Judd Trump was furious at his Champion of Champions defeat to rival Neil Robertson and claimed the Australian did not deserve to win. The Ace was frustrated by what he perceived as Robertson slowing down their match at Bolton.

The two former world champions met in the group final but an unusually slow affair ensued. There have been long periods between two players who generally accumulate high scores.

Robertson took a 3-1 lead and managed to fight through a tough match, eventually winning it 6-4. But Trump was furious and insisted he was unfortunate to be eliminated from the tournament.

He told ITV: “I thought I was very unlucky. To be honest, I think Neil knows he doesn’t deserve to win like that, but it happens. He had a good spell to go 3-1 up, then after that he had quite a few chances, missed quite a few long balls and got to safety every time. It’s just one of those days.

“It was a difficult match, very slow,” he said. “I love Neil but there was a lot of slow play and he’s a much better player when he gets going.

“I hope he continues for the rest of the tournament, it would be good to see him win again, he’s a great player. It’s just that it got a bit bogged down there.

Robertson, who made a superb shot with a blue, advanced to the semi-final. He will face three-time world champion Mark Williams for a place in the Champion of Champions showdown.

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The 42-year-old doesn’t entirely agree that Trump deserves to win. He insists that he was able to match his opponent and that he kept his “discipline” to see the match through.

Robertson said: “Incredible game, Judd showed all his qualities there. The great champion he has been over the last 18 months, well his entire career in fact. His safety play, his discipline, everything was incredible. I matched him, I stayed with him, I kept my discipline too.

“That bruise is definitely one of the most impactful shots of my career, in terms of the pressure and everything that was at stake.”

Meanwhile, Ronnie O’Sullivan is in action later today. The Rocket, who has returned to the UK after a stay in Asia, will face Xiao Guodong this afternoon.