Judd Trump begins three-in-a-row bid with a victory at the Northern Ireland Open

Judd Trump began his quest to win a third ranking title on the spin with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Jenson Kendrick at the Northern Ireland Open this afternoon.

The Ace in the Pack lost the opener in Belfast but then settled, looking comfortable throughout as he knocked in breaks of 55 and 96 to win his 15th straight match, after claiming victories at the English and Wuhan Opens recently.

Trump could become the fifth player in WST history to win three ranking events in a row and the first since Ding Junhui back in November 2013.

The world number three won in Belfast in 2018 and 2019, as well as claiming the Northern Ireland Open in 2020 - the event that year was played in Milton Keynes owing to Covid restrictions.

"I always seem to improve as the tournament goes on," Trump told RTÉ Sport afterwards.

"I never really play my best at the start of the week. It's something you have to work through, and work your confidence up.

"The fans here are always great, very enthusiastic."

Earlier in the day, Neil Robertson got his bid underway with a 4-1 victory over Wu Yize, while 2017 winner Mark Williams beat Tian Pengfei by the same score.

But it was another 4-1 victory that was the most popular in the afternoon's play as Antrim's Robbie McGuigan overcame Muhammad Asif.

The 19-year-old was a wildcard entry in the event in Belfast but had previously lost at this stage in 2019 and 2022.

He wasn't to be denied this time around however as he put on a show for his family in the crowd, hitting breaks of 56, 91 and 58 to progress.

"It feels brilliant," he said.

"It's only one match so I'm going to keep my feet on the ground and hopefully I can kick on in the rest of the tournament.

"Whenever you feel good mentally you're able to thrive, rather