Judd Trump his two centuries to defeat Matthew Selt to reach 2023 English Open semi-finals

Judd Trump found his form towards the end of a 5-1 win over Matthew Selt on Friday afternoon in Brentwood in the English Open quarter-finals.

Selt had beaten Mark Allen in the previous round to show his quality in something of an upset victory, and he gave Trump a tough fight at the very start.

Trump has not won a ranking tournament in the last two seasons, but secured the last Masters tournament, and was a losing finalist in this campaign’s European Masters.

The first frame ran beyond 30 minutes as the pair exchanged safeties on the brown, but former English champion Trump – with the score at 61-46 in his favour – was able to set up a safety on the pink and Selt’s two misses forced him to concede the first.

An early miss on a pink allowed Selt back in for a clear chance at the second frame, but he took his eye off the pot when going for a pink of his own and Trump was back in, only to miss a difficult red on a rest at a shallow angle, allowing Selt back in to level.

In the third frame at 21-3 up, Selt looked on the cusp of putting it beyond Trump, but another slack effort on the pink gave Trump another in and he finally took an opportunity to go back in front.

With the interval a frame away, Selt missed a tough red at a tight angle using an extension, and Trump barrelled into the pack of reds at 26-0 clear, and was able to cut in a deft red to maintain his break and achieved his 921st career century with a total clearance of 137, the first time in the match either player had gone past 50 in a single visit.

Selt came to the table three snookers behind as he searched for an unlikely win in the first frame after the interval session, and for some time at the table after some inconsistent play, but soon found himself a single frame away from defeat at 4-1 down.

Trump was more ruthless in the second session as he remained in the mix for his fifth Home Nations tournament win, and his second English Open trophy, as he wrapped things up with his second century break of the afternoon.

He will play the winner of the day’s other quarter-final, between Martin O’Donnnell and John Higgins.