Judd Trump has never had a knack of doing things the easy way and last night was certainly no exception.
The world number four came through a Crucible classic to book his place in the last 16 with a dramatic 10-9 win against Chris Wakelin.
It was a match that had absolutely everything. Seemingly cruising at 8-4, Trump just couldn’t get over the line. Wakelin played some quality snooker which defied his inexperience here as debutant to draw back level at 8-8.
Momentum was in his favour by this stage and he looked like favourite to beat a clearly vulnerable Trump. There were more twists and turns to come though as Trump re-established the lead before missing frame ball black in the next as Wakelin forced a decider.
In the final frame, the pressure forced easy misses and mistakes from both players before Trump somehow scrambled over the line after one stage it looked like he might lose it despite Wakelin being in the snookers required position.
Matches like this only come at the Crucible. It seems like lit is only in the cauldron of the World Championship that drama like this is created.
As the dust settles on the final and most entertaining first round clash, Wakelin can take plenty of heart from a superb Crucible debut which will not only make him more determined to get back next year but also show signs he has a bright future on the sport’s biggest stage.
For Trump, it will be a feeling of overwhelming relief. He can take the positive of showing great temperament to still win the match after seeing his big lead eaten away but he knows he must improve if he has serious hopes of mounting a title challenge because the pressure hasn’t even got started yet and at times he looked unable to handle it.
His desire to land the world title cannot be questioned. There’s a hint of desperation about his quest to win the big titles, but with it comes a self-imposed pressure that seems to stifle his natural quality when it’s crunch time.
He’s come to Sheffield this year with a fresh perspective. He’s given up social media and having missed the China Open spent hours upon hours on the practice table preparing to give the title a real good go.
His commitment to the cause is impressive and unlike in past years he seems happy to go under the radar and refuses to big up his chances too much.
But for all this meticulous preparation and an approach he be lives to be reflective of his maturity, you cannot artificially create the pressure situations and big moments in big matches in practice. This is where Trump must improve, but with one massive hurdle already passed in this tournament, he’ll be hoping to fly.
