Judd Trump beat Zhoa Xintong by 6-2 yesterday and booked his place in the 2025 Champion of Champions in the process. Here is the report shared by WST:
Trump Hits Zhao For Six To Reach Final
Judd Trump reeled off six frames in a row to beat Zhao Xintong 6-2 and reach the final of the Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions for the sixth time.
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The battle between the world number one and World Champion in Leicester was dominated by Trump as he recovered from a slow start to set up a final clash on Sunday against Mark Selby or Neil Robertson. Trump has won just one of his previous five finals in this event, lifting the trophy in 2021, and the 36-year-old has the chance to double that tally.
He will also be aiming to win his first title in 11 months, since last year’s Victorian Plumbing UK Championship. Trump was runner-up at the Northern Ireland Open three weeks ago, losing 9-8 to Jack Lisowski, and now has another opportunity to end his barren streak.
China’s Zhao took the first two frames tonight with breaks of 50 and 72 but Trump won the next five with top runs of 68, 73, 77 and 66 for 5-2. In frame eight, the Englishman was in first and made 38 before missing a red to centre, but Zhao’s counter ended on 30 when he failed to convert a tricky red to a top corner. That ended his hopes as Trump sealed the result with a break of 63.
He said: “From 2-0 I felt I controlled the game. I scored heavily and didn’t miss much. I am happy to be in the final because I am still not 100%, I’m probably more like 10%. I have changed my tip from brass to titanium this season and I am really struggling. I don’t feel comfortable or fluent, I really have to take care over every shot. When I play my best I know I will win nine times out of ten, but over the last few years I have learned how to win more often when I am not at my best.“
Zhao looked tired, which is not really surprising as he only very recently returned from China and probably his body isn’t fully back on “UK time” just yet. In such circumstances, as long as you keep yourself busy you’re more or less ok, but when you stop, and sit down, that’s when fatigue really hits you! Not taking anything away from Judd who played very well once he got going.
Yesterday was the last day of the “group phase” at the 2025 Champion of Champions and it was Neil Robertson who booked the last spot in the semi-finals.
ROBERTSON POWERS INTO SEMI-FINALS AS HE CHASES THIRD TITLE | 2025 SPORTSBET.IO CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS
Neil Robertson produced another display of trademark heavy scoring and composure on day four of the 2025 Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions, defeating Tom Ford and four-time world champion John Higgins to seal the final semi-final place — and move one step closer to lifting the trophy for a third time.
Robertson commented: “I felt really good out there today. It was a tough one for John because I thought he played well, but a couple of tight misses cost him at important times. We both made errors, as you do in a match of that intensity, but overall it was a really high-quality battle. This event always seems to bring the best out of me, so I’m delighted to be back in another semi-final and fighting for the title again. I’m looking forward to facing Mark (Selby) — we get on great off the table, but once we shake hands on Saturday, it’s game on.”
Robertson started the day in clinical fashion, racing into a 3–0 lead against Tom Ford. Though Ford responded with a break of 97 to get on the board, Robertson wasted no time in closing out the match 4–1 to book his place in the group final.
Robertson then took on John Higgins, who had endured a far tougher path to the group final. The Scotsman was pushed to the limit by last year’s finalist Xiao Guodong, eventually scraping through 4–3 to set up the blockbuster clash between two former Champion of Champions winners.
Robertson struck first before Higgins levelled, but the Australian regained control with a superb century of 127. Higgins again responded immediately, refusing to let the match slip away. Robertson, however, found another gear — compiling a 115 to lead 3–2, then extending that advantage to 4–2 with more assured scoring.
A missed red from Robertson allowed Higgins to pinch the seventh frame, only for the Scotsman to return the favour with an error of his own, gifting the Australian a 5–3 cushion. Higgins, showing trademark resilience, produced a stunning 124 after a tense safety exchange to reduce the deficit once more, but another slip in the next frame proved costly. Robertson stepped in decisively to close out a 6–4 victory and advance to his seventh Champion of Champions semi-final.
