A few eyebrows were raised in the snooker world when Bristol boy Judd Trump announced he was briefly stepping away from the snooker halls to make his US Open debut on the 9-ball pool tables.With 22 ranking titles to his name, the World Snooker number 2 has traveled to Atlantic City to face-off with the world’s top pool pros.Questions over his ability on the blue cloths were quickly answered in true Trump fashion, as he whitewashed American Joe Magee 9-0 in the opening round.The 32-year old former Snooker world champ looked incredibly comfortable, making a flurry of fantastic shots in a smooth and steadfast display.Among the pick of the pots was his sensational double on the blue ball in the fourth frame.With 128 opponents still in the competition, Judd has a long way to go before becoming a serious challenger to the field.p1ffi24n3aug3bqg1bk0m7jskj.jpgPrevious winners Joshua Filler and Shane Van Boening made light work of their first-round opponents, both winning 9-2.Among the tournament favourites is Jayson Shaw, a fellow Brit. Born in Edinburgh, Shaw has been making a name for himself on the US pool scene over the last five years and was US Open champion in 2017.The Juddernaut has already passed his pre-tournament goal after telling Metro he had zero expectations and would be “happy to win a game.”

Although few believe the Snooker legend is there just to make up the numbers.

Snooker fans will be hoping Trump recaptures some of his best form, after he suffered a shock exit in last month’s British Open.

Losing to lesser-known Elliot Spencer in the last-32, Trump also lost his world number one spot to Mark Selby.

If that delightful double and his whitewash win are anything to go by, it shouldn't be long before he reclaims his spot at the head of the snooker rankings.

Trump's next match is against Indian Dhruvalkumar Patel.