On January 6, 2022, Beijing time, the snooker Champions League began the fourth group competition, and Trump, who made his debut in the New Year, was in a slump, and suffered three consecutive defeats at the beginning, losing to Scott Donaldson, Stewart Bingham and Karen Wilson. Facing 45-year-old Stewart Bingham, Trump was turned over by his opponents with a 2-0 lead. However, Trump defeated Xiao Guodong in the fourth round, preserving hopes of advancing to the top four of the group.
With top players like Trump and Karen Wilson joining the game, the Snooker Champions League ushered in a small climax. The fourth group has three world champions, Selby, Trump and Bingham, who are undoubtedly the biggest favourites. However, Trump's performance on the first matchday was sluggish, and he was the target of consecutive upsets, and the three consecutive defeats put Trump in a desperate situation.
In the first round, against Scott Donaldson, who was also his New Year's debut, Trump made too many mistakes and quickly lost 0-3, which was obviously a super big upset. In the second round, facing veteran Stuart Bingham, Trump found the feel and shot a single shot of 107 and 69 consecutive points to take a 2-0 lead. After that, Trump failed to seize the opportunity, and Bingham suddenly broke out, shooting 119 points, 104 points, and 55 points in a row, winning three consecutive sets and successfully reversing.
In the third round, Trump played against Karen Wilson, and Trump was again reversed with a 2-1 lead, losing 2-3 to his opponents. In this game, Trump did not have a single shot over 50 points, the offensive feel was very sluggish, and Karen Wilson shot a three-shot 50+, suppressing Trump at a critical moment. The New Year's debut suffered three consecutive defeats, and Trump was a surprise.
However, Trump shot a two-shot 50+ in the fourth round to beat Xiao Guodong 3-1, preserving his hopes of advancing to the top four of the group. In the final two rounds of the group round robin against Selby and Roonen, Trump is looking to win them all. However, if you want to be in the top four of the group, I am afraid that you have to look at the faces of others. Trump's form this season has indeed been average and more wins are needed to boost confidence.
Trump was in a slump, but another player who made his New Year's debut was in hot form: Karen Wilson. World number five Karen Wilson beat Ronin 3-1, Scott Donaldson 3-2, Trump 3-2, Bingham 3-1, and topped the table with four wins, locking up a place in a single-elimination elimination tournament. In those four games, Karen Wilson shot a total of three hundreds and was in excellent offensive form. In the last two rounds, Karen Wilson faced Selby and Xiao Guodong, can he be in the winner's group with a total victory record like Zhao Xintong? Let's wait and see!