Judd Trump began his defence of the Masters with a nervy 6-5 victory over Kyren Wilson on Tuesday in London.
The reigning champion fought back from 3-0 down to beat his fellow Englishman on the final black at the Alexandra Palace.
A dramatic encounter that was often low on quality ebbed one way and then the other, before Trump’s cool clearance of 65 clinched victory.
“It was a real topsy-turvy game I thought,” Judd Trump told the World Snooker Tour after reaching the quarter-finals.
“At 3-0, I felt like I wasn’t out of it, but it’s nice to go to the interval at 3-1. The game managed to change after that.”
“I managed to go 5-3 up and I’m thinking I’ll have a couple of good chances to get over the line.
“It kind of turned out to be the case at 5-4, I had a great chance and I didn’t capitalise on that – a lot of the times you get punished and he made an unbelievable clearance.
“He looked good in that last frame as well, but things happen in this tournament for me, the same as last year.
“When it looks like I’m going out, something happens and I’m able to get over the line.
“I thought I was on my way home. I was thinking whether to go home tonight or in the morning.
“It was a bit of a surprise to me, it was just that last chance he had to find position for one more red, and it was all done and dusted.
“He didn’t finish perfect. He played an attacking shot, and luckily for me he left a gap.
“It’s important not to get too carried away. Last year, it was amazing to get through, and I wasn’t playing my absolute best.
“I feel I need to improve from that. Ali [Carter] played great in his first game, and I feel like I need to up my game.
“For me, I’m someone who is a real momentum player, so getting that game out of the way is nice. I’ll be much more relaxed in the next game.
“Ali is one of the players that needs to get fired up, he really enjoys it and loves the fight out there.
“I’m someone who tries to be a little bit more relaxed. I can’t play under that fire in my belly, I think I’d fall apart if I was that angry around the table.
“He’s had an amazing last couple of seasons, he’s won a couple of big events. It’s a game that, between us, is normally pretty close.
“We’ve had some great battles, and I’ll look forward to it again.”
Judd Trump and reigning German Masters champion Ali Carter will face each other in the last eight on Friday afternoon.
Barry Hawkins, meanwhile, became the sixth player through to the quarter-finals courtesy of a 6-3 triumph over Neil Robertson on day three.
The latter produced another lacklustre performance that has been the hallmark of his 2023/24 campaign so far.
Two-time former runner-up Hawkins took full advantage to reach the last eight of the prestigious invitational for a sixth time.
On Wednesday, the first round will reach its conclusion with the remaining couple of fixtures.
Mark Allen and John Higgins will battle in a blockbuster afternoon affair before three-time Masters champion Mark Selby faces Robert Milkins.
2024 Masters
– draw, live scores, results –
Last 16 (bo11)
Judd Trump 6-5 Kyren Wilson
Mark Williams 4-6 Ali Carter
Mark Selby 6-1 Robert Milkins
Mark Allen 6-5 John Higgins
—
Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-3 Ding Junhui
Neil Robertson 3-6 Barry Hawkins
Shaun Murphy 6-2 Zhang Anda
Luca Brecel 2-6 Jack Lisowski
Quarter-Finals (bo11)
Judd Trump 5-6 Ali Carter
Mark Selby 5-6 Mark Allen
—
Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-3 Barry Hawkins
Shaun Murphy 6-3 Jack Lisowski
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Ali Carter 6-3 Mark Allen
—
Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-2 Shaun Murphy
Final (bo19)
Ali Carter 7-10 Ronnie O’Sullivan
Featured photo credit: WST
Outside of two centuries, Robertson’s display left a lot to be desired. My view is that the break in Australia and his working partnership with Joe Perry could start to pay dividends when he’s spent more time in Britain ahead of the German Masters.
Robertson’s exit means we’re guaranteed only a single non English player in the last eight.
Interesting to hear Judd Trump’s thoughts on playing against Ali Carter. It’s clear that he’s a formidable opponent, but I can’t help but feel for him when he says he’d fall apart if he was that angry around the table. It’s not easy to maintain focus and composure under pressure, especially in a high-stakes match like theirs.