Judd Trump survived a spirited challenge from Ricky Walden to book his place in the last 32 of the 2026 British Open in Cheltenham.
The match, played over the best-of-seven frames, was far more competitive than the final score might suggest. Walden made an impressive start and briefly looked capable of producing a major upset against one of the tournament favourites.
Trump eventually found another level, however, producing his best snooker when the match entered its decisive stages to complete a 4-2 victory.
Walden made the brighter start, taking the opening frame 64-18. Trump responded in the second, but Walden continued to look dangerous and moved 2-1 ahead after producing a break of 86.
For long periods, the Englishman was arguably the more consistent player. Trump struggled with some of his long-potting opportunities and was unable to build sustained scoring visits early in the contest. Walden, meanwhile, took advantage of the chances that came his way and kept the pressure firmly on the former world number one.
The turning point arrived in the fifth frame.
With the match delicately poised at 2-2, Trump began to rediscover the attacking game that has made him one of snooker’s leading players. He opened with confident pots and constructed a century break, the first three-figure contribution of the match.
That 114-point clearance gave Trump the lead for the first time and left him just one frame away from victory.
Walden attempted to respond immediately, but Trump had finally taken control. After Walden’s break broke down, Trump capitalised and built another commanding visit. He closed out the sixth frame 88-14 to seal a 4-2 success.
TNT Sports described Trump’s final two frames as “imperious”, highlighting how dramatically the match changed once the 2019 world champion found his rhythm.
The victory is particularly significant for Trump after his disappointing recent outing at the Wuhan Open, where he suffered a 5-1 quarter-final defeat to Chang Bingyu. He now has an opportunity to build momentum at the British Open, a tournament that uses a random draw rather than a conventional seeded knockout structure.
Trump’s reward is a place in the last 32, where he will face the winner of Elliot Slessor’s section of the draw. The World Snooker Tour’s published draw confirms that the next-round position opposite Trump is linked to the Slessor side of the bracket.
Attention now turns to another major name.
Four-time British Open champion John Higgins is scheduled to face Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham in another second-round contest. Higgins is chasing a fifth British Open title, which would move him level with Steve Davis on the all-time winners list.
Saengkham, though, will provide a serious test. The Thai player has already demonstrated that he can trouble elite opposition, making the Higgins clash one of the intriguing matches of the day’s schedule.
With Trump safely through and Higgins still to come, the British Open continues to provide plenty of drama in Cheltenham.If you want, I can also make this , with a stronger opening and headline suitable for a sports-news website.more dramatic and newspaper-style
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