Hossein Vafaei beat world number one Judd Trump 4-2 on moving day at the Welsh Open at the Celtic Manor Resort.
The 2019 world champion Trump had led 2-1 following runs of 51 and 53, but again struggled for fluency and fell to a shock defeat to Vafaei, will now face Mark Williams - scorer of 224 points without reply against Joe Perry earlier on Thursday - in round four
The Bristolian had spoken of his frustrations at a “slow and sluggish” table after his second-round 4-2 win against Si Jiahui, and the match was settled by a safety exchange at the end of the sixth frame. The Iranian cueist carved out a 60 to put him in a commanding position, leaving Trump with reds on the table but needing two snookers to send the match to a decider.
However, having secured one of the required two, a loose safety allowed Vafaei in to seal the match and condemn Trump to a first defeat in a best-of-seven match since 2019.
- ‘That’s how you level a match!’ – Murphy makes 133 total clearance
- 'I'd love a wee day out' – Maguire misses pints more than pots
- 'Slow and sluggish' - Trump admits to struggling with pace of table
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