First-round exit for Crucible champion Neil Robertson

World number 14 Trump, from Bristol, finished the Australian off with a break of 83, and he will play Martin Gould or Marco Fu in the last 16.

Robertson becomes the first defending champion to lose in the first round since Graeme Dott tumbled out to Ian McCulloch in 2007.

It could be said that the "Crucible curse" has struck again, with another first-time winner having failed to return the following year to reign again. No player has won their first two world titles in consecutive years in Sheffield.

But it is Trump who deserves the credit. Four years after he made his World Championship debut, losing in the first round to Shaun Murphy, he ended his long wait for a return trip by beating David Gilbert in the final preliminary round.

He followed that up by winning the China Open a fortnight ago, beating Murphy, Peter Ebdon and Mark Selby to secure his first major title

Trump claimed he would be under no pressure and would be relaxed, having achieved his ambitions for the season prior to heading to South Yorkshire by winning a title and making his place in the top 16 safe.

And aside from some early jittery form, Trump was true to his word.

He led 5-4 after the morning session, with Robertson clinging to his opponent thanks to a 100 break in the ninth frame.

When they resumed at 7pm, Trump should have led 6-4 but missed a routine pink and allowed Robertson in to pinch the frame. The underdog did lead 6-5 after a 70 break but then once again threw Robertson a lifeline in frame 12, when he led 58-1 but a missed black and a 58 break made it 6-6.

Soon it was 7-6 in Robertson's favour, with a 90 break edging him ahead at the interval. They were back on level terms at 7-7 after 67 from Trump, and he added 75 to inch in front and before long, with Robertson erratic, it became 9-7.

The finishing line was in sight for Trump when he surged 53-0 clear in frame 17 but he ran out of position, Robertson man from Melbourne closed the gap to 16 points after an outrageously fluked red gave him a starter and, when a second chance came along, took it to go 9-8.

Other players might have panicked, but Trump seized on an early opportunity in the next frame and made a rapid-fire break to settle the outcome.

Dave Harold was blitzed 8-1 by Ali Carter in the first session of their first-round clash, the 44-year-old from Stoke finally getting on the scoresheet with a break of 92 in the final frame.

Only one player has fallen victim to a 10-0 first-round "whitewash" at the World Championship - the late Australian Eddie Charlton, who was crushed by John Parrott in 1992.

However, there could be a second today if Murphy converts a 9-0 overnight lead over Scotland's Marcus Campbell into a 10-0 win.

Another match which finishes in today's closing session is the all-Welsh clash between Mark Williams and Ryan Day, which Williams leads 6-3.

Andrew Pagett, from Blackwood in Wales, making his World Championship debut, gave a decent account of himself against Stoke's Jamie Cope.

Pagett, who had never qualified for a major ranking event before, led 4-2 but Cope came back at him to open up a 5-4 lead. Their match concludes this morning.

JOHN SKILBECK