THE JUDD TRUMP "DOMINATION"

In the era when we all say it's impossible to dominate snooker because there's just too many great players out there, Judd Trump leads the World Ranking with 1,698,000 points - second placed Ronnie O'Sullivan has 1,088,000.

Last Friday, Judd Trump made his second consecutive Ranking Event final, and his defeat to Kyren Wilson was his first in a Ranking Final since 2018 - he played in 10 since. But can that be considered an actual domination?

Although Judd's achievements are fantastic and he's the one playing the best snooker right now on tour, within the time that Judd won 10 out of 11 ranking finals, 33 ranking tournaments were played. Making the final of a third of the ranking events played in a span of two years is unbelievably good, it certainly ain't domination. 

Saying Judd won 10 consecutive ranking finals overlooks the other 22 ranking tournaments where he didn't make the final. He was consistent and got to at least the quarters in the vast majority of them, but being consistent and collecting ranking points aren't dominating as far as I'm concerned.

Of course it would be nonsense and clueless to criticize Judd Trump at the minute. As a snooker fan you've got to appreciate the level that the World Number 1 is playing at. But when I think about domination, I think about a player that has that unbeatable feeling around him. Like Selby had from 2014 to 2017.

Being fair to Judd as well, he beat O'Sullivan in the 2019 Masters finals and that doesn't count when we're talking about those 10 straight finals wins, although it's a Triple Crown event. But in the same way, the Champion of Champions is one of the sport's most prestigious events and that final defeat to Neil Robertson in the 2019 final won't make the equation as well.

Anyway, next week will see the Champion of Champions itself being played again. It's the first big event of the season and a great chance for the other players to prove - or not - that they can play at the same level of Judd Trump. But don't get me wrong, I think Judd is heavy favourite for this one.

Judd's potential most difficult opponent before the final would be Ronnie in the semis. Given what the World Champion has showed so far this season, he'd do well not to be whitewashed by Judd in a potential encounter (as a Ronnie fan I hope they don't even meet). Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson, who I would say are the other best players in the world along with Judd and Ronnie right now, could all meet before the final. 

Also, the Champion of Champions is a tournament that Judd never won despite losing in the final twice - he'll be hungry. My prediction would be Judd Trump beating Mark Selby in the finals. Both are playing snooker at the highest level and are so far coping very well with the Milton Keynes bubble. 

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