Judd Trump boasts four Northern Ireland Open titles to his name.
Judd Trump and defending champion Kyren Wilson secured victories at the Northern Ireland Open on Tuesday.
Trump overcame a challenge from Wales’ Jackson Page, winning 4-2 at the Waterfront Hall to advance to the third round.
The four-time NI Open champion is set to face the winner of the match between Gary Wilson and Martin O’Donnell, scheduled for Wednesday, for a place in the quarter-finals.
Tom Ford also progressed, defeating Chris Wakelin 4-1, while Yuan Sijun emerged victorious against fellow Chinese player Long Zehuang with a score of 4-2.
Ireland’s Aaron Hill fended off a comeback attempt by Barry Hawkins, clinching the deciding frame with an impressive break of 92.
Earlier on Tuesday, Wilson, who triumphed over Trump in last year’s final, secured his spot in the second round by winning a final-frame decider against Oliver Lines.
Despite a break of 133 in the third frame, Wilson found himself trailing Lines 3-2, but the 2024 world champion rallied to win the final two frames and progress.
In other first-round matches that commenced Tuesday’s action in Belfast, Stephen Maguire defeated 2023 world champion Luca Brecel, while Ali Carter, Mark Davis, Si Jiahui, and Ryan Day also secured victories.
Home crowd favorites Mark Allen and Jordan Brown are scheduled for second-round action on Wednesday.
Two-time champion Allen will face Ben Woollaston, and Brown, who caused an upset by defeating world champion Zhao Xingtong in the opening round, will face Ashley Hugill. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 19:00 BST.
First round
Stephen Maguire 4-1 Luca Brecel
Zhang Anda 1-4 Mark Davis
Kyren Wilson 4-3 Oliver Lines
Si Jiahui 4-0 Cheung Ka Wai
Matthew Selt 2-4 Ryan Day
Ali Carter 4-3 Stan Moody
Second round
Chris Wakelin 1-4 Tom Ford
Judd Trump 4-2 Jackson Page
Long Zehuang 2-4 Yuan Sijun
Barry Hawkins 3-4 Aaron Hill
Pang Junxu v John Higgins