Both semi-finals were played yesterday inTelford and today only two players remain on course for the title and the trophy: John Higgins and Zhao Xintong. Both semi-finals went to a deciding frame.

Heres is how we got to this, as reported by WST:

Afternoon session – John Higgins 6-5 Judd Trump

Higgins Pips Trump In Thriller

Scotland’s John Higgins came out on top 6-5 in a rollercoaster semi-final with world number one Judd Trump to make the 60th ranking event final of his career at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford. 

It was the latest chapter in a pulsating rivalry between the two snooker greats, who have contested two world finals. Although 36-year-old Trump has had the upper hand in recent years, their last meeting was another epic 6-5 semi-final win for Higgins at the Masters last month. Despite those results, it is still Trump who leads the head-to-head 21-15. 

The Glaswegian now becomes the second oldest ranking finalist in snooker history, following Rex Williams who was 53 at the 1986 Grand Prix. He will now go up against either Mark Allen or Zhao Xintong in tomorrow’s title match. They will battle it out over 19 frames for the £150,000 top prize. 

In a match laden with tension, it was four-time World Champion Higgins who made the early running. Breaks of 71, 57 and 76 helped him on his way to a commanding 4-1 advantage. 

The next two frames went the way of Trump, before Higgins claimed the eighth to move one from the final at 5-3. Trump left Higgins needing two snookers, but a foul handed the Scot a free ball and a route back into the frame. That free ball was spurned and Trump made it 5-4. 

Higgins had another opportunity for victory in the tenth, but missed a routine match ball pink to the middle and his English counterpart eventually stole on the black to set up a decider. 

It was Higgins who had the first opportunity in the last, but inadvertently potted a red when going into the pack off the blue and Trump had the balls at his mercy. He missed a red with tricky bridging and rapped the table with disgust. That was to be his last chance with Higgins making 65 and getting himself over the line for another famous win. 

“That was incredible how it transpired at the end. When I missed the pink to win 6-4 I would have had a lot worse things in my mind in previous matches. I just sat out in the arena and concentrated. I wanted to stay positive and stay in the moment. I potted the red when going into the pack and it was the snooker gods punishing me. I can’t believe he then missed and gave me a chance to clear up,” said 33-time ranking event winner Higgins. 

“You just get into that zone in these moments. I was thinking clearly and I couldn’t hear the crowd. I was thinking really well and it was a great moment for me to clear up in that final frame. 

“I always seem to have games like that against Judd. I have to say he was nowhere near his best but his application never waned. He kept on giving it 100 percent and the only anger he showed was at the end. It was such a tough examination playing him. 

“It gives you that little bit of confidence and your mind telling you that you can do it under the utmost pressure. You shouldn’t really be doing it at this age. The pressure should be too much but there are a few of us still up there playing and producing an unbelievable level. I’m drained now. I need to go and relax tonight then get ready for tomorrow.“

Evening session: Zhao Xintong 6-5 Mark Allen

Zhao Overhauls Allen In Decider

World Champion Zhao Xintong was never ahead until the final frame in a pulsating 6-5 semi-final win over Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford. 

Zhao has made a habit of producing showstopping fightbacks of late. He beat Mark Selby 6-5 from 5-2 down on his way to winning the recent World Grand Prix and was also 5-2 behind during a 6-5 defeat of Elliot Slessor in the opening round here. 

Victory sets up the mouth watering prospect of a title match with four-time Crucible king John Higgins, who defeated world number one Judd Trump in a 6-5 thriller this afternoon. They will do battle over the best of 19 frames tomorrow, with a top prize of £150,000 on the line. The most recent meeting between the pair saw Zhao triumph 5-3 en route to glory at the World Grand Prix.

Allen must now turn his attention to next week’s BetVictor Welsh Open in Llandudno. It could be a lucrative week for the Pistol, who leads the Betvictor Home Nations Bonus standings. Whoever tops the list at the conclusion of the Welsh Open pockets a bumper £150,000 payout. 

This evening’s match was the first meeting between Zhao and Allen at a ranking event since the 2017 International Championship, when Allen won 6-4. It had looked to be going the way of the Pistol in the early stages tonight, with breaks of 107 and 55 helping him to a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.

However, 28-year-old Zhao sprung into life when play resumed with a stunning 140 break to pull within a frame at 3-2. Although Allen restored his two frame cushion, contributions of 103 and 58 from Zhao restored parity at 4-4. 

A break of 90 saw Allen move one from victory, before Zhao took the match to a decider and made it 5-5. The Chinese cueman relentlessly continued to go for his shots, but couldn’t find a way to kill the match in a single visit. Eventually Allen left a red over the middle pocket when playing safe and Zhao made a match winning 56 to get into the final.

“I don’t think either Mark or I played at our very best today, but I’m very happy that I managed to get the win,” said four-time ranking event winner Zhao.

“In the deciding frame there were two key attacking pots that I managed to make, which were very important. I actually had quite a few chances, especially in the last two frames when Mark made some costly mistakes that gave me opportunities. My positional play wasn’t smooth and I needed several visits to finally get over the line. I’m still very pleased to have won the match “John is a very nice person. I remember when we used to practise together, he especially liked Zhou Yuelong. He would often ask Zhou to play a few frames, and I would be there as a practice partner watching. But whether it was in the past or now, he has always been one of the very top players. Maybe he’s not at the absolute peak of his career like before, but he is still capable of beating anyone in the world. I’ll need to produce my very best if I want to compete with him — otherwise, he could take the match away from me very easily.”

Those reports are comprehensive enough, there is no need for me to add anything about the action itself. Zhao looks very determined to fully redeem himself. He’s making the most of his return to the main tour. Could he possibly break the “Crucible curse” come May? It’s a big ask but I wouldn’t write it off entirely.

On a totally different topic … I’d like to ask the readers of this blog their opinion about the “referee camera”.

Personally, I don’t feel like it adds anything to the coverage. Actually, at times, when the referee is moving swiftly, I find it unpleasant, it makes me feel slightly queasy, it’s triggering a bit of “motion sickness”.

But that’s me. What are your thoughts?