Hello everyone, take 10 minutes to talk about the Masters.
In the 2025 Masters, world number one Trump played exceptionally well, sweeping Barry Hawkins 6-1 in just 106 minutes to powerfully advance to the quarter-finals. According to the schedule, he will face Ding Junhui in a showdown for a place in the semi-finals. In an interview with the media, Trump said he couldn't wait!
As you may already know, Trump won the Saudi Masters and UK Championship this season. If he can also win the Masters title and the World Championship held in May, Trump will become the first player to complete the championship of these four major events in a single season. As we all know, the Saudi Masters is considered the fourth major event after the World Championship, Masters, and UK Championship.
Although the journey is tough, there is a lot of hope for Trump at the moment. Based on his performance against Barry Hawkins in the first round of the Masters, it seems he is hard to stop. The two started off a bit slow, but Trump still took the initiative to lead 3-0. In the fourth game, Barry Hawkins made a mistake with a single shot of 33 points, and Trump took over with a single shot of 60 points to continue expanding his lead to 4-0.
The fifth game was the same, with Trump punishing Barry Hawkins' mistakes again and taking match point at 5-0. Barry Hawkins finally seized the opportunity with a single shot of 70 points to win a game, and in the seventh game, Trump cleared the table with a single shot of 112 points to break the century mark and end the game 6-1.
Regarding his performance, Trump said in an interview: "Barry Hawkins and I have had some great matches. I was looking forward to a tough game, whether it was 6-4 or 6-5. However, he made many mistakes, and I didn't do anything wrong. In short, I stayed focused in the game and didn't give up any opportunities."
This victory marks the 19th time Trump has advanced to the quarter-finals in the 20 games he has participated in this season, which is truly incredible. Obviously, for Trump, his goal is to win his third Masters title in his career, having previously lifted the trophy in 2019 and 2023.
Not only that, Trump is just one game away from a new record for single-season prize money, as his total prize money for the 2024/25 season is £1,260,200, slightly lower than O'Sullivan's £1,265,500 last season. Next, Trump will face Ding Junhui, and if he can win and enter the semi-finals, he will receive another £35,000 and set a new record.
Regarding the upcoming match, Trump said: "Now the atmosphere of the Masters is getting better and better, many fans are watching on TV, and every player wants to perform at their best. Of course, Ding Junhui has now also recovered his competitive form. He struggled before because he carried too much pressure on his shoulders. I like playing against him, and I can't wait."
The match between Trump and Ding Junhui will kick off at 21:00 on January 17th. It is believed that fans will not miss this match. Who will have the last laugh? We'll have to wait and see.