total, and he'll need just two more frames in the evening session to retain his German Masters title.

Trump 6-1 Lisowski (47-14)

Trump takes his break to 41 with a smooth pink to the right middle. There are only five reds left on the table and a 7-1 lead going into tonight looks inevitable.

Trump 6-1 Lisowski (14-14)

This is a scrappy one, perhaps unsurprisingly after the tension at the end of the last frame. Trump hits the pink off a safety, but Lisowski can only add another six before his nascent break derails. Jack then gets in again but misses a brown to the yellow pocket, and he's left Trump a great chance to counter.

Trump 6-1 Lisowski (6-1)

It's a lofty comparison, but it's apt; that was Hendry-esque from Trump. Instead of giving Lisowski a sniff of 5-3 going into the evening session, he kept the initiative all to himself by going all out to win the seventh frame with those final two shots. It's getting worse for Lisowski too; he gets the first red of the eighth down, but then miscues horribly when trying to screw back from the brown. Trump can only make six in reply though, as he misses a red to the bottom left.

Trump 6-1 Lisowski

What a shot from Trump! After 20 consecutive safety shots on the pink, he tags it into the yellow pocket, coming off two cushions to nudge the black off the bottom cushion! That's superb. The double kiss on the black leaves a thin cut to the bottom left...and it's there, just about, using all of the jaws to drop in! Brilliant from Trump and a choker for Lisowski, who is now five frames behind.

Trump 5-1 Lisowski (55-58)

Lisowski almost misses the brown, rattling it furiously into the yellow pocket, but then misses a short blue and leaves it over the pocket! He's struggling, and that would've put him 13 ahead with 13 left. Trump dispatches the blue, but can't get on the pink; we're back on safety, with Lisowski needing just the pink and Trump wanting pink and black.

Trump 5-1 Lisowski (50-49)

Trump drifts offline from a deadweight safety, clipping the red faintly and leaving it over the bottom right. Lisowski gobbles it up, along with a pressure brown to the yellow pocket, and if he can clear up to the pink the frame will be his.

Trump 5-1 Lisowski (50-44)

This is some effort from Jack, who evaporates Trump's lead with a break of 44 but can't shift the remaining two reds off the left rail. He tries to double one but misses it to the right middle; Trump responds by gliding the looses ball into the yellow pocket and then dropping the white on the top cushion.

Trump 5-1 Lisowski (49-14)

Well now! Trump misses a black off its spot, just as we were getting excited. More importantly for Lisowski, he comes to the table bullet straight on a red. He needs some kind of response here, and sets about cobbling a break together.

Trump 5-1 Lisowski (40-0)

t's five reds and five blacks; Trump's moving around the table like he fancies the maxi here. It'll need a compliant split, and there's a red on the left rail, but everything's in the bottom half of the table for him.

Trump 5-1 Lisowski (16-0)

Trump breaks, and Lisowski misses a long red to the bottom right by some way. He's left Trump in again too, and with six loose reds in the bottom half of the table Lisowski could very quickly be in trouble in this frame.

Trump 5-1 Lisowski

Lisowski weighs up the situation and concedes the frame. Trump now leads by four.

Trump 4-1 Lisowski (72-0)

This is good, matchplay stuff from the world number one. Judd runs slightly out of position on the blue, but goes in and out of baulk to land on a red near the right rail. That goes with the help of the extended rest, followed by a no frills black that takes him to 72 with only 67 left. Trump just made sure of the frame there. He then misses a red to the right middle, but puts the white in behind the yellow for insurance.

Trump 4-1 Lisowski (50-0)

Trump splits the pack off the blue, and within a few shots is over the half-century mark for the frame. Right now, it's looking a bit ominous for Jack.

Trump 4-1 Lisowski (22-0)

It's not happening for Lisowski at the moment. A poor safety from Trump leaves him a mid-range cutback on a red to the bottom left, but he's missed it and the red relocates right over the bottom right. Trump's up to 22 already, and there's a lot to go at here.

Trump 4-1 Lisowski

Trump cuts in a long brown, and Lisowski concedes the frame.

Trump 3-1 Lisowski (61-30)

Lisowski goes in-off from a safety, and now requires a snooker. He battles gamely for it, but eventually Trump doubles the green to push the task to three snookers needed.

