Northern Ireland Open: Judd Trump makes ‘important’ title vow in bid to emulate Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry

Judd Trump insists he will not become negative in his quest to join snooker greats Ray Reardon, Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry by winning a third straight ranking event at the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.

Only multiple world champions Reardon, Davis, Hendry and triple UK winner Ding Junhui have managed to carry off three successive ranking titles in the modern history of the sport, but Trump knows his red-hot winning streak “can’t go on forever”.

Ahead of his meeting with Ian Burns in the third round on Thursday, the world No. 3 admits he is wary of getting carried away as he chases a record fourth Northern Ireland Open title victory in the past six years.

“When you’ve won a lot of matches, you start looking over your shoulder because you know it can’t go on forever.

“It’s important not to get negative, you have to keep trying to win rather than trying not to lose.

“I’ve had those kind of spells before and it happened to Mark Allen last season when he was on a good run.

“You can get a bit negative and go into your shell. This time, even if I lose, I will go out playing the way I want to play.”