The rivalry between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump has fascinated us for many years. At the start, O’Sullivan vs. Trump has always been The Genius vs. The Young Pretender, especially since everyone thought Judd would soon dominate the game. But over the past few seasons, as the duo began winning more titles together, the rivalry became more fierce, tightly contested and exciting. We couldn’t be happier.
After the 2019 Northern Ireland Open final, O’Sullivan has the overall superior head-to-head record. According to Cuetracker, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump are neck and neck (13-13) in all professional meetings. Yet the 2019 Northern Ireland Open happens to be the tenth final where both the Juddernaut and the Rocket are present. So this is a fantastic opportunity for me to make a countdown about it!
Now, of course this list is based on my own opinion. I will be incredibly interested to hear your thoughts on what you think is the best final between Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan!
10. 2016 Championship League (Trump 3-2)
This is a pretty obvious contender at No. 10 in this countdown. This was a high-quality final, as Ronnie scored two century breaks and Judd made two half-centuries. This was very pleasing for Judd, as this was his third Championship League title in his career. He also said this event has helped him qualify for the 2016 Champion of Champions, according to this link.
But apart from all that, it’s a pretty unmemorable final. There was no live audience. It was only broadcast live in the Internet. It was a short, non-ranking event of little importance compared to others on this list. Also, Trump ended up winning two more ranking events, which would’ve got him qualified for the Champion of Champions anyway. So let’s press on.
9. 2015 World Grand Prix (Trump 10-7)
The World Grand Prix was actually created in 2015, originally as a non-ranking event in Llandudno. An event where the top 32 players on a one-year ranking system, this was a number of events constructed for players by merit. Both Judd and Ronnie were among the Top 4 players who performed the best that season and surprise surprise, these two met.
In the past few finals, Ronnie O’Sullivan would gain a huge lead, only to make a small comeback until Ronnie finally crosses the line. It almost did, with O’Sullivan leading 7-4 at one point. But Trump ended up taking the final six frames to take the inaugural title. In Trump’s case, it showed that he had the bottle to come back, especially behind someone of Ronnie’s calibre. It was Trump’s first time beating Ronnie over a longer format. That must be a significant moment in his career.
Ronnie later said “it’s a great venue and a great tournament. It’s a proper event, you really appreciate the quality of it.” Weirdly, Trump will be defending that title next year, having won the now ranking event in Cheltenham, beating Ali Carter 10-6. But let’s be honest, Trump’s had more memorable wins over Ronnie.
8. 2017 Shanghai Masters (O’Sullivan 10-3)
This was back when the Shanghai Masters was a ranking event. Those were some good times. Back then, both players were on fantastic form. Ronnie won the 2017 English Open in scintillating fashion, trashing Kyren Wilson 9-2 in the final, while Judd Trump won the European Masters. In fact, Judd whitewashed four opponents in a row during the Shanghai Masters.
But when it came to the final, ROS was brilliant. He raced to a 7-0 lead and stole frame after frame from Judd. He said after his 10-3 victory that it was “one of the best victories of my career” because of the form he was in. During those months, Ronnie was a form so good, even he admitted he played some good stuff!
7. 2019 Masters (Trump 10-4)
It is always an occasion to see two of the hottest snooker players in any Triple Crown event. This was certainly the case here. Ronnie O’Sullivan came into this final with a lot of pedigree. That was his 13th Masters final and he won three titles (2014, 2016, 2017) in the previous five years. He even reached the 2019 final with little trouble. Judd Trump went through to his first Masters final via the hardest possible route, beating Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby and Neil Robertson.
A lot of people rated O’Sullivan to be the red-hot favourite. Which takes everyone by surprise when Trump raced to a 4-0 lead and 7-1 at the end of the first session. When everyone returned that evening, it had the odd atmosphere that the match had already been won. Both players shared the frames and Trump ended up winning his first Masters title. This capped off a brilliant tournament for Judd and started a formidable year, which we all know about but I do not wish to be too repetitive.
The reason why this final, despite its prestige, is so low on this list is because it felt like an anti-climax. When it became clear who the winner is going to be so early into the match, like the 2017 Shanghai Masters, the excitement was almost lost. Even though it was a brilliant match and the consequences were so great, there are so many beautiful ones.
6. 2011 Antwerp Open (Trump 4-3)
Over the past five years, we have seen so much BO7 matches. They are brilliant for those with a shorter attention span and forces a snooker player to be more brutal and clinical. The biggest worry for BO7 matches are that they are usually forgettable. There’s no story to most of those matches, no time to make a large comeback that gets people talking.
But it only took this famous pair ONE HOUR to get to 3-3 and the decider. Sure, this was a final of a minor-ranking event, but this is probably one of the best BO7 matches you will be, if not, the best of the lot. Two of the most in-form players were going blade to blade.
Judd Trump made three +60 breaks and Ronnie a +50 break and two centuries. It only took one unfortunate fluke from Judd in the middle of his contribution in the final frame to take the title. The atmosphere was so electric that Judd even compared it to the World Championship final. He said he hoped he would see a full ranking event in Belgium, which eventually happened in the 2017 & 2018 European Open.
