World Snooker Championship: Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan Reach Semi-Finals
The World Snooker Championship in Sheffield has reached the semi-final stage, with Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan booking their places in the last four. According to a report by The Guardian, Trump charged into the semi-finals with a convincing 13-8 victory over Luca Brecel, while O’Sullivan repelled a stirring fightback from Si Jiahui to win 13-9.
Trump’s victory over Brecel was marked by two centuries, taking his total number of hundred breaks for the season to 104 and equalling, then surpassing, Neil Robertson’s 11-year-old record. However, Trump insisted that he was not focused on the record, saying "I don’t really care about that record. I was just happy to make the breaks at the important times, no matter what they were. It was just about digging in and putting him under pressure," as quoted by The Guardian.
Trump will face Mark Williams in the semi-finals, after the Welshman edged out John Higgins in a thrilling 13-12 victory. The match went to the final black, with Williams taking the deciding frame 74-69. Williams had trailed 5-1 earlier in the match but made a remarkable comeback, with Higgins ultimately missing a blue on the top cushion to hand Williams the win, as reported by The Guardian.
In other news, O’Sullivan had a tougher test against Si Jiahui, but ultimately prevailed 13-9. The seven-time champion was made to battle after Si pulled back to within two frames on multiple occasions, but O’Sullivan held his nerve to secure his 14th appearance in the Crucible’s last four. As The Guardian noted, O’Sullivan will now face Zhao Xintong in the semi-finals, after Zhao secured a 13-5 victory over Chris Wakelin.
Zhao, playing as an amateur after returning from a 20-month ban for his part in a match-fixing scandal, has had a remarkable run to the semi-finals, coming through four rounds of qualifying to reach the final stages at the Crucible. As The Guardian reported, Williams, who has won three world titles, was visibly drained after his match against Higgins but was relieved to have made it through to the semi-finals.
The World Snooker Championship semi-finals are set to be highly competitive, with Trump facing Williams and O’Sullivan meeting Zhao. The Guardian will continue to provide comprehensive coverage of the tournament.
Williams, who had trailed 5-1 earlier in the match, made the most of some unforced errors from Higgins to edge in front and then extend his lead to 10-8. A couple of half-century breaks from the Welshman, who claimed the last of his three world titles in 2018, meant he was seemingly closing in on victory at 12-8 heading into the interval. However, Higgins clawed a frame back before firing in 94 to move within two, as reported by The Guardian.
The veteran duo, who have won seven world titles between them, were locked at 8-8 at the end of their second session before Williams put himself on the verge by taking all four frames on Wednesday’s resumption. However, Higgins, four times the champion, dug in after the mid-session interval with breaks of 94, 114 and 67 to force a decider.
O’Sullivan, playing his first tournament since he dumped his cue in a bin after crashing out of the Championship League in January, had impressed in patches in his wins over Ali Carter and Pang Junxu, and Si did not appear to be the man to test his limits. However, after starting the final session four frames adrift at 10-6, Si’s fluency showed signs of returning, and with O’Sullivan’s game becoming increasingly scattered with errors, the underdog won three from four to reach the interval just two behind at 11-9.
