JEDDAH: Defending champion Judd Trump was knocked out of the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters on Tuesday night after a 5-3 defeat to Oliver Lines in the opening round in Jeddah.
The world No.1 won the first edition of the tournament last season in Riyadh, memorably beating Mark Williams 10-9 on the final black in an epic final.
Commenting on the shock loss, Trump said: “I’m disappointed to be eliminated from the tournament as the defending champion. Losing is part of the sport, but my opponent deserved to win, and I wish him the best in the rest of his tournament. I’ll come back even more determined in the upcoming competitions, as experiences like these give me even more motivation to win back the title in the future.”
In other matches on Day 5, world No.4 John Higgins also left the competition after a dramatic 4-5 defeat to Elliot Slessor, bringing his campaign to an early end.
Mark Williams, ranked third in the world, booked his place in the last 16 early with a thrilling 5-3 victory over promising Chinese player Yuan Sijun. He was joined by English snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan, who defeated compatriot Joe O’Connor 5-0.
Shaun Murphy eased to a 5-1 victory over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in just 72 minutes with top breaks of 125, 66 and 118.
Chinese world champion Zhao Xintong beat England’s Steven Holworth 5-0 in an exceptional performance that confirmed his potential to compete strongly for the title.
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