UK Championship: Judd Trump 'embarrassed' by collapse

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Judd TrumpImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Judd Trump said his third-round exit was the "worst he'd ever felt" as a professional

UK Championship

Venue: York Barbican Dates: 24 November-6 December

BBC coverage: Watch on BBC Two, Red Button, BBC Sport website, Connected TVs, tablets, mobiles and app from 28 November.

England's Judd Trump lost five frames in a row as he was beaten by China's Liang Wenbo on a dramatic evening at the UK Championship.

Last year's runner-up coasted into a 3-0 lead, scoring 278 unanswered points before an "embarrassing" collapse.

But Trump's defeat was overshadowed by a heartbreaking missed 147 by Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.

Un-Nooh fluffed a maximum break with a final black miss in the sixth frame of his 6-2 defeat against Neil Robertson.

The miss cost Un-Nooh £44,000 in total.

Robertson, the 2013 champion, made a 145 in the next frame to claim the highest break of the tournament and eased to victory.

Un-Nooh's gut-wrenching error, after several astonishing pots had kept his hopes of a maximum alive, partly kept Trump's troubles out of the limelight.

Image source, Judd Trump

Trump, the 2011 winner, scored 112 in the first frame, 75 in the third and looked in majestic form to lead 3-0,

But a kick in the sixth frame, when he could have gone 5-1 ahead, changed the course of the game according to the pre-tournament favourite.

"At 4-1 I felt in complete control and was playing well, but I had a kick and it was embarrassing towards the end," he said.

"It was one of those games where I didn't want to be out there any more. I didn't think I could pot a ball. I don't know what went wrong. It's worrying.

"It is probably the worst I have ever felt as a professional. I was never going to win. It was very disheartening. I knew something would go wrong. It was a horrible feeling."

Wenbo said: "I am very happy. At 4-3 I thought I had a chance. He missed some easy balls."

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Murphy is one of only 10 players to have won snooker's Triple Crown of the World Championship, UK Championship and Masters

Magician Murphy

In the afternoon session World number four Murphy comfortably beat Ben Woollaston, finishing an increasingly impressive performance with a stylish 106.

The 2008 champion began in ominous fashion, hitting an opening-frame 83.

Woollaston had several chances but Murphy showed his matchplay quality and potting ability to score two 70-plus breaks and secure victory with a 106.

"I am very pleased with my performance," Murphy, 33, said.

World number 30 Woollaston was amazed by some of the shots attempted by Murphy.

"He goes for balls that no-one else goes for. I don't think even Judd would have gone for some of the ones he went for," Woollaston said. "In the last frame I thought I played a great safety and he made a century.

Media caption,

History repeating itself: Un-Nooh misses final black in 147 bid back in December

Murphy added: "Part of going for your shots is saying, 'I am prepared to go for my shots, are you?'

"It sends a message out to your opponent. I have always gone for my shots and I always will."

There were also wins for Englishmen Tom Ford and Martin Gould, Scotland's Stephen Maguire and Hong Kong's Marco Fu.

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