5. 2016 European Masters (Trump 9-8)
Judd and Ronnie meet in another inaugural final, this time at the European Masters. The venue was in a circus in Bucharest, Romania, and the duo certainly put on a great act. No, I’m not sorry.
At the time, the commentators remarked that this was the best win of Trump’s career. Not only because he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in a ranking final but how he beat him as well. Both Ronnie and Trump had six half-centuries each but Trump also added three centuries. The shot above was particularly ballsy, as had he missed such an audacious pot, it would’ve been match over. Judd was a deserved winner and the fact that it went to a decider made the victory even sweeter.
4. 2018 Northern Ireland Open (Trump 9-7)
This final had some interesting backstory. Ronnie O’Sullivan was on ruthless and relentless form that year. By the 2018 final, Ronnie won about seven titles during that period. He won five ranking events in a row, including the 2017 UK Championship. He won the lucrative non-ranker Shanghai Masters and defended his Champion of Champions title.
On the other hand, Judd Trump hadn’t won a title since lifting the 2017 European Masters trophy. Even before this tournament, Judd came under heavy criticism after his Champion of Champions defeat against Kyren Wilson. Wilson claimed said he tried to send the right message during that match that “maybe he wanted the win a bit more“. Even though Trump wasn’t happy with those comments, it was his play that did the talking.
The 2018 Northern Ireland Open was a tightly-knit contest. There was only a single frame between them throughout the match. This was until Trump won his ninth and final frame to lift the Alex Higgins trophy. O’Sullivan said that Judd deserved his victory due to his consistency. There were four centuries and ten half-centuries. Judd Trump saw this amazing win as a perfect response to the critics who said he was an underachiever.
This ranking win got the ball rolling for Judd, as we know. He later won multiple ranking events and became the Masters and the World Champion!
3. 2014 Champion of Champions (O’Sullivan 10-7)
A number of entries here know for the occasion and the comebacks. Of course, most of them are high-quality, but there aren’t many that stands out. This final in the Champion of Champions, is known for it’s quality.
Defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan made 137, 78, 80, 87, 134, 139, 70, 70 and 109 in that final. That is insane! Judd Trump did make a slight comeback from 8-3 down to narrow the gap to 8-7, keeping Ronnie frozen to his seat. Ronnie remarked in an interview that during the evening session, he made one mistake and lost four frames! He said that Judd had a very good game and, talking about his own performance, “that was as well as you can play.” It was a gracious match, which was really nice.
Ronnie ended up winning the UK Championship straight after. It also set a precedent on the quality of matches the Champion of Champion provides. Now, some people argue that the Champion of Champions is the most important tournament to win behind the Triple Crown.
2. 2019 Northern Ireland Open (Trump 9-7)
The difference between the 2018 and 2019 Northern Ireland Open is an interesting one. In 2018, it felt like Judd Trump was on the road to redemption to win a title while Ronnie O’Sullivan’s confidence was sky high after winning so many in a relatively short space of time!
Fast forward to 2019 and Judd Trump was on the form of his life. Since his 2018 Northern Ireland Open victory, he ended up winning four ranking titles and two non-ranking titles, becoming the Dafabet Masters and World Championship winner in the process. Who really is top dog now? Can the best sportsman to play the game knock Trump of his pedestal? Will this be the start of Judd Trump’s rampage and snooker domination?
This final has the benefit of being so high on this list because I watched this final very recently. But this final had eye-catching, off-the-scale quality of play from both players. Ten +50 breaks, six centuries and two or three attempted maximums. Even when Ronnie stole a frame from under Trump’s nose, Trump responded with a 124 break the next frame. What!
Trump ended up winning a high-quality final and received a number of accolades too. He defended a Home Nations title, this is back-to-back ranking victories after the World Open and he became the first player to win three ranking titles in season after first WC since 1990. It’s madness.
1. 2014 UK Championship (O’Sullivan 10-9)
For me, this is the best match between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump. It was also very close to not happening at all.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was considering pulling out as he had fractured his ankle beforehand. He had to wear a protective brace throughout the tournament. But it did little to hinder his progress. On his way to the final, he scored his thirteenth maximum break in his whitewash against Matt Selt. Judd Trump was also on brilliant form. He put aside a lot of experienced professionals with ease such as Mark Davis and Stephen Maguire.
The match itself was an absolute epic. O’Sullivan led 5-1 and 9-4 and it looked set that he would take the match. But Trump had other ideas. Trump reeled off six frames in a row. O’Sullivan was 59-0 up when 9-8 ahead but Judd had the nerve to make a 67 break to the final black to force a decider! In that decider, Ronnie put Judd into a snooker, which forced a mistake from him and it lead to Ronnie winning his fifth UK Championship.
Steve Davis said this regarding Ronnie O’Sullivan:
“We’ve seen two warriors in action. Ronnie has got guts and temperament – he showed it all when it was needed. He’s a superhero of our game. The fans like him even more at the moment. He’s up against the younger brigade but still taking it to them. He’s the most astonishing player we have ever seen. In a lifetime I’m not sure we’ll see anyone like him again.”
It had a number of fantastic breaks. There was plenty of eye-catching drama. The atmosphere of the Triple Crown event made the match electric. The comeback was unbelievable. Ronnie O’Sullivan even said that it was the hardest match he played. Absolutely brilliant final between these legends.
