Cork's Aaron Hill shocks Judd Trump at Northern Ireland Open

Cork's Aaron Hill has defeated world number two Judd Trump at the Northern Ireland Open. Trump had been level at 1-1 with the 20-year-old before Hill won the last three frames

Wed, 19 Oct, 2022 - 12:20

TJ Galvin

Cork's Aaron Hill has shocked world number two Judd Trump at the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast's Waterfront Hall. Trump had been level with the 20-year-old before Hill won the last three frames, including a break of 87.

Hill, the world number 95, shot to fame in 2020 by beating Ronnie O'Sullivan at the European Masters.

Here, he won the opening frame with a break of 52. Trump levelled the match with a brilliant century in the second.

The third frame was a scrappy affair but Hill edged it and he had the momentum from there.

A superb break of 87 in the fourth was followed by a scrappy win in the fifth to secure a 4-1 victory.

Speaking to World Snooker after the win on Tuesday evening, Hill said: “It’s an absolutely brilliant feeling.

“I stayed positive the whole match and said I’d rather go out by missing something than playing defensive. I played my own game from the get-go, attacked, played some good snooker. I’m really happy with how I got over the line.

“It means the world to me. When I had a big win against Ronnie two years ago I didn’t quite back it up because I was inexperienced. When I started losing matches after that expectations started to build. It just felt like a monkey on my shoulders, and I couldn’t get him off.

“When I dropped off the tour that kind of gave me a different perspective. When I got through Q-School it was the biggest relief ever. Hopefully now I won’t look back.”

Hill now plays Tom Ford in the last 32 on Wednesday evening.