Early exit for world number one Judd Trump at 2025 Tour Championship

Trump entered the £500,000 ranking event as the number one seed after a brilliant season that has seen him win both the Saudi Arabia Masters and UK Championship titles, but it ended being a very short stay for the 35-year-old Englishman at the Manchester Central.

Hawkins - the tournament’s number nine seed - was playing his second match of the event having had to start his campaign in the preliminary round earlier this week where he demolished Shaun Murphy 10-1, compiling five century breaks in the process.

Whilst four-time ranking event champion Hawkins didn’t quite scale those scoring heights against Trump, he again won with plenty of change to spare.

Trump took frames one and three to twice lead early on in the contest, but Hawkins - aided by breaks of 87, 79, 82 and 72 - strung together the five remaining frames of the afternoon session to establish a 6-2 advantage.

On resumption a few hours later, Hawkins made it six-in-a-row for 7-2 before Trump stopped the rot with an effort of 103 - his 93rd century break of the season, and seven away from scooping a £100,000 bonus prize.

The next two frames were shared, but after the final mid-session interval of the tie, Hawkins hit breaks of 121 and 81 on his to a comfortable win.

Hawkins ends a six-match losing streak to Trump on the professional tour. Trump had got the better of him three times this season, including in a close UK Championship final at the start of December.

Next up in the semi-finals for Hawkins is either John Higgins or Xiao Guodong.

Number four seed Higgins leads 5-3 overnight, having ended the session with breaks of 137 and 126 in consecutive frames.

Earlier in the afternoon Higgins crafted a run of 104 in the opening frame, while Wuhan Open Champion Xiao also hit three-figures with exactly 100 in frame six.

Trump’s Tour Championship troubles continue

Trump’s poor record in the Tour Championship continues. From his six appearances in the elite field event, he has yet to make a final, and has now lost his opening match in each of the last four times he has played in it.

‘The Ace in the Pack’ will now prepare for the sport’s blue riband event, the World Snooker Championship, that begins later this month, as he attempts to collect his second world title.

Whilst Trump enjoyed a very fruitful first half to the season - he also claimed the Shanghai Masters - the second half has been less successful.

He recently reached the Players Championship final - his first final of 2025 - but narrowly lost 10-9 to World Champion Kyren Wilson, who also defeated him in the Xi’an Grand Prix and Northern Ireland Open title deciders earlier this season.

Regardless of whatever else happens in Manchester this week, Trump will go to the Crucible as the world number one, and be the second seed (behind defending champion Wilson) at the bottom of the draw.