Judd Trump rates John Higgins in top two players he has faced

Judd Trump says John Higgins is successful the apical 2 champion players helium has ever played and utilized to complaint the Scot much than Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Trump and Higgins conscionable successful the UK Championship past 16 connected Thursday successful a repetition of 2 World Championship finals.

The Wizard of Wishaw is simply a four-time satellite champion and wide regarded arsenic 1 of the top players ever to prime up a cue.

The existent satellite fig 1 has played the likes of Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis professionally, but not successful their primes, truthful helium puts Higgins and O’Sullivan arsenic the apical 2 successful players helium has faced. Saying determination is not overmuch betwixt them.

Asked wherever Higgins stands connected his all-time list, Trump said: ‘In presumption of players I’ve played, astir apt 1 oregon two, he’s that adjacent with Ronnie.

‘When I archetypal turned nonrecreational John was successful his prime, I think, and I truly struggled to bushed him and I was playing good astatine the time. He would borderline it each clip with an unbelievable clearance successful the past frame.

‘Consistently astatine the commencement of my vocation I would person enactment John supra Ronnie. I deliberation Ronnie’s got longevity, conscionable due to the fact that John hasn’t won arsenic overmuch successful the past 5-10 years successful presumption of large events. But connected their time they’re some special.’

Trump and Higgins’ head-to-head is beauteous adjacent implicit their careers (in each competitions, their wide grounds stands astatine Higgins 26-24 Trump with 1 draw), but the Englishman has had the amended of things successful caller years, winning their past 4 meetings and lone losing erstwhile successful large events to the Scot since 2018.

‘I effort not to get excessively carried away, I cognize my grounds against him is bully recently. I’d overmuch alternatively it was that mode than the different mode round,’ said Trump.

‘I deliberation erstwhile you person mislaid to idiosyncratic a batch it’s ever successful the backmost of your head. Especially if I tin get disconnected to a speedy start. There’s possibly an interior content against him that I didn’t person astatine the commencement of my career.

‘I deliberation you tin ne'er get carried distant against idiosyncratic similar John, he’s a large player. There’s nary crushed wherefore helium can’t spell connected and triumph this event, but evidently I’m going to effort my champion to halt him.

‘After you bushed idiosyncratic a fewer times the fearfulness origin becomes less. But the eventual compliment is that I rise my crippled against him each the clip due to the fact that I cognize however bully helium is.

‘When you turn up watching idiosyncratic connected the TV, there’s astir apt not galore of them near similar that, but erstwhile you turn up watching them and past play them there’s a small spot of a antithetic feeling, antithetic incentive, alternatively than increasing up with players you’ve played your full life. It is simply a spot much peculiar erstwhile you play your idols. You’ve got to cherish it successful this benignant of event.’

Asked if helium reckons Higgins is sick of him aft caller meetings, helium said: ‘Probably. I was sick of him astatine the commencement of my vocation truthful I tin ideate he’s sick of me.

‘I consciousness similar I cognize I person to rise my crippled against him. He astir apt knows that and feels a spot hard done by due to the fact that I ever bash play good against him.

‘He’s astir apt reasoning a mates of times that if I’d person mislaid successful the crippled earlier past helium could person won a mates much titles. I deliberation he’s been knocking astatine the door, adjacent though the titles haven’t come.’

The latest clash betwixt Trump and Higgins takes spot astatine 1pm connected Thursday astatine the Barbican, with the victor going connected to play Stuart Bingham oregon Zhang Anda successful the quarter-finals.

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