Judd Trump sits top of group four at BetVictor Championship League Snooker, winning three of his four opening matches on day one at the Morningside Arena, Leicester.
The Ace in the Pack started at a blistering pace, winning his first two matches 3-0 against Ricky Walden and Mark Selby respectively, both matches completed in under an hour of play.
Trump followed up with a 3-1 victory over newly crowned Scottish Open champion Gary Wilson, breaks of 46 and 77 his biggest in their clash.
Despite the domination seen in his first three matches, Trump faced an impressive Matthew Selt who became the first player to beat Trump today, winning 3-1 with breaks of 65, 63, and 72 – his first win of the group.
John Higgins went about his business in typical fashion, winning all three of his matches on the opening day of group four, his best performance coming in his final match against Mark Selby. A 3-1 victory over the English Open champion with breaks of 126 and 72 leaves the Wizard of Wishaw sitting in second place and with a game in hand on Trump.
Elsewhere in the group, Ricky Walden struggled to find his form of previous groups, losing all three of his matches largely through no fault of his own – his most notable contribution coming in a 147 attempt against Gary Wilson that broke down on the 14th red.
BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational sees each of the seven players faces each other once in the round-robin group stage, after which the top four players in the league table progress to the group play-offs. The eventual group champion advances to February’s Winners’ Group with the remaining players who finished in the top five during the league phase continuing to Group Five which begins on February 7th when three new players join the tournament. The bottom two players in each group phase are eliminated. All matches are best of five.
The tournament carries a prize fund of £205,000 with players earning £100 per frame won with significant bonuses for their final group position and increased prize money in the Winners’ Group. A place in the 2023 Champion of Champions is also on the line with each group featuring seven players with matches being held over two days.
Action continues tomorrow from 11 am with the conclusion of group 4.
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