World Snooker Championship: Trump eases past Maguire to reach semis

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Judd Trump taunted Stephen Maguire after booking his place in the World Championship semi-finals with a 13-6 win that avenged his rival's "lucky" jibes.

Trump had taken offense at Maguire's pre-match claim that he was often fortunate to win many of his matches.

The 29-year-old didn't miss the chance to take a swipe back at Maguire after beating him in the last eight on Thursday.

"I got a lot of luck out there – I think that was the only reason I did win!" he said sarcastically.

"I think it's obvious that people take it differently. Some people applaud their opponent and some people brush it off like it wasn't their fault – so maybe that's just his way of looking at it."

Trump, who is targeting a place in his first world final since 2011, had built on his stunning opening session by winning the first two frames on Wednesday and establishing a 9-1 lead.

Maguire managed to claw his way back to respectability by taking four of the next five frames including a break of 110, but Trump was in no mood to hang around and swiftly responded with breaks of 68 and 82 to send him over the line with something to spare.

Shrugging off the fact that his win made him the new odds-on favorite for the title, Trump added: "It's always good to beat anybody that comfortably but there is a long battle ahead."

Trump's semi-final opponent is qualifier Gary Wilson, who enjoyed a 13-9 win over former two-time finalist Ali Carter.

Four-time winner John Higgins reached his 10th semi-final by battling past 2010 winner Neil Robertson. Higgins will face16th seed David Gilbert, who reached semis in Sheffield for the first time.

Semi-finals:

John Higgins vs David Gilbert

Judd Trump vs Gary Wilson

Source(s): AFP