Jimmy White ends Judd Trump’s Tour Championship hopes with stunning victory at WST Classic snooker

Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White continued his remarkable return to form with a 4-2 victory over Masters champion Judd Trump in the last 32 of the inaugural WST Classic in Leicester.

The six-time world finalist followed up his opening 4-2 win over Graeme Dott and 4-3 victory against Joe Perry in the second round with another assured display of typical grit against Trump on Tuesday morning to reach the last 16.

Trump had threatened to recover from trailing 3-0 after piecing together 73 in the fifth frame, but White maintained his composure to see out another fine victory.

He will meet China’s Pang Junxu on Tuesday night for a quarter-final place after Pang enjoyed a 4-0 whitewash win against compatriot Si Jiahui with breaks of 139 and 96.

To illustrate his potting renaissance period, the evergreen White reached his last world final in 1994, five years after Trump was born, and won the last of his 10 career ranking titles at the 2004 Players Championship, four years after Pang was born.

The defeat also ends Trump’s hopes of qualifying for the elite eight-man Tour Championship in Hull next week.

He needed to reach the final of the Classic, but joins world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, Neil Robertson, Mark Williams and John Higgins in having the next few weeks off to prepare for the 47th World Championship in Sheffield.

Only Scottish Open champion Wilson can force his way into the top eight for the Tour Championship via the WST Classic, but needs to at least reach the semi-finals at the Morningside Arena on Wednesday, the final day of the ranking event.

Latest Tour Championship qualifiers

(players in bold still competing at WST Classic)

• 1 Mark Allen £530,500
• 2 Shaun Murphy £240,000
• 3 Ali Carter £190,500
• 4 Kyren Wilson £176,000
• 5 Ryan Day £159,000
• 6 Robert Milkins £157,500
• 7 Ding Junhui £140,500
• 8 Mark Selby £140,000
• ——————————————-
• 9 Luca Brecel £131,000
• 10 Gary Wilson £130,000
• 11 Jack Lisowski £128,000
• 12 Judd Trump £120,000

Latest WST Classic results

Third round

• Judd Trump 2-4 Jimmy White
• Si Jiahui 0-4 Pang Junxu
• Hossein Vafaei 2-3 Scott Donaldson
• Lyu Haotian 2-3 Oliver Lines

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