World number one Judd Trump is one win away from a record-breaking sixth ranking event title in a single season.
The world champion will face Kyren Wilson in the Gibraltar Open final on Sunday, with £50,000 at stake for the winner.
It’s a massive showdown in more ways than one for the pair of Englishmen, as they fight for in excess of simply the silverware.
For Trump, success would see the 30 year-old break the current record of five ranking titles in one term that he currently shares with Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui, Mark Selby, and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The Bristol potter would also top the inaugural European Series mini rankings list if he were to triumph, in doing so pocketing an additional £150,000 bonus.
Wilson, meanwhile, is not only bidding for a fourth career ranking victory but also a spot in next week’s Tour Championship.
Should the season’s second last ranking event go ahead as scheduled in Llandudno, it will feature the top eight players from the one-year standings.
Wilson would therefore leapfrog his way into seventh position, and dump John Higgins out of the qualifying spots for the final Coral Series event.
Echoing what @fouldsy147 said on commentary earlier, Judd Trump tonight is playing for £180k (200k for victory, 20k if he loses). Surely the most valuable best of 7 anyone has ever played ?!
— Adam @SnookerInfo (@SnookerInfo147) March 15, 2020
With the Gibraltar Open final to be played over the short best of seven frames, it’s difficult to predict who’s going to emerge as the victor.
Both Trump and Wilson survived monumental scares during the three matches that they have already won on Sunday to reach this stage.
The latter recovered from a 3-1 deficit to edge Fergal O’Brien in the last 16 before more routing outings against Tour Championship rivals Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Mark Williams.
Trump’s progress on the final day of action, on the other hand, began in straightforward fashion with respective 4-1 defeats of Li Hang and Liang Wenbo before fighting back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to deny Xiao Guodong in a decider.
Intriguingly, Welsh Open runner-up Wilson boasts the superior head-to-head record with seven wins from their prior eleven encounters.
In an unprecedented week in sport, the Gibraltar Open is one of the only events left on the calender at present following widespread cancellations and postponements due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The action will take place behind closed doors and with no fans, but Trump and Wilson’s battle could prove to be one of the most dramatic of the entire campaign.
