Trump and Murphy continue Shanghai form to book return trip to China

Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy picked up from where they left off in Shanghai on Saturday to book a return trip to China for next month’s Xi’an Grand Prix.

The former world champions contested the final of the Shanghai Masters last Sunday with Trump completing an 11-5 win from a high-quality contest that produced three centuries from each man, before returning to the UK to continue their impressive form behind closed doors at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.

Murphy was a man in a hurry as breaks of 75, 65, 72 and 52 saw him complete a 5-1 win over Mitchell Mann in reaching the last 64, with a 78 from Mann in the second frame a minor consolation.

Meanwhile, world No. 2 Trump saw Poland’s tour newcomer Antoni Kowalski level at 2-2 from 2-0 behind with a couple of 50-plus knocks, but Trump snuffed out any prospects of an upset by claiming the final three frames, boosted by a 58 and 60.

Trump – who also won the Wuhan Open and World Open in Yushan last season – will meet Ma Hailong at the finals venue in China next month, while Murphy will face Jamie Clarke or a local wildcard.

Elsewhere, six-time world finalist Jimmy White produced a battling display against last season’s Crucible semi-finalist Si Jiahui to force a decider from 3-1 behind, but was denied in the final frame in a narrow 5-4 defeat.

Qualifying for the Xi’an Grand Prix was staged between Thursday and Saturday at the Mattioli Arena, with the tournament proper getting underway on Monday, August 19 in China.

It runs until Sunday, August 25, with a first prize of £177,000 on the table.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s match in the round of 128 against Wang Yuchen has been held over to the finals venue, with world champion Kyren Wilson opening his campaign against Haris Tahir.