Judd Trump receives major boost ahead of German Masters title defence

Judd Trump will only have to win four matches to claim a record third straight German Masters title after being given a bye into the last 16. Trump is top seed in the chase for the £80,000 top prize following a 9-6 win over Neil Robertson in Berlin in 2020 and a 9-2 drubbing of Jack Lisowski behind closed doors in Milton Keynes last year.

Ad/> German Masters 2022 — How to watch and stream as Trump eyes hat-trick German Masters 2022: Draw, Schedule from Tempodrom German MastersGerman Masters 2022 — How to watch and stream as Trump eyes hat-trickA DAY AGO He was supposed to face world number 75 Gao Yang in the first round on Wednesday at the Tempodrom in Berlin, but the 17-year-old Chinese player – who defeated Stephen Hendry 5-2 in qualifying – has withdrawn from the season’s ninth ranking event. Trump could face Zhou Yuelong or Anthony McGill in the last 16.

The world number two qualified for the tournament with a 5-1 victory against Tian Pengfei and a 5-3 win over Anthony Hamilton respectively in October. Second seed Mark Selby opens his campaign in the German capital against Barry Pinches while Masters champion Neil Robertson faces Ricky Walden in the last 32.