Ali Carter battles past Judd Trump to set up Robert Milkins quarter-final clash at Players Championship 2023

Ali Carter sprung a big surprise at the Players Championship by beating Judd Trump 6-5 to reach the quarter-finals. A tight match saw neither player ahead by more than one frame and it was ultimately Carter who came out on top after a remarkable deciding frame. Ad He will play Robert Milkins in the first quarter-final on Wednesday night, after the newly crowned Welsh Open champion also won on a decider against Tom Ford.

Welsh OpenTrump is 'struggling' and only option is hard work on practice table — White16/02/2023 AT 16:42 A 91 break put Carter ahead early on, before Trump won a scrappy second frame to make it 1-1. It looked like Trump had finally found his rhythm when two scoring visits saw him take the lead at 2-1, but a key moment in the match came in frame four. Trump was 58-16 ahead with 43 remaining.

Carter drilled a long red in and got to within 16 points, then the Masters champion went in-off, Carter fluked the green and laid a snooker which Trump missed twice. Carter knocked in the brown with a stunning shot into the bottom right corner and potted the rest of the colours to steal the frame. He then made a century after the mid-session interval to go 3-2 in front, but Trump hit back with a 57 to make it all square again.

Frame seven came down to the final four colours with Trump 44-43 ahead. He potted a great long brown but still needed the blue and pink. ‘What about a car or a beautiful watch?’ – Hendry says 147 prize in snooker should be bigger Murphy slams ‘ridiculous accusations’ of losing concentration after Selby win An incredible moment saw Carter fluke a snooker when the cue ball hit the black half ball, only to go right in behind it, with the blue up the table.