Judd Trump’s ranking under threat after shock China Open defeat

Judd Trump’s position at the top of the world snooker rankings is under serious threat after he suffered a shock 6-3 defeat by Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham in the first round of the China Open on Sunday.

World number 45 Saengkham produced an impressive display to secure one of the biggest wins of his career and book a second-round meeting with either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Jackson Page.

Trump recovered from losing the opening two frames to level the best-of-11 contest at 2-2. However, Saengkham responded strongly, winning three consecutive frames to regain control.

A match-high break of 120 helped the Thai move 5-2 ahead before he sealed victory by taking the final frame 78-0.

Trump arrived in China after winning the invitational Shanghai Masters last week, where he defeated Kyren Wilson in the final. He has also previously lifted the China Open title in 2011 and 2016.

Despite those successes, Trump has won only two ranking events over the past two years, with his most recent victory coming at the German Masters in February.

The China Open has returned to the World Snooker Tour calendar for the first time since 2019. The tournament is being staged in Taiyuan, around 500km south-west of Beijing.

Trump has held the world number one ranking since August 2024, but his defeat leaves him vulnerable to being overtaken later this month. Zhao Xintong is currently best placed to replace him, with Neil Robertson and Wu Yize also in contention.

Several other seeds also exited in the opening round, including Barry Hawkins, Mark Williams and Ding Junhui.