Judd Trump slammed conditions at the UK Championship as he booked his spot in the last 16.
Title contender Trump, the world No.1, made breaks of 126, 73 and 67 as he won five frames on the bounce to beat Neil Robertson 6-3 in a re-run of the 2020 final. BBC pundit Stephen Hendry, the seven-time world champion, lambasted the table as “unplayable” in the commentary box.
And Ace in the Pack Trump, 35, admitted: “I’ve played in some bad ones, but it’s close [to the worst]. It’s really disappointing because it always seems to happen at the big events over here.
“The World Championship is the same as well. It’s very heavy all the time. Anyone who plays snooker knows you can’t even get the cushions to play that bad on a practice table.
“All the players have struggled. It’s disappointing for the fans watching because they probably think all the players are playing badly. I don’t think the event should move, everyone loves York. But they should try and rectify it quicker.
“As soon as they see it [playing badly] get onto it straight away. Don’t wait three or four days. You have to be playing at your absolute best to perform out there. It’s just hard work.”
Former world champion Robertson is now hanging on to his Masters spot, where only the top 16 qualify, by the skin of his teeth. And he groaned: “Those conditions were as hard as I’ve ever had in a Triple Crown event. The white was bouncing about two feet further than you’d expect. The table was as unplayable as it gets for professional conditions. It can make other player look stupid.”
Three-time UK champion John Higgins blew away Chinese debutant He Guoqiang 6-0.
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