With all four semi-finalists confirmed, the stage is now set for a thrilling final three days in Leicester. World No.1 Judd Trump will face World Champion Zhao Xintong, while Mark Selby awaits Robertson for what promises to be a blockbuster clash.
I don’t have much to add regarding the matches played yesterday.
Tom Ford is not a “pressure player” by any means and Neil Robertson was not only too strong for him, he is also someone who looks confident and acts very assertively during matches. Neil can be very intimidating.
Xiao Guodong had his chances, he could have beaten John Higgins. He won the Wuhan Open last August but has done very little since. I’m not sure why. It may be that after that win he relaxed too much and hasn’t put the work in for a while or it may be that being a ranking event winner so early in the season has brought more expectations1 and he struggles to cope with them …
Expectations he puts on himself or pressure generated by other people expectations, or both. I don’t know. ↩︎
SELBY FIGHTS BACK TO REACH SEMI-FINAL AS WILLIAMS’ TITLE DEFENCE ENDS | 2025 SPORTSBET.IO CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS
Mark Selby rose to the occasion in front of a home crowd on day three of the 2025 Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions, battling past defending champion Mark Williams in a tense group final to book his place in the semi-finals.
“It was a mad match, really,” said Selby. “I felt good early on and managed to get in front, but Mark dug deep like he always does. Towards the end I probably overthought a few shots and started to feel a bit frazzled, but I just tried to stay strong and keep fighting. To get over the line here in front of the home crowd means a lot.”
Selby began his day in dominant fashion, cruising past Championship League Snooker winner Stephen Maguire with a flawless 4–0 whitewash to reach the group final. There, he met Mark Williams — who had also looked sharp in his opener, dispatching Alfie Burden by the same 4–0 scoreline to set up a mouthwatering clash between two former world champions.
Williams took control early, edging into a 2–0 lead before Selby responded in trademark style. The Jester from Leicester reeled off four consecutive frames with composed runs of 81, 136, 70 and 70 to turn the match on its head and lead 4–2. But the Welshman refused to go quietly, showing his trademark grit to win three frames on the bounce and move one away from victory at 5–4.
Refusing to surrender, Selby pounced on a missed green from Williams to force a decider with a superb break of 95. In the final frame, a further error from the defending champion left the door open, and Selby kept his composure to seal a dramatic 6–5 win — ending Williams’ hopes of back-to-back titles and booking his own place in the semi-finals.
Selby will now face the winner of tomorrow’s Group, which sees Neil Robertson take on Tom Ford in the opening match, followed by John Higgins against Xiao Guodong.
It was a mad match indeed … here are the scores:
It was indeed incredibly hard fought and here is an indicator of how very hard it was. The Group 2 final went to a decider, just as the Group 3 final did. The Group 2 final was decided on the final black, a dramatic end, and yet it finished just past 11pm local time. Yesterday, the Group 3 final didn’t provide that kind of drama, the last frame was a low scoring one and yet it ended half an hour past midnight … which means that the match duration was about 90 minutes, 1 1/2 hour, longer than the previous group final despite finishing on the same score! I didn’t stay to watch it, it was 2:30 morning time at my place when the last ball was potted. I wonder how many at the venue stayed to the end. People who came by public transport may have been forced to leave before the end in order to catch the last bus, tram or trolley…
On Monday, Shaun Murphy complained about the “despicable” treatment he received from Matchroom. Mind you he had to play first only four days after a long trip back from China, where he had reached the QFs in Nanjing. Yesterday, Zhao Xintong who won the 2025 International Championship in Nanjing on Sunday, arrived from China, around 7:30 in the morning , traveled to Leicester and won his group … 😇 … nuffink said…
World Champion Zhao Xintong won a dramatic deciding frame on the final black to beat Kyren Wilson 6-5 and reach the semi-finals of the Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions in Leicester.
