• Haikou World Open

Stevens cashes in on Trump tip trouble

Matthew Stevens took his chances against Judd Trump © Getty Images

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Matthew Stevens took out world No. 1 Judd Trump to book his place in the semi-finals of the Haikou Open.

Trump had been hugely impressive in advancing to the quarter-finals, but he broke his tip early on against Stevens and never looked comfortable from then on. He battled all the way but Stevens, who had been playing with Mark Williams' cue after his own went missing on the journey to China, held his nerve to claim a 5-3 win.

The problems for Trump started early, as he split his tip when breaking off and had to leave the arena for emergency repairs.

He returned to take the first frame but did not look comfortable. Stevens knocked in a 64 in the second frame and then made a fine plant which looked to have set up the frame. He left a brown that was frame ball in the jaws and Trump cleared to the blue. However, he snookered himself on the blue and Stevens breathed a sigh of relief as he took the frame.

Another solid contribution took Stevens into the lead and he made a 70 in the fourth to give himself a cushion heading into the mid-session interval.

Trump won the first two frames after the resumption to level, with a fluent 85 suggesting he was starting to get to grips with his new tip.

Trump had a chance to go ahead at 4-3 after fashioning a chance, but he left an opening for Stevens who rolled in a yellow to move within one frame of victory.

It was Trump in first in the eighth frame, but he missed a simple red and Stevens stepped in to knock in a brilliant 79 to seal the win.

Neil Robertson battled back from 3-2 down to beat Masters champion Mark Selby 5-3 and book a semi-final with Stevens.

Meanwhile, four-time world champion John Higgins was on top form once again as he demolished home favourite Ding Junhui 5-0.

The Wizard of Wishaw weaved his magic wand right from the off, racing into a 4-0 lead by recording back-to-back centuries of 141 and 113, and rattling in a 73.

Ding was far from his best, much to the disappointment of the crowd, and Higgins never gave China's finest a sniff, completing another whitewash to add to his 5-0 triumph over reigning Premier League champion Stuart Bingham in the previous round.

Higgins will take on defending champion Mark Allen in the semi-finals, after the Northern Irishman comfortably found a way past Ricky Walden 5-1.

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