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Players Championship snooker: Ali Carter 'very close to best' after ending Judd Trump's record title bid
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Published 22/02/2024 at 08:39 GMT
Judd Trump's bid for a record third title win at the Players Championship and hopes of toppling Ronnie O'Sullivan as world No. 1 were buried by a 6-4 defeat to Ali Carter in the quarter-finals in Telford on Wednesday night. Despite hitting a century and four breaks over 50, it was evergreen world No. 8 Carter who booked his spot in the semi-finals with a trademark display of matchplay excellence.
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Ali Carter feels he is approaching peak form after completing back-to-back victories over world No. 2 Judd Trump to reach the semi-finals of the Players Championship on Wednesday night.
Carter lost 10-7 to Trump in the Wuhan Open final in October, but followed up his 6-5 win in the Masters quarter-finals last month by edging the 10th frame on the final black for a 6-4 success in Telford.
The two-time Crucible finalist will meet Mark Allen or Welsh Open champion Gary Wilson in the semi-finals of the elite 16-player ranking event on Friday night.
"I’m very close to my best. I can still improve to be honest, though," said Carter, who lost the final of this event 10-4 to Shaun Murphy a year ago. "I’m working on all of the right things, so I think I can get better.
"I’m 45 this year and I’m in the top eight of the world, which isn’t bad. I’m going to keep searching for improvement, getting better and winning."
The win sees Carter overtake Ding Junhui in the race to qualify for the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker in Saudi Arabi next month (March 4-6) with the top eight in the world earning a trip to the lucrative competition.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, Trump, Luca Brecel, Allen, Mark Selby and Murphy have already qualified for the tournament.
John Higgins, Zhang Anda and Gary Wilson must go beyond the last eight to remain in the hunt to deny Carter the eighth and final place.
The world No. 8 is also set to secure a spot at the Tour Championship in Manchester in April (1-7) with the qualifiers extended from the top eight to the top 12 on the sport's one-year list after the World Open in Yushan (18-24 March). Carter occupies ninth place in the standings.
“Tonight was a really big match," he told reporters. "That has probably guaranteed my Tour Championship spot. Saudi Arabia is a bonus. If I am in that great, if not there is a lot of snooker to be played. I’m playing, winning and earning money.
“It will be a great match whoever I play in the semi-finals. I will have to be on top form and I’m sure that I will be.”
Trump's defeat ends his latest bid to topple O'Sullivan from the top of the world rankings with the UK and Masters champion remaining 90,000 points clear before he meets old rival Selby in the quarter-finals on Thursday evening.
The two-time Players champion needed the £125,000 first prize to have a chance of overtaking the snooker GOAT at the summit.
O'Sullivan has held the coveted world No. 1 spot since his 18-13 win over Trump in the 2022 world final earned him a seventh Crucible triumph.
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