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Judd Trump left screaming at the TV after what happened at World Snooker Championship
Reach Daily Express | April 23, 2026 5:39 PM CST

World No. 1 Judd Trump may have a future in coaching if his desperation to help Stan Moody is anything to go by. That's after he revealed he found himself "screaming at the TV" in response to Moody's hasty performance against Kyren Wilson.

Moody, 19, made his World Snooker Championship debut against 2024 winner Kyren Wilson on Monday. Yet despite taking leads of 3-0 and 7-3 at different stages of the match, the teenager ultimately bowed out in a 10-7 defeat. 'The Action' lost seven consecutive frames to end what could have been a historic bow on a low note instead. And Trump, who advanced to the second round with a 10-5 win over a despairing Gary Wilson, said the match was "there for the taking" if he just showed a little more patience.

"It was nice this year because I think some of the younger talent that has come through has been from China recently, and it was nice that they both got through together, Stan and Liam [Pullen]," he told TNT Sports in praise of this year's newcomers. "I think they are amazing talents, I have not seen as much of Liam as I have of Stan, but he looks like he works extremely hard.

"Obviously Stan, it was there for the taking, just a little bit naive even. I was there screaming at the TV. 'Just relax, slow it down!'

"Because a lot of the time, he would have a pressure shot and he would get quicker, whereas as you get older, you know to take a step back."

Needless to say there's plenty of time for Moody to learn and add that composure to his play. However, the missed opportunity of knocking out a former world champion in your Crucible debut isn't the kind of near miss he'll forget quickly.

The up-and-comer discharged himself from hospital to ensure he made one of his qualifying matches ahead of this year's tournament. And there are many in the sport who feel it's only a matter of time before Moody, a quarter-finalist at both the British Open and Wuhan Open last year, wins a world title.

Nevertheless, Trump made sure to highlight the quality he sees in Moody's game, despite this week's exit in Sheffield. And it appears the youngster has a potential mentor in the second seed should he desire.

"But he is an amazing talent, he will be back here so many times," he added. "But it is hard to watch for me because even though I don't know him very well, you just want to get in his corner and say, 'Look, just slow down a little bit.'"

'The Ace in the Pack' has proved himself as one of the greatest talents of this generation through no small amount of patience around the baize. And Moody may transform into an even more promising prospect if he were to glean some knowledge from the 2019 world champion, who will face either Hossein Vafaei or Si Jiahui in the next round.


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