In something of a role reversal ahead of the UK Championship final, Judd Trump insists he will have to scraped off the table, while Mark Selby is looking to enjoy himself playing some attractive snooker.
Sunday will be the first time the two former world champions have met in a Triple Crown final but the second time they have contested a final in a matter of weeks.
Trump and Selby had not met in a showpiece since the 2011 China Open before they faced each other in last month’s Champion of Champions final.
Now they reconvene in York with one of the biggest prize’s in the game on the line.
Selby beat Trump in that November final in Leicester, knocking in three centuries in the final three frames and he has continued that fine form at the Barbican.
The Jester from Leicester has brushed aside the competition, beating Lei Peifan 6-2, Zhou Yuelong 6-2, Barry Hawkins 6-2 and Shaun Murphy 6-3.
Speaking to TNT Sports after his semi-final defeat, Murphy said: ‘He’s so bloody good, isn’t he?’
On his own performances, Selby said: ‘I feel good. I feel good about my game. Winning a couple of weeks ago in Leicester obviously helped, I came here confident. It’s a good place to be coming into a tournament.’
Selby has taken a leaf out of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s book and focussed more on enjoying the game rather than a win-at-all-costs attitude.
‘I think with me, it all depends how I feel,’ he said. ‘I remember listening to Ronnie do an interview years ago. He was saying that he’d rather feel good and get beat than feel crap and win.
‘At the time a lot of people would go, “well you won’t, you’d want to win then you’ve got a chance in the next round to play.” But I totally get it because sometimes when I’m out there and I don’t feel great I don’t fancy the big shots, I sort of bail out and don’t play them.
‘Whereas I’m on the position I’m in now. I know it’s the right shot and I fancy getting it. Whether you do or not is a different thing but to actually believe before the shot that you’ve got a chance of getting it, it’s massive.’
Trump is the world number one and has been to two finals this season but is still looking for his first title of 2025 and is in a contrasting headspace to Selby.
Known for his spectacular break-building, it sounds more like Trump will take on a role more associated with his opponent and will be slugging it out in whatever way is required, even if it gets pretty grim.
‘I’d like to say I’ll be buzzing, but I’ve lost a lot of finals, so I need to take home that trophy any way possible,’ said Trump. ‘I don’t care what happens, you’ll have to drag me off the table in the final. I need to get this one.’
The defending champion has obviously been good to reach the final for a fifth time, beating Stephen Maguire 6-4, Si Jiahui 6-3, Ding Junhui 6-2 and Neil Robertson 6-4. But much like the whole season so far he hasn’t really hit his peak levels of performance.
‘Overall it’s been solid,’ he said. ‘My safety and everything has been pretty good. Just relying too much on their mistakes at the minute. I’d like to be able to make my own way in by long potting. My long-potting was very, very bad there [against Robertson].’
While he is not putting together such an eye-catching highlight reel, Trump does feel like he’s rediscovered self-belief and determination of late, which is making him very difficult to beat.
‘I think it’s in there because I believe in myself. So that’s all you can do,’ he said. ‘If it’s in there or not I don’t know. As long as you believe in yourself you can always go to that next level.
‘I’m delighted to be in another final. It’s not been absolute vintage but I’ve found that determination and belief in myself that I’ve had for maybe the past five or six seasons again.’
Will we really get a grinding Trump, firmly digging his heels in against a free-wheeling buoyant Selby? It doesn’t sound right, but that’s how they’re selling it to us.
A best-of-19 with £250,000 on the line on Sunday will give us the answer.
