Judd Trump slams Maguire: 'I was there for the taking against anyone that showed a bit of fight'

ByEurosport

Updated 13/02/2020 at 22:56 GMT

Judd Trump told Eurosport that he was bemused by the attitude of Stephen Maguire in their fourth-round match at the Welsh Open.

Judd Trump of England reacts during the 1st round match against James Cahill of England on day one of the 2020 ManBetX Welsh Open at the Motorpoint Arena on February 10, 2020 in Cardiff, Wales.

Image credit: Getty Images

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Trump ran out a 4-1 winner in the match, but struggled for consistency after a century break in the opening frame.

And he told Eurosport that most players would have beaten him in such form.

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"It was like he didn’t want to win, I don’t know," Trump said. "He kind of dampened the mood a bit, he just didn’t look interested.

It was hard for me to get up for it, I was a little bit tired, and to be honest I was there for the taking against anyone that showed a bit of fight in them, they probably would have beaten me tonight.

"I don’t know if he was tired or whatever, but he didn’t put up much of a fight out there. No-one in the top 16 should ever be doing that. If he could have got it to 2-2, the way the match was going, I was there for the taking, like I said."

Trump will play Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals, but after Thursday evening's performance he is just relieved to have the chance to play again.

"My concentration wasn’t really there," he said. "I was making silly mistakes, so I’m just happy to get over the line.

That’s the sort of game, you don’t want to go out there and lose that and be on a negative for the rest of the season.

Friday's quarter-final draw is packed full of star names, but Trump says he didn't even know who he was likely to play before taking to the baize on Thursday.