Judd Trump on course for huge bonus but John Higgins and Mark Allen still in the hunt
01/31/2024 05:07 PM
Judd Trump remains on course to pocket the huge £150,000 BetVictor bonus after booking his spot in the last 16 of the German Masters.
Trump got the better of Matt Selt with a 5-2 win in Berlin on Wednesday and sets up an attractive clash with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the next round.
The Englishman is closing in on the huge bonus, which is handed to the player who finishes top of the BetVictor Series rankings. A ranking list based on performances in the Championship League, European Masters, English Open, Northern Ireland Open, Shoot Out, Scottish Open, German Masters and Welsh Open.
Such have been Trump’s performances so far this season, winning the English and Northern Ireland Opens and reaching the final of the European Masters, that he arrived in Berlin with a commanding lead in the rankings.
Chris Wakelin, Zhang Anda and Shaun Murphy could have caught Trump, but their early exits in Berlin mean they are out of the race.
The only two men who can still beat the Ace to the bonus are Mark Allen and John Higgins, who both need to lift the trophy in Germany to stand a chance of topping the rankings by the end of the Welsh Open.
Trump’s chances are improved still further by the fact that Allen and Higgins meet each other in the last 16, so one will be out of the tournament by the end of Thursday.
The winner of Allen vs Higgins will meet the victor of Trump vs Un-Nooh, so Trump is now just two victories away from securing the bonus, whatever happens after that in Germany and in Llandudno.
If that is the case then the BetVictor Series will not replicate the drama of last season when the destination of the bonus was unknown all the way until the final of the Welsh Open.
Robert Milkins needed to beat Shaun Murphy in the final in Wales to pip German Masters champion Ali Carter to the £150,000 and he did just that.
The German Masters continues on Thursday with the remaining last 32 games and all the last 16 matches with four players playing twice in the same day.
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