The Masters 2023: Judd Trump battles past Barry Hawkins in final-frame decider to reach semi-finals

For the second match on the spin, Judd Trump found a way to win despite being short of his best as he edged out Barry Hawkins 6-5 to reach the semi-finals of the Masters.

It was a similar performance to the win over Day against Hawkins, with Trump failing to produce the brilliance he is capable of but somehow doing enough to emerge victorious.

And in securing the win, it avenged his loss to Hawkins at the semi-final stage at the Alexandra Palace 12 months ago.

The opener was a scrappy affair, which summed up both players’ seasons to date with good mixed with bad. Trump produced the key moment of brilliance to get on the final red. He has a showreel of shots where he takes the cue ball round the angles to drop on the object ball. It was extremely high tariff on this occasion, as the red was tight on the cushion, but he played it to perfection and it enabled him to get his nose in front.

Hawkins has no fear of playing Trump, he came into the match having won their last three meetings – including a semi-final at the Masters 12 months ago. He responded to the loss of the first with an excellent 110 – the 21st century of the tournament – to level the contest.

The third frame reverted to the pattern of the first with spells of bitty play, but Hawkins worked a telling advantage to get his nose in front for the first time in the contest.

Trump continues to grapple with the game as he seeks to rediscover the form that made him the dominant player in the sport a couple of years ago. A run of 69 was not vintage, with his stroke looking jabby on occasions, but it was enough to draw him level at 2-2 at the interval.

A superb long opening red at the start of the fifth that did not touch the sides highlighted Hawkins’ improved form. It did not prove a frame-winning contribution of 43, and he was made to pay a price for missing a routine black as Trump knocked in a 61 – the highlights being a brilliant black to the yellow pocket and a blue with rest after being put in a snooker – to edge ahead.

After getting his nose in front, Trump had the chance to press home his advantage and must have sensed the frustration in his opponent who swiped the table with his hand after missing a pot.

But he was unable to string together a series of decent shots and despite getting back into the frame following another Hawkins miss, his season was summed up by a bizarre moment towards the end of the sixth frame.

Trump had a chance to pinch the frame, but needed a black off the final red and the colours in order to do so. He failed to get position on the black, and the pot did not look on.

Neal Foulds on Eurosport commentary suggested the pink was the shot, which would have allowed him to force a re-spot. But he went for a thin black and missed it completely to hand the frame to Hawkins.

After looking frustrated and staring down the barrel of going 4-2 behind, the pendulum swung back Hawkins’ way in the seventh as a break of 66 – which was crafted by a brilliant snooker behind the brown – was enough to take the seventh and move him back in front at 4-3.

Trump found his most fluent passage of play in the match in the eighth, as he crafted the 28th century of his Masters career – and in so doing tied the tournament-high break of 143 owned by Hossein Vafaei and Mark Williams. A calculator is not required to work out that £15,000 split three ways is £5,000 each.

On a weekend when the Ocean Race kicks off – live on Eurosport and discovery+ – securing clear water proved to be a problem for both.

Hawkins made a fluent 49 before a miscue halted him in his tracks. It did not prove costly as he fluked a red on his next visit to the table and that moved him into a 5-4 advantage, but Trump hit back with his second ton of the match, a 107, to force a decider – which always appeared likely from an early stage.

Hawkins passed up the first chance when a red down the left rail wriggled in the jaws, and his head hit the table knowing he had left an opponent with an opening.

Trump scored in the back end of the match with a couple of tons and after a pair of tough blues, he found position amongst the balls and picked off reds.

A clever cannon with his break on 29 chipped out a couple of reds and allowed him to craft a brilliant match-winning contribution of 81.

Under the highest of pressure, Trump produced a flawless break that will allow him to head into the semi-finals on Saturday with real confidence.

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