Trump beaten 6-3 by Noppon Saengkham in China Open first round

Judd Trump suffered a first-round defeat to Noppon Saengkham at the China Open in Taiyuan on Sunday. The result leaves the world number one at risk of losing his top ranking before the end of the month.

Saengkham, ranked 45th, won the best-of-11 match 6-3 after taking control in the middle sessions. Trump recovered from 0-2 to level the tie before Saengkham won three frames in succession; a match-high break of 120 moved the Thai 5-2 ahead and he sealed the final frame 78-0.

Trump, who was world champion in 2019, had entered the China Open having beaten Kyren Wilson in the invitational Shanghai Masters final last week. The 36-year-old’s most recent ranking tournament victory came at the German Masters in February.

The China Open has returned to the World Snooker Tour calendar for the first time since 2019 and is now staged in Taiyuan, 310 miles (500km) south west of Beijing. The tournament’s winner will receive prize money of £250,000, with the runner-up to bank £100,000.

Trump has topped the world rankings since August 2024; to have any chance of remaining at the summit he must win the Wuhan Open later this month and hope other results go his way. Zhao Xintong is currently best placed to overtake Trump, with Neil Robertson and Wu Yize not far behind.

Trump was not the only seeded player to fall in the opening round: Barry Hawkins lost to Liu Hongyu, Mark Williams was defeated by Zhou Yuelong, and Ding Junhui was beaten 6-1 by David Gilbert.

Saengkham’s victory sets up a second-round meeting with either Ronnie O'Sullivan or Jackson Page.