Northern Ireland Open: Holder Trump eases past Hamilton to reach semi-finals
Last updated on .From the section Snooker
Defending champion Judd Trump eased past Anthony Hamilton 5-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Northern Ireland Open at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.
World number one Trump won the first frame with a 106 break and added the next, before Hamilton pulled one back.
Trump then reeled off the next three frames, rounding off his victory with a break of 105 in the final frame.
The world champion will play John Higgins in Saturday's semi-finals after the Scot beat Mark Selby 5-4.
Having won the English Open, three-time world champion Selby's exit denies him the chance of collecting the £1m bonus on offer for winning all four Home Nations tournaments - the Scottish Open still to come in December and the Welsh Open in February.
A repeat of last year's final remains on the cards after Ronnie O'Sullivan marched into the last four with a comprehensive 5-1 win over Shaun Murphy.
The five-time world champion will face Joe Perry, who rallied from 3-1 down to beat Alexander Ursenbacher 5-3.
Trump saw off O'Sullivan 9-7 in last year's final and the two could meet again in this year's decider.
The reigning world champion has already won two events this season - the International Championship and the World Open - and he was also a beaten finalist in last week's Champion of Champions in Coventry.
The winner of Sunday's final will collect £70,000 and The Alex Higgins Trophy.
| Northern Ireland Open quarter-finals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Judd Trump | 5-1 | Anthony Hamilton |
| Joe Perry | 5-3 | Alexander Ursenbacher |
| Shaun Murphy | 1-5 | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
| Mark Selby | 4-5 | John Higgins |