Zhao, who beat Mark Allen 4-0 earlier in the day, said: “I just tried my best out there and I’m really happy with how I played today. I missed a few shots and Kyren took full advantage to go 5–3 ahead. I didn’t want to let him win too easily — I wanted to make it a real battle. I just kept fighting, stayed focused, and managed to come back. I was a bit lucky in the last two frames, especially with the final black, but sometimes you need that. I’m just happy to make it through to my first Champion of Champions semi-final.”
Tuesday’s action began with a tremendous battle between Wilson and recently crowned Northern Ireland Open champion Jack Lisowski. Runs of 88, 115 and 60 put Wilson 3-0 up before Lisowski recovered to 3-3 with a top break of 115, only for Wilson to take the decider with a 122. China’s Zhao began his quest to win this event for the first time by white-washing Allen with breaks of 68, 88, 119 and 76.
In the group final, Zhao took a 3-1 advantage with breaks of 73, 99 and 78, then Wilson hit back with 104, 62, 120 and 88 to lead 5-3. Zhao recovered with 136 and 64 for 5-5 and had first chance in the decider, making 58. Wilson replied with 54 to take it to the last black, but his attempted pot from distance to a top corner rattled in the jaws, went twice across the table and finished in the mouth of the same pocket. Zhao tapped it in to set up a semi-final with Judd Trump on Friday night.
On Wednesday, defending champion Mark Williams opens against World Seniors Champion Alfie Burden, while Leicester’s own Mark Selby takes on Scotland’s Stephen Maguire.
That Zhao v Wilson final yesterday was quality. The event may not be ranking but every player involved badly wants to win!
JUDD TRUMP STORMS INTO SEMI-FINAL AFTER DAY ONE DOMINANCE | 2025 SPORTSBET.IO CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS
World No.1 Judd Trump triumphed on day one, defeating China’s Bai Yulu and Lei Peifan to secure his place in a seventh Champion of Champions semi-final, taking another step towards lifting the title for a second time.
Reflecting on his success on day one, Trump said: “It’s always a great feeling to get off to a strong start in this event. Every player in the field is capable of beating anyone, so you have to be sharp from the very first frame. I felt good out there today, found my rhythm early, and hopefully I can carry that form through the rest of the week. I just tried to play my best, and I feel like I did that today.”
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Despite dropping the opening frame against Women’s World Champion Bai Yulu, the World No.1 soon found his stride, producing a convincing 4–1 win to progress to the group final. There he faced Lei Peifan, who impressed on debut with a 4–1 victory over Masters champion Shaun Murphy in the opening match.
The pair met for the second time this season, having last faced off at this year’s Tour Championship. Trump took control early by claiming the opening frame, though Lei capitalised on an error from the Brit to level the scores. From there, the World No.1 shifted through the gears, displaying the class and composure that have defined his reign at the top of the sport, reeling off four consecutive frames to move 5–1 ahead.
Lei showed fight to pull one back, but Trump swiftly extinguished any hopes of a comeback in the following and final frame to seal a 6–2 victory and book his place in the semi-finals, where he will face the winner of day two.
The Trump v Lei match wasn’t as one-sided as the score may suggest. It was actually Lei who made the two highest breaks of the match, including the only century of the encounter. Trump highest break was only 60 (twice).
There are no details in this report about the 4-1 win by Lei Peifan over Shaun Murphy, a match and a result that left Shaun particularly aggrieved… as reported in this piece by Alex Livie:
‘Made an embarrassment of me’ – Shaun Murphy hits out at ‘despicable’ treatment by Champion of Champions organisers after early exit to Lei Peifan
Shaun Murphy crashed out of the Champion of Champions at the first hurdle, losing 4-1 to Lei Peifan, and he took a swipe at event organisers for placing him in the first match in Leicester on the back of his return from an event in China. Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
Shaun Murphy launched a withering attack on Champion of Champions event organisers following his defeat to Lei Peifan on Monday afternoon.
Murphy has been one of the form players of the season, with a title to his name at the British Open, but he looked well off the pace in a 4-1 defeat in Leicester.
