Having lost six frames in a row, Trump pulled one back with a 73 for 9-7. In frame 17, O’Sullivan made 52 before missing a red to corner with the winning line just a few pots away. Trump might have cleared but lost position on the yellow, then misjudged a safety and left it close to a baulk pocket. A full house at the Morningside Arena rose to applaud O’Sullivan as he potted the colours to secure the title.
“Judd started well, then I got back into it at 5-3 which gave me a bit of optimism. In the evening I tried to be strong mentally and kept my composure,” said O’Sullivan. “I enjoyed the battle. I have got a lot of experience having learned a lot about the game and I’m probably a better all round player than I have ever been. Judd is a warrior and for me he is favourite for Sheffield but I have three months to try to get some consistency in my game. It will be nice to go there and enjoy it.
“Last night against Ding was a one-off, I won’t get excited about one performance, I sometimes wonder why I don’t do that more often but it’s nice to know it’s still in there. There is a sense of achievement in winning, even though I didn’t flow like I know I can today.”
Trump added: “The standard wasn’t good, but Ronnie cleared up when he needed to and won the important frames. His safety was better than mine tonight and overall he deserved to win. I had a kick on the black to go 7-7, then missed the brown in the next frame. I always enjoy playing Ronnie and I hope we play in a lot more finals.”
