Judd Trump urged Hossein Vafaei to believe in himself more after the Iranian defeated the world number one in a dramatic World Snooker Championship second round clash at the Crucible. The Pride of Persia edged Trump 13-12 in a brilliant contest that saw Vafaei rally from a 10-7 deficit.
Match Highlights
The 31-year-old Vafaei won four consecutive frames to take the lead, but Trump responded by taking the next two to move one frame from victory. Under immense pressure, Vafaei produced breaks of 106 and 91 to clinch the match and advance to the quarter-finals, where he will face Wu Yize.
It was another disappointing Crucible exit for Trump, who remains on his solitary 2019 World Championship title. However, the encounter ended with a warm embrace and a heartfelt exchange between the two players.
Trump's Advice
Asked what he said to the winner, Trump replied: 'Just believe in himself a little bit more. I think he's more than good enough to win all kinds of events. I think he just lacks a little bit of self-belief at times and maybe at the start of the game. But when he got going and when he saw I wasn't playing well, he kind of pounced on it and he just needs to do that from the start in the next game.'
Trump elaborated on the importance of self-belief, noting that true confidence comes from winning. 'I just think if he really believed in himself, you only get that from winning. So even I struggle with that this season when I've not been winning. So for someone that's been around and got the talent and not won, it's very hard to believe in yourself.'
He added: 'He's a great guy. I think he's had so many struggles and I think if he didn't have that, if he was from somewhere else – at the start of his career, it was very hard for him to play in certain events – he would have, I think, been in the top 16 by now. But yeah, I like him and hopefully he can play well in the quarters.'
Vafaei's Response
When asked about his self-belief, Vafaei admitted: 'I push myself down a lot. It's nice when the world number one gives you this kind of advice that you can do it and go so far in this tournament. I get confidence of it.' On his chances of winning the World Championship, he declared: 'Absolutely.'
Trump's Reflection on Defeat
Trump took the loss in stride but acknowledged the disappointment. 'No, it hurts, but I think I had my chance. And I think when you know you didn't play a good shot or whatever, then it's not like I was unlucky or anything like that. I've got nothing to be angry about. I just wasn't good enough. So it still hurts. I still wanted to win out there, but the game was played in a good spirit, I think. I like Hossein, so I'm not going to be angry at him or anything like that. I had my chance. I think as you get older, you learn to be a little bit more chill when you lose.'
Can Vafaei Win the Title?
Trump believes Vafaei has the potential to go all the way. 'Why not? No one thought Luca Brecel was going to win or Kyren Wilson was going to win or Zhao Xintong was going to win. So he's in the same kind of mould as them. He scores very heavy. He's very dangerous. He's obviously got a tough draw, but I think Wu Yize is inexperienced as well. So it's going to be free-for-all in that game, I think.'
Trump, who won the German Masters this season and reached three more ranking finals, felt he was not clinical enough in big moments. On how to remedy that, he said: 'I'm hoping you tell me! I don't really know. I think the longer the season goes on, for me, I kind of wanted it to finish. I gave it my all this tournament and the same pattern happened again. So it's nice just to get that out of your head and start again fresh. I think, yeah, it's a month or two to find the right cue, find whatever I need to do and get my head right, have a break and go in fresh for the next season.'
