Judd Trump knocked out in first round

In the first round of the main draw at the 2026 Snooker China Open, world number one Judd Trump suffered a surprising 3–6 defeat to Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham and was eliminated early, a result that surprised many. After the match, Trump spoke about his unexpected exit in an interview.

Saengkham started the match strong, scoring a break of 64 and taking the first two frames. Trump fought back, making breaks of 85 and 91 to equalize, and the two players went into the interval tied 2–2. After the break, Saengkham took the lead in the fifth frame. Trump tried to turn things around but was unsuccessful. In the sixth frame, after a long safety battle, Saengkham prevailed. He then scored a brilliant 120 in the seventh frame, going up 5–2 to reach match point. Trump managed to take the eighth frame by breaking up a complex situation twice, but Saengkham responded with a 78 break to win 6–3 and advance to the last 16.

Afterwards, Trump commented: “It was a tough match. I didn’t play well today and I was very tired, but my opponent played really well. I always say I’m grateful for everyone’s support, and I just wish I could have performed a bit better today, but I felt exhausted. Ever since the Shanghai Masters, I’ve been on a long journey—it’s been hard to decide whether to go home during the breaks or stay in China. This time, I chose to stay, and maybe I was just too tired.”