Trump 3-1 Lisowski (54-30)

A great chance goes begging for Jack! He cuts in a brilliant yellow, and catches the knuckle of the right middle to land on the green. The frame is at his mercy, but he misses it to the bottom right! There's some tension out there and although it's early, this is a big moment in the match.

Trump 3-1 Lisowski (54-28)

Lisowski is struggling a little with his safety today, and leaves Trump a red to the yellow pocket. That goes, followed by pink-red-blue, before Trump plays safe off the final red and leaves it on the top cushion. It's a bitty frame this, but might be Trump's now; he cross-doubles the red into the green pocket and he's landed plum on the black. That goes, but Trump misses frame ball yellow with the rest when trying to force position on the green. Dropping it in looked the better option there, and Lisowski can nick this on the colours.

Trump 3-1 Lisowski (33-28)

A lovely stun shot off a red sees the white come off the bottom cushion and split a red and the black; that could be the key to Trump winning the frame as he takes the lead with black to right middle. He loses position on the third to last red though, and has to play safe.

Trump 3-1 Lisowski (14-28)

This break is a lot of work. The green is currently housed on the pink spot, with the pink on the green spot, and Lisowski is having to use the three-pointer to build a break with. He gets to 28 but misses a red into the bottom left, and he's left Trump in here.

Trump 3-1 Lisowski (14-3)

We're back, and Trump's back in as Lisowski misses a long red to the bottom right by a big margin. If he's to stay in this final, 2-2 in this mini-session us surely the minimum requirement for Lisowski. He's got a chance here; Trump makes just 14 before a careless safety leaves a red over the right middle. Lisowski kabooms it in, followed by the yellow. Can he get something going here?

Trump 3-1 Lisowski

Trump runs out of position on the final red, but finds a superb recovery pot into the left middle and nudges the blue over the yellow pocket in the same shot. That's a fantastic pot, and will win the frame. He clears to the yellow, and has a 3-1 lead at the interval.

We'll be back with you in 15.

Trump 2-1 Lisowski (44-25)

A superb safety from Lisowski, trapping Trump right in behind the green, forces a mistake. Trump escapes but leaves Lisowski on a red to the bottom left, and there's an inviting spread of reds on here. He gets one on the right rail into play too, but then misses a green to its own pocket from distance and it's served this frame up for Trump.

Trump 2-1 Lisowski (44-0)

Trump starts running out of position, and after a brilliant recovery pot on a red to the bottom right he can't convert the green into its own pocket and that's end of break.

Trump 2-1 Lisowski (36-0)

He's off again; a glorious long red from Trump, right into the heart of the bottom right, sees the white go around the back of the black and pull up on the yellow. The way he's started today suggests he's got that flat phase against Bingham yesterday right out of his system. The break is at 36 and counting, with Trump gliding around the table.

Trump 2-1 Lisowski

A break of 65 puts Trump back into the lead.

Trump 1-1 Lisowski (64-0)

It's easy work with this spread of reds, and a black off its spot leaves Lisowski needing two snookers.

Trump 1-1 Lisowski (41-0)

After a prolonged bout of safety sending reds up to baulk, Trump flukes a red into the yellow pocket and then tucks Lisowski in behind the black. From his escape, Lisowski tries to hit a red below the pink spot and stick to it but plays it too hard and he's left an absolute load on here. Trump almost loses position on his first colour, which looked nigh on impossible, but he just about lands on the green and sets about putting a break together.

Trump 1-1 Lisowski (21-0)

It's tit-for-tat so far, and Trump's back in at the start of the third. He makes 21, before a split on the pack after potting the black and coming off two cushions has gone awry and he's on nothing. An attempted double to the right middle misses, and it's end of break.

Trump 1-1 Lisowski

A 67 for Lisowski brings the match level.

Trump 1-0 Lisowski (1-69)

In co-comms Fouldsy says Lisowski is the best player he's ever seen that doesn't - as yet - have a ranking event title to his name. As if to emphasise the point, Lisowski switches hands to pot a red right-handed as Fouldsy's words are aired. Jack gets to 68 ahead in the frame, and Trump now needs snookers.

Trump 1-0 Lisowski (1-40)

Lisowski can only make 15 before losing position on the black, and failing to convert the pink to left middle instead. He gets back in with a long red to the bottom right though, followed by a black into the left middle that has put him nicely in position.

