The second event in the Coral Cup series took place which involved the Top 16 players in the one-year ranking list. Ultimately, the battle for the top prize whittled down to the current World Champion, Judd Trump and the young 20-year old prospect, Yan Bingtao. A showcase of two players that possess the same raw talent but are in very different stages of their careers; it was always going to be a final worth watching.
Breakdown
Bingtao did well to capitalise off a Trump miss with a break of 70 however, he still lost the frame as Trump got the snooker he required along with a free ball. This was short-lived as a break of 55 got Bingtao over the line in Frame 2. The next couple of frames belonged to Trump as he made a 75 and won the scrappier affair in Frame 4 to lead at the midsession interval.
Relatively loose safety is a pattern that emerged for Bingtao throughout the match as a double kiss allowed Trump to extend his lead with a 122 century break. Even in the frames that required a bit more safety and reds were scattered on the table, Trump’s skill was able to keep his opponent at bay, much like in Frame 6. A brilliant opening pot out of the jaws of the left corner pocket by Trump and a break of 75 further lengthened his lead to 6-1. This could have been 7-1 but an unfortunate in-off for Trump led to Bingtao bouncing back with a 95 to end the opening session.
The bounce back continued as Bingtao started off the evening session as best he could have asked for as he claimed Frames 9 and 10. Unfortunately for him, Trump managed to regain his authority in the match. Safeties that would normally be considered ‘good enough’, weren’t effective at keeping Trump away as he blasted a 108 and 68 in the following two frames.
Bingtao wasn’t able to punish Trump’s mistakes in Frame 13 as he missed a black off the spot. Instead, he left Trump in amongst the rest of the balls as he clinched the frame to go one away from victory. And victory was just what the doctor ordered for Trump as breaks of 36 and 60 helped him secure his second Players Championship title.
Afterthoughts
Even though the overall final was a good standard, it was clear as to the differences between the two players. When the semi-finals between Murphy and Bingtao were taking place, I perhaps selfishly wanted Murphy to win just because I think he would have competed better against Trump in the final, particularly if he brought out his Welsh Open form. However, Bingtao cruised through Murphy with an ease and 100% long pot success (14/14) that quickly dismissed any reservation I had.
Bingtao had his moments in this final, particularly as he came out firing in the evening session and his long potting had significantly improved. His chances to get a foothold in the final fell at the start where Trump wasn’t at top gear just yet. He would have relished some of the opportunities he was afforded if he was on the practice table. If he was able to focus on his own ability as opposed to his opponent and the occasion he was in, it would have been a closer match.
What I really admire about Bingtao is his maturity for his age and the amount of talent he has on the snooker table. He isn’t arrogant and he’s aware of what he needs to do to perform well in the sport. It’s easy to forget that he is just 20 years old and has already appeared in 3 ranking finals (winning one of them at Riga). But when everyone places such high expectation on him as being a prodigy, this is precisely the kind of experience he needed which is why Bingtao won’t (and shouldn’t) be disappointed at his performance in this final.
Playing the best in the world when they are performing at their best will set the benchmark for Bingtao and give him a standard to aspire to. He played against an opponent that was in his position near 10 years ago and is now starting to reap the rewards. Bingtao has done very well to stake his position in the Top 16 and if he continues ascending as he is, he will definitely be the player everyone expects of him in the next 5-10 years.
I find myself running out of things to say about Trump but then he goes and achieves things or plays shots that continue to take the words out of all our mouths. Still proving himself as the undisputed best in the world, Trump bags his 16th ranking title and becomes the fifth person to win 5 ranking titles in a season. With three tournaments remaining and Trump running the show the way he is, it’s quite likely this will be beaten and he will cast a shadow over the rest of the greats.
He’s too good. He has no weakness. Many questioned his nerve and character, even while he’s been doing all this winning, but Trump continues to amaze as he produced the best pressure clearance all season in his semi-final decider against Maguire. He’s acquired a confidence with his string of success which puts him in a complete league of his own with the other players running a completely different race. What will he do next?
Like this Short? Click here to read: Murphy’s Sprint! Welsh Open Final 2020 – Shorts Thoughts
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