“I’m not sure if it’s because my back is out of place so it’s messing around with my posture and technique”, he told the BBC.
Advertisement
Ronnie O’Sullivan was in sight of his sixth Masters title after dominating the opening session of Sunday’s final against Barry Hawkins at London’s Alexandra Palace.
In-form Trump, the world No5, was fancied by many to win yesterday after his brilliant quarter-final performance against Neil Robertson.
It proved to be a recurring theme as Hawkins failed to take his chances when they arrived with missed reds in the fifth and sixth frames proving costly before a break of 77 put O’Sullivan further ahead and leaving Hawkins with a mountain to climb this evening.
An incredibly high-quality encounter featured six century breaks – a record – and it was the Englishman who booked a semi-final with Barry Hawkins on Saturday afternoon.
“I was so relieved at the end because I didn’t want to play like that and lose”, said Trump.
“I’m 26 now and it’s about time I started winning titles”.
“As soon as that opening red in the final frame went in I thought “don’t mess up”.
And the 39-year-old acknowledges he was solid but unspectacular as he prepares for a massive semi-final with Ronnie O’Sullivan on Saturday evening.
“We both played as well as we can and it was definitely one of the best games I’ve been involved in – there could have been eight or nine centuries”.
“I will draw on my win over him in the World Championship because I know I can beat him over the longer matches”.
“I was over-hitting balls by two or three feet, I could not hit certain shots because I could not get the cue through – it was very bad out there”.
Advertisement
“I’ll have to play, twice, three or tenfold better than I did there to give myself a chance but I’ve got a chance – I’m in the semi-final and will enjoy it”.