The loss came on the back of his run to the quarter-finals of the International Championship in China last week, and Murphy took issue with Matchroom Sport for putting him on first on Monday.
“I have to say that I pride myself on conducting myself as professionally as I possibly can, and treat the game with an incredible amount of respect, and I think the way I’ve been treated by Matchroom in this tournament is nothing short of despicable,” Murphy told ITV Sport.
“In a tournament where they hand-pick the draw and hand-pick the groups, to find out that I was playing today – halfway through a 36-hour marathon journey home from China – just 48 hours ago…“
Mark Allen, Alfie Burden and defending champion Mark Williams did not play in China, and Murphy felt there was scope to have that trio plus a player who departed early last week to be on first.
“There were three other players in this tournament who were not even in China last week,” Murphy said. “For me to be thrown out first is nothing short of despicable.
“I think they have covered themselves in a huge embarrassment by treating me with such disrespect.”
Asked if he was given input on the scheduling, Murphy replied: “None whatsoever. In fact, I only found out today at breakfast that I was playing first at 1pm, so poor has been the communication.
“I am shocked. I have been used to Matchroom being a well-run organisation.
“The way they have treated me in this event with the format is extremely unprofessional.
“My beef is not with anyone else. My beef is that Mark Williams, Mark Allen and Alfie Burden were not even in China.
“Matchroom hand-pick this event. They had no need to pick the draws and make the format the way they did. They could have put those three in the same group with somebody else who was not in China as long as the rest of us. And they could have played today, and should have been playing today.
“It has made a total mockery of the event and an embarrassment of me.“
Matchroom were contacted for a response to Murphy’s interview and defended the process, while saying feedback would be used to improve the format.
The statement read: “We spoke with Shaun after his match and completely understand his frustrations.
“Our priorities are the players and we take pride in the fact they consider this event prestigious and want to prepare for it.
“For transparency and fairness, the groups are based on seeding. Scheduling is always a challenge every year and we take on board the points and will always strive to improve for next year and the future.”
Poor Schaun! For the record, Judd was also in Nanjing and lost in the International Championship only the day before Shaun lost. So, yes, he had one day more to “rest”, five rather than four… Does it really make such a huge difference? I’m not sure… 1
The problem for Matchroom is that they can’t wait until the last minute to publish the schedule, who plays who and when, because this is an event with spectators and most people will want to know who they will be watching before purchasing their tickets.
As for the matches … maybe I wasn’t in the mood but none of the players impressed me yesterday.
I have done my fair share of traveling across distant time zones. Jet lag is no fun but the secret to get over it as fast as possible is to get up and go to bed at your usual time in the new time zone, no matter how difficult the first day can be. ↩︎
The 2025 Champion of Champions starts today, without Ronnie who declined the invitation. As a result, Alfie Burden is in the draw, which is only right as Alfie is the reigning World Seniors Champion whilst Ronnie has not won any event since the last edition of this competition. Wu Yize, of course, just won the 2025 International Championship, but that event will count for next season. A very last minute change of the draw and schedule would have been unmanageable.
SCHEDULE CONFIRMED FOR THE 2025 SPORTSBET.IO CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS, 10–16 NOVEMBER
The schedule is now confirmed for the 2025 Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions, where snooker’s biggest stars will battle it out at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena for the first time in the event’s history.
Taking place from 10th to 16th November, the event will be broadcast live from 12:45 pm (UK time) on Monday, with coverage on ITV4 in the UK, Rigour in China, and through global broadcast partners, bringing the action to fans across the world.
Match Schedule Group Stages (Best-of-Seven)
Monday 10th November – Group Two Judd Trump (England) Shaun Murphy (England) Lei Peifan (China) Bai Yulu (China)
The 2025 Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions opens with Group Two, headlined by World No. 1 Judd Trump, who faces Masters Champion Shaun Murphy and Chinese stars Lei Peifan and Bai Yulu – the reigning Women’s World Champion making her second appearance in the tournament.
