Judd Trump says UK Championship final opponent Mark Selby will 'have to drag me off the table' - 'I need to take home that trophy'

Judd Trump secured a 6-3 win over Neil Robertson at the Barbican in York on Saturday afternoon to book his place in the final of the UK Championship. The world No. 1 is yet to win a title in 2025, and is determined to put that right by defending his crown when he faces Mark Selby. Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the UK Championship, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Judd Trump told TNT Sports that Mark Selby, his opponent in the UK Championship final, will "have to drag me off the table" as he looks to end his trophy drought.

Trump has not won a title in 2025, and the last time he went through a calendar year without a trophy was in 2013. 

The 2025 UK Championship is Trump’s final tournament of the year - as he has elected to miss the Shoot-Out and Scottish Open.

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With that in mind, the determination to defend the title he won last year is high - and he booked his place in the final with a 6-3 win over Neil Robertson.

Trump has not hit top form in York this week, but is hopeful he can up his level if pushed.

"It was a tough game," Trump told TNT Sports. "I did not feel brilliant. 

‘Not absolute vintage' - Trump happy to beat Robertson and UK final

Video credit: TNT Sports

"The table was slightly heavier than the rest of the week, so it felt a bit more hard work.

"I did what I needed to do. I would love to play better than that but at the moment I’ve not needed to.

"It’s difficult, because if someone really pushes you, then you find in yourself if you have that next gear. At the moment, I’ve not needed to get to that next gear.

"I think it is in there, as I believe in myself."

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Trump has come up short in the finals of the Players Championship, Northern Ireland Open and Champion of Champions in 2025 - and he feels that demonstrates he is on the right track.

"I am delighted to be in another final," Trump said. "It has not been vintage, but I have found that determination and belief in myself that I had for the past five or six seasons again.

"Even though I have not won, there have been a lot of finals in there, so it has not been that bad."

Trump will face Selby in the final after he beat Shaun Murphy 6-3 in the semis.

Speaking about the final before knowing his opponent, Trump said: "I need to take home that trophy any way possible. 

"I don’t care what happens, you are going to have to drag me off the table in the final. I need to get this one."

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Video credit: TNT Sports

Trump now more than an entertainer

Trump emerged on the scene as a teenager in the mid 2000s with a swashbuckling style of play, but he has refined his game and Reanne Evans described him as a winner who now takes substance over style.

"That’s where he’s changed over the last five or six years; he is not there to just entertain, he is there to become a winner," 12-time women’s world champion Evans said in the TNT Sports studio. "He has changed his game dramatically since he first came on the scene. 

"Before, he just wanted to be an exhibitionist, pot every ball on the table and hit it as hard as he could. But he now shows his finesse and fighting spirit, and that is what is getting him into all these finals."

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Video credit: TNT Sports

Jimmy White feels Trump’s all-round game will keep him competitive in any match.

"I thought it was a solid performance from Judd," White said in the TNT Sports studio "What he needed to do, he did at the right time. 

"I think Trump is all about confidence. He has not played great, but he is in the final. 

"He did enough and when he needed to pot the important balls, he did. 

"I think his game is in there, but I don’t think he is firing on all cylinders yet. But he does not care about that as he is in the final.

"He is all about getting to the winning line and I thought he was very solid."

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Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the UK Championship, live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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