Judd Trump admitted it was nice to prove critics wrong en route to victory at the Northern Ireland Open.

Trump defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan 9-7 in Sunday’s final at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, bringing to an end a 13-month barren run without a title.

Trump was impressive all week as he ended the challenge of the Rocket and was defiant afterwards in his achievements in the game despite only being 29.

“It’s amazing – it’s a very good win for me – at times it looked like it was slipping away – I didn’t play great in that last session but I just had to dig in and play a game that I don’t normally play.

"I had to wait for my chances instead of forcing mistakes.

“My long potting wasn’t as good as it can be, so my safety had to be a lot better than it has been.

“I know what I’ve achieved at my age – I don’t compare myself to Ronnie or John Higgins, they’re obviously a step above, but compared to other people my age, I’m still above anyone else around.

“It feels nice to go out and prove that again.”

Watch the Northern Ireland Open live on Eurosport and Eurosport Player, with analysis from Ronnie O’Sullivan, Jimmy White and Neal Foulds