LONDON: England’s Judd Trump defeated John Higgins 18-9 to win snooker’s World Championship final at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre on Monday.
Victory gave Trump, beaten in the 2011 final by Scotland’s Higgins, his maiden world title and saw him join the list of snooker players to have completed a career Grand Slam following previous successes in the UK Championship and Masters tournaments.
Higgins’s defeat meant the four-time world champion had now lost the last three Crucible finals.
Trump was on the brink of victory at 16-9 when Monday’s evening session got underway and the 29-year-old made quick work of securing the two frames he required to be crowned champion with breaks of 94 and 62.
Trump had been outstanding in winning eight frames in a row on Sunday to establish a 12-5 overnight lead against Higgins.
But the impressive overall standard of both players in this match was shown by an afternoon session on Monday that started with Higgins nearly achieving a maximum break of 147 and ended with Trump just falling short of the landmark.
The 43-year-old Higgins potted all 15 reds, including an outlandish double on the last, as he closed in on a maximum before missing a relatively simple black.
Higgins then won the next as well to reduce the deficit to 12-7.
But Trump, who had needed a final frame to beat Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and then came from behind in his second-round match with China’s Ding Junhui, stopped Higgins’ fightback with a brilliant 101.
It was his fifth century break of the match.
Trump then produced a composed break of 71 following a poor break-off shot by Higgins as he moved into a 14-7 lead at the mid-session interval.
Trump maintained his form when the match resumed, potting a brilliant opening long red and playing several superb positional shots in a commanding break of 126.
Higgins, with breaks of 67 and 70, at least avoided losing the match with a session to spare before Trump finished the afternoon’s play in style.
There seemed little prospect of a 147 when Trump, on 80, was left with a tough angle on the black and easier colors available to him.
But he made no mistake with a difficult pot and completed yet another century break before narrowly missing a tough red to the left middle pocket.
Judd Trump wins snooker World Championship
Judd Trump wins snooker World Championship
- Victory gave Trump, beaten in the 2011 final by Scotland’s Higgins, his maiden world title
- Higgins’s defeat meant the four-time world champion has now lost the last three Crucible finals
Dubai Basketball edge Milan to secure EuroLeague victory
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball strengthened their home-court reputation with a 99-92 win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 18 of the EuroLeague at Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday, cheered on by more than 5,000 fans.
The hosts made a fast start and immediately imposed themselves at both ends of the floor. Canadian center Mfiondu Kabengele and Serbian big man Filip Petrusev controlled the paint early, creating close-range scoring opportunities and forcing Milan into defensive adjustments. With McKinley Wright IV and Dwayne Bacon adding pace and penetration, Dubai surged into a double-digit lead and dictated the tempo of the opening quarter.
Milan struggled to settle and spent much of the first period on the back foot, as Dubai’s advantage stretched to 15 points. Although the visitors steadied themselves as the quarter progressed, the early deficit proved costly.
Dubai head coach Jurica Golemac praised the impact of the home crowd after the game, saying: “Congratulations to the fans. We were missing them for sure in the last home game, and they helped us a lot. In the first quarter, we played one of our best quarters this season. The next game is at home in three days, so there is no time to rest too much. We need to prepare for that game first. We are not thinking three games ahead — we prepare for every game and try to win every game.”
Milan showed improved rhythm in the second quarter, but Dubai responded before the break. Bacon punished defensive lapses from beyond the arc, while Kabengele finished strongly inside to help the hosts take a seven-point lead into halftime.
The final period was defined by composure rather than flair. Milan threatened to draw level on several occasions, but missed free throws and execution errors halted their momentum. Bacon sealed the outcome from the free-throw line in the final two minutes, pushing Dubai back into a double-digit advantage and closing out the contest.
Bacon led all scorers with 25 points, while Wright recorded 19 points and nine assists. Kabengele added 17 points, and Petrusev contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. For Milan, Guduric topped the scoring with 11 points, alongside seven rebounds and seven assists.
Dubai Basketball now turn their attention to the ABA League, where they remain unbeaten. The team return to Coca-Cola Arena to face Slovenia’s KRKA in Round 12 of the competition.
