Jump Trump has said he wants Wu Yize to win the English Open after being knocked out of the tournament by the Chinese star at the quarter-final stage. The Bristol-born potter struggled for form during the last-eight showdown and was ultimately defeated 5-3.
Trump had overturned a 4-0 deficit to get the better of Wu during his run to the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters title earlier this month.
But he was unable to launch a comeback this time around as Wu booked a last-four encounter with either Mark Selby or Ishpreet Singh Chadha.
“I think Wu was the better player and he is deservedly through to the semi-finals,” Trump admitted after the match. “He stands a better chance of doing well than me.
“I hope Wu can fulfil his potential. He has been knocking on the door for a while. I hope he wins and that he can put on a good show in the semi-finals.”
Wu took advantage in the opening frame of the match after Trump had missed the black off its spot by racking up a century to take a one frame lead. But the Briton won the next two to lead for the only time in the match.
An inspired Wu then won three frames on the bounce to put himself within touching distance of victory at 4-2 ahead. The world No. 1 halted the rampage by claiming the seventh frame but was unable to force the match into a decider as he missed on the black to allow Wu to clinch the win.
The result means Wu has reached the semi-final of a professional tournament for just the second time in his career, with his first last-four showdown coming against Trump at last year’s Wuhan Open.
And reacting to his victory to SportsBoom.com through his translator, the 20-year-old explained: “I didn’t do anything special.
“At that time, I felt that I was under a lot of pressure. I should have ended the match 5-2. Then I thought too much about that game and wanted to win. I gave the opponent a chance to breathe. But it was okay later. I still withstood the pressure.
“I didn’t think too much. I think his performance was not as good as mine. Then I think as long as I don’t have too many problems in my heart, I can win the game.
“My opponent didn’t play well at the beginning that day. But later, I think he played at a very high level. He is not unbeatable.”
