Judd Trump has warned his rivals that he's 'a lot more confident this year' after beating Shaun Murphy in a thrilling showdown at the World Snooker Championship.
The world No 1 won 13-10 to book his place in the last eight of the competition.
Having led 10-6, it looked as though victory would be a formality for Trump.
However, he was forced to dig deep to secure his slot in the last eight after his opponent threatened to stage a dramatic comeback.
Judd Trump has warned his rivals that he's 'a lot more confident this year' after beating Shaun Murphy in a thrilling showdown at the World Snooker Championship
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Fans at the Crucible were treated to a classic, with Stephen Hendry suggesting the showdown was worthy of a final.
And Trump has now opened up after his win, with the 35-year-old warning his rivals that he's growing in confidence.
"Shaun was in a world of his own for four or five frames and I was a little bit worried but I had to back myself in that last frame," he said.
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"In the past I've been a bit hard on myself but I'm a lot stronger mentally and I've learned to appreciate the losses and use them as motivation.
"I'm a lot more confident this year, I'm hitting the ball a lot better.
"I probably have a bit more belief in myself and I feel a lot more calm.
READ MORE:Shaun Murphy makes feelings clear on Judd Trump after losing tense World Snooker Championship clash
Trump fends off Murphy! 😅#HaloWorldChampionship @juddtrump pic.twitter.com/k4J2Y91dez
— WST (@WeAreWST) April 28, 2025
"It's pretty much every single day [you play] now - you are looking to that next session every time.
"It's only going to get tougher, we're not even halfway there now.
"It was an extremely tough draw to be playing Shaun at this stage with the form he was in."
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As for Murphy, the 42-year-old admitted that he couldn't have performed any better - having threatened to reel in Trump in the closing stages.
"Frankly that's the best I've ever played at the championship and I've lost," he said.
"I can't really criticise myself too much - I came up against the world No 1, the best player on the planet who is playing really well.
Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy put on a show at the World Snooker Championship on Monday
PA
"All I can do is praise him, he played fantastically well.
"I've come back from worse positions [than 12-6] in my career - I've had some really good comebacks especially in that arena and I kept believing in myself, one frame at a time.
"The problem is when they get to 12, your next mistake could be your last and that's how it proved."
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