Yesterday in Telford saw John Higgins and Judd Trump book their spots in the semi-finals of the 2026 Players Championship.
Higgins who hadn’t qualified for the event is making the most of the opportunity he’s been offered because of Ronnie’s withdrawal. That said the outcome could have been quite different. Indeed, as you will read below, Chris could have gone 3-2 up after the MSI … he missed the frame ball brown three times in frame 5. I think that frame outcome, and the way it happened, had a huge impact on the “psychology” of the second part of the match.
The evening match was quality. Judd Trump played exceptionally well even by his “normal” high standard. As often, with the match won, Judd embarked in an impressive series of exhibition shots … until cheeky Willo smothered the fun – and the white ball – in hilarious fashion. All in good spirit. The fans duly appreciated! 😊
ohn Higgins defeated Chris Wakelin 6-3 to clinch the first semi-final spot at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford.
Victory sees 50-year-old Higgins progress to the semis of a ranking event for the 91st time in his career. He now faces either Judd Trump or Mark Williams in a blockbuster last four clash, aiming to recapture the title he first won back in 2021.
Higgins won the 33rd ranking event title of his career at last season’s Sportsbet.io Tour Championship, beating Mark Selby in the final. However, he has work to do if he wants to be in Manchester this year. Only the top 12 performers of the campaign earn a place and today’s win leaves Higgins provisionally placed in 13th position on the Sportsbet.io One Year List. After this week, just the BetVictor Welsh Open and the World Open will remain before the cutoff.
Defeat for BetVictor Scottish Open winner Wakelin means he falls further behind Higgins in the head-to-head standings. He now trails 6-1 in meetings between the pair.
A drawn out opening frame came down to the colours this afternoon, with Higgins eventually clearing from brown to black to steal by a single point. A break of 83 from Wakelin restored parity, before the next two frames were shared and they went into the interval level at 2-2.
Wakelin missed three frame ball browns, including a double attempt, when they returned. Higgins punished to steal on the black and move 3-2 ahead. The sixth went the way of Wakelin, but Higgins replied with breaks of 53 and 108 on his way to three on the bounce and a 6-3 win.
“I’m absolutely delighted. Before the mid-session we were missing a few and it was catching. After the interval I thought there was a better standard,” said four-time World Champion Higgins.
“It was a tough game. I’ve got the utmost respect for Chris and how he has improved in the game. His all-round play and his safety play was a lot better than mine today. I think he is going to do that as he has such great knowledge of the snooker table.
“I’ve really enjoyed doing both studio and punditry this week. It was great being in commentary with David Hendon. He is a total professional and showed me the ropes. I really enjoyed it. I’d probably say I enjoyed the commentary the most. I don’t go on social media so I don’t know if I was getting ripped apart!“
World number one Judd Trump prevailed 6-3 in a pulsating contest with Mark Williams to set up a semi-final showdown with John Higgins at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford.
This was the 24th meeting in a rivalry that has produced some of snooker’s finest contests in recent years. They’ve both beaten each other in recent Crucible semi-finals, Trump triumphing 17-16 in 2022 and Williams winning 17-14 last year. Another recent highlight saw Trump win an epic 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters final 10-9 on the final ball. After this evening, the Ace in the Pack now leads their head-to-head 16-8.
Tonight’s encounter lived up to those matches in terms of standard, if not in terms of nail biting tension. Williams produced a remarkable 97% pot success rate, missing just three balls all match, yet still fell to a relatively comfortable defeat.
Trump now progresses to face another sporting nemesis, Scotland’s John Higgins, in the semi-finals. It comes off the back of a thrilling recent 6-5 win for Higgins in the last four at the Masters at Alexandra Palace.
31-time ranking event winner Trump is hoping to add a second piece of silverware to his cabinet for the year. Having gone the entirety of 2025 without a tournament win, that drought was ended early on this year with victory at the recent German Masters.
Three-time World Champion Williams opened this evening’s match with a spectacular 141 total clearance. However, it was Trump who surged to three on the bounce, including runs of 52 and 75, to lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval.
When play resumed it was soon 4-1, before breaks of 53 and 105 from Williams pulled him back within a frame at 4-3. His comeback was stamped out quickly, after 2019 World Champion Trump hammered home contributions of 70 and 123 to get over the line.
“When I was in the game I kind of knew how well I was playing. My safety was good and my break offs were very good. I was putting him in a lot of trouble from the start of the frame. That was a pattern of the whole game. I was able to dictate the safety a bit better,” said 36-year-old Trump.
“I think it is the same with him, John and Ronnie. They are class players, I know I have to play well against them and that makes for a good match. I am somewhere near the peak of my career. Those guys are maybe a tiny bit past it in their own eyes, not in my eyes. Their standard is still unbelievable.
“I was in control of the whole game against John at the Masters and let it slip at the end. I was a little bit disappointed, especially at the good chance I had to get over the line. It wasn’t my greatest performance, but I can take a lot of positives.“
Williams said: “That is as good as I’ve ever seen anyone play against me. Up there with O’Sullivan, Higgins, all of them. I played alright there. No part of my game was poor and I lost 6-3. It shows how good he is.
“I’ve never had anyone in so much trouble in my life. Then two or three shots later he had me in trouble. If he plays like that he can’t be beat. What can I say? What a player.“
Ronnie O'Sullivan 