I could have sworn that I’ve been here before. Didn’t this match happen already? Twice? With the same result? It seems as if the stars were aligned for a third successive year so that we could witness the World Champion and World No. 1 go head-to-head in another Northern Ireland Open final. Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump meet once again, but is the result any different? Spoiler alert: no.
Breakdown
Given how their last few encounters have gone, I don’t think anyone would have been surprised to see Trump establish a 3-1 lead. It wasn’t a vintage start from either player and the result could have been on the other foot if O’Sullivan had a better start, like we’re used to seeing. Even the frame he won during the opening mini-session was a result of a fluke green.
Though, it wasn’t until the final couple of frames in the afternoon session where we began to see more of a typical performance from Trump and O’Sullivan, as they made breaks of 128 and 130, respectively. This led to an evening session where Trump had gained a 5-3 advantage over his veteran opponent.
Trump took the opening two frames of the evening session aided by breaks of 89 and 55 to extend his lead to 7-3. It seemed that the end was near at this point for O’Sullivan however, he was able to minimise losses as he clawed back the following two frames. Trump inched closer to the finishing line thanks to a miss from O’Sullivan opening the pack, which allowed him to make a contribution of 115.
Although, it didn’t stop there. O’Sullivan had been on the back foot this entire match and somehow managed to find the momentum he needed at the right time. Breaks of 93 and 74 gave O’Sullivan a chance to snatch the NI Open trophy away from Trump. And he had the first chance in the frame that could have led to a decider. While on 32, O’Sullivan left himself little angle to work with on the black which, in turn, led to a subsequent miss on the following red. An importance clearance of 89 from Trump allowed him to secure his third consecutive NI Open title.
Afterthoughts
I always had a feeling that if O’Sullivan and Trump somehow managed to meet in the final of this event, it would result in a 9-7 score-line. And as the tournament progressed, and each player was making it through the competition, it was evident that this prediction was soon to become reality. And the match went exactly as most would have expected.
Given how well Trump has performed over the past couple of years, it’s very difficult to compliment his victories without repeating words that have been written before. Trump is at a stage of his career where his level is so beyond the rest of the field, he can afford to take on shots many would deem ‘courageous’, because his potting is that exceptional and he’ll always manage to get back on the table. Even though he is the undisputed World No. 1, he still needs to focus his efforts on the majors, and I think he knows that.
The legion of O’Sullivan fans may be disappointed with the result of the NI Open, but one should really consider how well O’Sullivan did to get to this stage of an event. In all honesty, if he played anyone else but Trump, chances are he’d be the one lifting the trophy. But Trump seems to have that ‘bogeyman’ on O’Sullivan that Selby once had on him. When O’Sullivan comes up against someone with a noticeable attacking playstyle such as Trump, he tends to find things a little more difficult.
Now, I’m not saying that O’Sullivan will never beat Trump. But at this stage of both their careers, Trump will win most of their encounters. And that’s nothing to be disappointed with. The fact that O’Sullivan is still competing at this level and running it close against Trump every time they play is a magnificent feat. And it’s only a handful of individuals that can still beat O’Sullivan, so don’t worry about him not winning this particular event.
It’s a shame that O’Sullivan doesn’t really bring out the same level of concentration or A-game that he does against someone like Higgins or Selby. Many of his opening frames required multiple visits and his safety wasn’t as sharp as it normally is. Coupled with a few unexpected misses, such as the pink off the spot in Frame 1 and with the rest in Frame 5 led to punishable responses by his opponent.
As for Trump, this win puts him at 19 ranking titles, surpassing Robertson and Selby. It doesn’t seem like things will be stopping there as he lies within reachable distance of Williams, who sits at 22. The question is, will Trump enter the all-time Top 5 this season? What do you think?
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