STEPHEN HENDRY REVEALS JUDD TRUMP’S GREATEST ASSET IN SNOOKER DOMINANCE – ‘THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ANY SPORTSMAN’.

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry has offered his opinions on why Judd Trump has become only the fifth snooker player in history to claim a third straight ranking title with victory at the Northern Ireland Open on Sunday. “He’s got the most important aspect, certainly an individual sportsman, and that is greed,” said the Scotsman. “He is greedy for more tournaments.”

Trump because the first man since Ding Junhui in 2013 to secure three straight ranking events by claiming the Northern Ireland Open title on Sunday night with a 9-3 win over Chris Wakelin on the back of lifting the English Open and Wuhan Open trophies.

Alongside Ding and Trump, only Hendry, Steve Davis and Ray Reardon have managed the feat with Hendry seeing similarities between Trump and his own dominance of the sport in the 1990s when he reeled off seven titles at the Crucible between 1990 and 1999.

“Judd Trump is winning everything,” said Hendry, who holds the all-time record for securing five successive ranking titles in 1990, the year he first became world No. 1.”Chris has been playing really well, but I think he had lost 11 out of 11 matches to Judd so that was the last person he wanted to meet in the final.

“That was not going to bode well for Chris. But Judd is just on the crest of a wave, and is full of confidence.

“He’s got the most important aspect, certainly an individual sportsman, and that is greed. He is greedy for more tournaments.

“He’s winning one on a Sunday night then he’s waking up on a Monday thinking: ‘where’s next to win?'”

Judd Trump begins his quest for a fourth straight victory when he defends the International Championship in the Chinese city of Tianjin next week (November 5-12, live on Eurosport and discovery+).

The Masters champion won the previous edition of the coveted event in 2019 and collected a £175,000 winner’s cheque with a 10-3 final win over Shaun Murphy before the global pandemic struck.

It is an event that is likely to suit Trump with Hendry feeling a sell-out crowd at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast was also key to the Bristolian’s 26th career ranking title success.

“The crowds were fantastic, so that inspires players like Judd Trump,” said Hendry on WST. “You get in the habit of winning and losing.

“And at that moment for Judd, it’s just a great place to be. It’s seems like a lifetime ago for me, but it was lovely.”

Hendry has opted out of qualifying for his home tournament at the Scottish Open at the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh (11-17 December live on Eurosport and discovery+) where the winner receives the Stephen Hendry Trophy next month.

But qualifying continued in Leicester on Wednesday with last year’s finalist Joe O’Connor reaching the finals venue with a 4-0 win over Andy Lee in the round of 128 boosted by breaks of 64 and 82

There was also a 4-0 victory for two-time world finalist Matthew Stevens against Victor Sarkis that saw the Welshman compile 75, 57 and 85 to qualify for the last 64.

All the first-round matches are contested over the best of seven frames with the world’s top 16 starting their respective campaigns at the finals venue alongside two matches involving local wild cards.

World No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan was handed a tournament opener against Glaswegian Liam Graham.

World champion Luca Brecel, winner of the 2021 event, takes on Iulian Boiko of Ukraine with Trump up against Sydney Wilson in his first match.