Trump was decisive in his victory over Hawkins, who scored just 59 points in the first five frames – and it didn't help that the 45-year-old was hit in the red when trying to upset the pack while setting the blue in the opening frame.
It was a mistake that Hawkins repeated in the fourth frame, by which time Trump was in complete control of the bout.
Trump, who won the Masters in 2019 and 2023, told BBC 2: “The first frame turned the whole game around. He was a bit unlucky. I didn't see if it was a plant, but he knocked it over a few times.” Ball in.
“You have to be very careful because I don't exaggerate, it turns the game around. If he comes in and takes a break, then settles down and misses an easy ball in the next frame, it's 2-0 or 3-0 the other way.
“The first frame is very important. Whenever I win the first frame I seem to be able to gain momentum. Little things like that can change the game.”
Former world champion John Parrott, who works as a BBC pundit, said: “It was a very dominant display – the display of someone who believes he is number one in the world.
“The other thing is that very little petrol was used. It was a nice 6-1 – you can expect to come here and get a 6-4 or 6-5 and go through the mill a bit, but [there was] None of that at all. This bodes well for the rest of the event.”
