Judd Trump Names His Pick to Lift the 2025 UK Championship

World number one Judd Trump has taken another decisive step toward defending his UK Championship crown, booking his place in tomorrow’s semi-finals with a commanding 6-2 win over Chinese superstar Ding Junhui.

Remarkably, despite his dominance across the rankings, Trump has not lifted a professional title in almost a year, his last coming here in York at the 2024 UK Championship. 

Should he fail to reclaim the trophy this week, his extraordinary streak of winning at least one ranking title every calendar year since 2014 will come to an end.

We caught up with the two-time champion after his victory to discuss his chances of going back-to-back, his looming semi-final clash with Neil Robertson, and how close he feels to rediscovering top gear.

Is Trump the Favourite? Not According to Him

Snooker legend Steve Davis was bold in his BBC assessment after Trump’s win, claiming that if the world number one continues to perform as he did against Ding, the trophy is all but his.

But asked whether he agrees with Davis’ verdict, Trump responded with a grin, offering his own pick for tournament favourite.

“Mark Selby is that?” he wittingly replied.

Trump then reflected more seriously on where his game stands. 

He insists the fireworks aren’t fully there yet, but the timing, often the ingredient that separates champions from contenders, is returning.

“No, it's not been vintage, but the difference in tournament is the timing of the things I've been doing. It's not been kind of blown everyone away, but when I need to make an important clearance or pot an important ball, they've been going in. So, it's a nice feeling to have that back.”

“I’m still a little way off. I think there just needs to be kind of a standout performance to really give me that confidence. But I feel a lot more confident sat in the chair with my opponent at the table that if they miss that, I'm going to clear up."

A Rivalry Renewed with Neil Robertson

Next up for Trump is a blockbuster showdown with three-time UK champion Neil Robertson, a player with whom he’s shared some of the sport’s most memorable battles.

Their rivalry includes the unforgettable 2020 UK Championship final, when Robertson edged Trump 10-9 in a dramatic one-frame shootout.

“We've had loads of good games. I think we've had three or four final frame deciders finals over the years and some really good high standard ones as well.”

Trump also recalled their abrupt meeting last season: “He was my first-round opponent last year. So, it shows the difficulty of just how good a player he is and how tough my draw was last year to be playing him in the first round.”

Respect for Robertson, but a Hint at Vulnerability

Robertson arrives in the semi-finals as the reigning 2025 Saudi Arabia Masters champion and one of the form players of the year. Trump is fully aware of the threat, though he believes the Australian hasn’t been firing consistently.

“He's obviously coming back to form; he’s a little bit more inconsistent than he has been in the past. I think it's fair to say he started off the season really well but gone missing a little bit.”

Yet Trump also knows what happens when Robertson does click.

“But he's someone, when he finds his correction, he's very hard to beat.”