Stephen Hendry believes Judd Trump could be set for another successful week after tipping the world number one to win the 2026 China Open.
The biggest ranking event of the new snooker season so far gets under way on Saturday in Taiyuan, where Trump will bid to build on his recent triumph at the Shanghai Masters.
The 36 year-old defeated Kyren Wilson 11-6 in last week’s invitational final to claim the title for the second time, producing an impressive display throughout the tournament.
Trump will now attempt to carry that momentum into the China Open, where he begins his campaign against Noppon Saengkham in the opening round.
Despite entering the tournament on the back of what many would consider a relatively quiet campaign by his own lofty standards, Trump remains one of the leading contenders for the title.
The Englishman won only one ranking event last season at the German Masters but still reached several other finals, a return that would represent a strong period for most players on the circuit.
Bookmakers have installed Trump as the second favourite at around 4/1, with reigning world champion Zhao Xintong narrowly ahead in the betting.
Seven-time world champion Hendry believes Trump’s prospects have been boosted significantly after finally settling on a cue following months of experimentation.
Speaking on the Snooker Club podcast, the Scot said: “He’s a lot happier with the cue he’s using. He said he only started using it six days before the World Championship.”
“But now he’s obviously had the whole off-season, and he has really worked hard. He looked comfortable playing all the shots. The long game was there, and the scoring was there.
“He used four different cues last season, I think. If he’s now got a cue that he’s very happy with, it could spell trouble for the rest.
“Half of our discussions about Judd last season were to do with all the messing around with cues.
“So if he’s found the answer to that, then that is going to be ominous for the rest of them.”
Trump’s performance in Shanghai certainly suggested he is playing with renewed confidence ahead of an important spell with the fresh campaign gaining momentum.
He compiled seven century breaks en route to the final, where a more controlled display helped him past a familiar rival in Wilson.
The Bristol potter also faces a significant battle to retain his place at the top of the world rankings over the coming weeks.
More than £500,000 is due to come off his rolling two-year tally this month, with a large portion of those points coming from the now-defunct Saudi Arabia Masters, meaning they cannot be defended.
That leaves Trump under pressure to continue collecting ranking points early in the season if he is to maintain his grip on the world number one position he has held since August in 2024.
Zhao, Neil Robertson, and Wu Yize are among the players who could pounce and usurp Trump into top spot in the coming weeks.
Yet Hendry isn’t convinced that his stranglehold on the world no.1 position will end just yet.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins the China Open. He’s a winning machine when he gets on that roll,” Hendry, the dominant world no.1 in the 1990s, said.
“He just loves winning matches. I don’t think he intimidates players the same way he used to in terms of aggressive all-out attack.”
“But he definitely intimidates players the way he can play any sort of frame now.
“He’s quite comfortable playing scrappy frames, and I think the intimidation now comes from the fact he’s world no.1. He plays like a world no.1.
“He plays very few wrong shots now. Arguably, he’s not as exciting to watch.
“Okay, you’ve got the flair shots at the end of the frame when he’s won it, but arguably he’s not [as exciting] in terms of taking risks and going for shots that maybe he used to ten years ago.
“But he’s a far better all-round player than he used to be. There’s no doubt about it.
“You don’t win what he’s won and get to world no.1 without having all aspects of the game.”
If Hendry’s prediction proves accurate, Trump would secure the ideal start to the new ranking campaign while strengthening his chances of extending his stay at the summit of the world rankings.
Featured photo credit: WST