Trump 1-0 Lisowski (1-8)

Apparently the players have agreed to change the cue ball between frames, which was on the light side and not reacting accordingly. Trump is struggling with the pace with the new one too, as he twice underhits a containing safety and gives away eight points. That elicits a warning that he'll lose frame with another foul as he can see another red full ball. Trump escapes at the third attempt, but leaves a red on to the bottom right from it. Chance for Lisowski.

Trump 1-0 Lisowski

Both players miss long pots on the yellow in a prolonged safety battle, before a superb safety from Trump causes Lisowski to push the yellow over the bottom left from his escape. Trump tidies that up and clears to the pink to take the first frame.

Trump 0-0 Lisowski (56-31)

When potting the blue Trump can't shift the final red off the right rail, and it's end of break on 56. His safety is poor too; he's left a cut on the red to the green pocket, and Lisowski tags it in to land on the black. If he can dish up the colours here he'll nick the frame, but he's missed the yellow. Trump hasn't got a pot on it though, and a safety exchange ensues.

Trump 0-0 Lisowski (43-23)

Trump wipes out Lisowski's lead in the frame double quick, and cruises into the lead with the pink. There are three reds left, all of which he'll need to wrap up the frame.

Trump 0-0 Lisowski (0-23)

A confident start from Jack, as he sweeps a long red into the bottom left after Trump’s break and pulls up on the baulk colours. He’s soon down around the black spot and stitching a break together. He’s missed the black off it’s spot on 23 though, leaving Trump on an easy starter.

It's time

Our MC Phil Seymour is introducing the players, here we go. It's best of 17 for the title.

Hit the baize, Jack

A big ask for the big Lisowski then, but he’ll be jonesing to win here. He’s lost all four of the ranking event finals that he’s reached in his career, most recently the World Grand Prix final to Trump right here in Milton Keynes just before Christmas. Both players then missed the Masters after testing positive for the coronavirus, but Lisowski’s run to the final here is compelling evidence of his own good form.

The Juddernaut

How is he even here? Yesterday afternoon, Judd was 5-1 behind in his semi-final to Barry Hawkins, and looked utterly shot and beaten. By the evening he had recovered to win 6-5, a sensational comeback underpinned by three brilliant centuries in a row and that pot on the green. This is his sixth ranking event final of the season, and in the last 27 months he has won 12 ranking event titles (including the big one at the Crucible) and the Masters. It’s becoming one of the most awesome imperial phases in the history of the game.

Good afternoon!

Welcome to live coverage of the final of the German Masters, and we’ve got a match unlikely to disappoint today. The world number one Judd Trump is defending his title against his good friend Jack Lisowski, a superb talent chasing the first ranking event title of his career. The boys will be baized circa 2.00pm.

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It's back-to-back finals

Trump and Lisowski meet in the German Masters final a month after the rivals and friends contested the World Grand Prix final with Trump claiming a 10-7 victory.

They are the first players to meet in back-to-back finals since John Higgins and Steve Davis clashed at the outset of 1995.

Trump produced his greatest shot in a 6-5 semi-final win over Barry Hawkins.

'Talk about naughty snooker!' - Trump lands outrageous green

"To be honest, I don't think I've ever played a better shot," said Trump. "Certainly not in a tournament.

The shots against Ding (in the quarter-finals on Friday) and John Higgins (2019 Northern Ireland Open semi-final) were amazing, but that shot really is once in a lifetime, to stop the white like I did.

"You are kind of hoping that will happen, but you don't truly believe it, but when I hit it, Barry has cracked up. Even shots like that, give me the belief when I sat down. I could have just rolled the green and missed it.

The belief that gives you, I truly believed I could win the game at 5-2 down from that one shot.

How Lisowski got to the final

Jack Lisowski recorded a 6-2 win over Tom Ford on Saturday.

Two breaks of 68 got Lisowski, himself recovering from Covid, off to a strong start and he was soon 3-0 up after edging out the third.

Ford hit 104, the highest break of the match, to get on the board but Lisowski made 62 to restore his advantage.

Ford's 65 in the sixth made it 4-2 but Lisowski's pair of 80+ breaks in the last two frames gave him a convincing win.

Recap: Trump's epic comeback v Hawkins

Judd Trump's defence of his German Masters title was all but over after Barry Hawkins claimed a 5-1 lead in their semi-final clash.

But the world number one sprung into life with three straight centuries to produce a miraculous comeback and book his place in Sunday's showpiece, where he will play his friend Jack Lisowski.