JUDD TRUMP is at risk of elimination from the Betfred World Championship after falling 6-3 behind against Liang Wenbo in the opening session at the Crucible.
The former finalist, the second favourite for this year's title in Sheffield, watched as his Chinese opponent secured two centuries - 117 and 107 - while he struggled. Trump secured the following two frames with a 58 and an 86 - before Liang responded by winning four of the next five, and demonstrated fine composure by winning three of those on colours as Trump remained competitive.
Should Liang progress beyond the first round on Thursday, it will represent the first time he has done so since 2008, when on his first appearance he reached the quarter-finals.
Mark Allen earlier eased into the second round with a convincing 10-3 defeat of Crucible debutant Mitchell Mann, finishing off a match that began on Tuesday: "Mitchell put me under pressure early on in the match and, in the first four frames, I could have been 3-1 down," Allen said.
"But I played well after the interval and he sort of went a bit. That's to be expected because the Crucible can do funny things to first-timers and I was able to capitalise."
The 2013 runner-up Barry Hawkins will next tackle Ronnie O'Sullivan - his conqueror in that final three years ago - after a first-round 10-5 victory over China's Zhang Anda. By his own admission, Hawkins made an underwhelming start, before gradually improving and eliminating Anda with a tournament-high break of 141.
The world number 11 said: "I was awful at times, I was so lucky to be 6-3 up.
"I could easily have been 6-3 down with the way I was playing. I've got to play quite special in the next round. If I can put Ronnie under a little bit of pressure, hopefully I can give him a game. If not, he will bash me up with a session to spare."