Tuesday 11th November – Group Three Kyren Wilson (England) Mark Allen (Northern Ireland) Zhao Xintong (China) Jack Lisowski (England)
Group Three features a star-studded line-up including World Champion Zhao Xintong, Kyren Wilson, Mark Allen, and Jack Lisowski. This group promises fast-paced and entertaining snooker from start to finish.
Wednesday 12th November – Group One Mark Williams (Wales) Mark Selby (England) Stephen Maguire (Scotland) Alfie Burden (England)
Group One sees Mark Williams begin his title defence campaign, joined by Leicester’s own Mark Selby, Stephen Maguire, and World Seniors Champion Alfie Burden. With three former World Champions in the mix, expect a fiercely contested day of classic match-ups.
Thursday 13th November – Group Four Neil Robertson (Australia) John Higgins (Scotland) Xiao Guodong (China) Tom Ford (England)
Concluding the group stages, Group Four brings together two former Champion of Champions winners in Neil Robertson and John Higgins, alongside Xiao Guodong and local favourite Tom Ford.many of them probably have day jobs.
Next week comes the 2025 Riyadh Season Championship, this time with Ronnie in the draw, but it’s not a particularly favorable draw…
Ronnie O’Sullivan handed nightmare draw in quest to hit £1m golden jackpot in Riyadh with Zhao Xintong and Judd Trump chasing snooker’s richest prize
By Desmond Kane
The winner of the third Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in Saudi Arabia could earn a whopping £1m for three days work if they claim the title and produce the sport’s first 167 break. The richest prize in the sport is available with the champion earning £250,000 and a further $1m (£751,000) on the line for the first player to sink a Golden Ball after making a 147 maximum break.
Ronnie O’Sullivan will have to do it the hard way if he is to claim a second title in three seasons at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in Saudi Arabia next month.
The seven-time world champion won the inaugural staging of the event last year, but has been handed a potential minefield when the invitational event is staged between November 19-21 at Boulevard City, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
O’Sullivan will open his campaign on the first day of the competition against Masters champion Shaun Murphy or local player Ziyad Al–Qabbani, with the winner of that contest facing world champion Zhao Xintong the following night in the quarter-finals.
It does not get easier for the snooker GOAT, with world No. 1 Judd Trump or new Xi’an Grand Prix winner Mark Williams next up in the semi-finals on the final day.
The event, made up of the top nine players in the world and the Crucible winner Zhao, has become famous for offering a $1m prize (£751,000) if any player can produce the first 167 in snooker history – a traditional 147 followed by potting a ‘golden ball’ worth 20 points after sinking the final black.
The golden ball has been perched in the middle of the baulk cushion for the first two editions of the event, but there has been speculation it might be moved to a more favourable location this year.
The golden ball is traditionally removed from the table by the referee when a 147 is no longer possible in a frame.
“The first one is going to be special,” said O’Sullivan, who is based in Dubai and has a snooker academy in Riyadh.
“You can’t take anything away from someone who does it down the line, but that first one is always going to be remembered.
“It will be some history and create some serious headlines.
“Big prize. $1m. No one’s ever won a prize like that in snooker ever before.”
Four-time world champion John Higgins was on course for the 167 in the maiden staging of the event, but ran out of position on 120 in trying to land on the yellow off a tricky black before missing the yellow.
“Our dream is to see the gold ball potted at the end of a maximum break to complete the world’s first ever 167!” said Naif Al-Jaweini, the general manager of Riyadh Season Snooker.
“I am sure every player in the field shares this dream as this achievement would help bring our sport to a new level on a global scale.”
On paper at least, the top half of the draw looks slightly more favourable in the chase for the lucrative £250,000 first prize.
Defending champion Mark Allen is in line to take on Higgins or Ding Junhui – who opens against home hope Ayman Alamri on Wednesday, November 19 – in the last eight as world No. 2 Kyren Wilson meets Neil Robertson, who returns to the country after his £500,000 victory at the Saudi Arabia Masters in August.
All matches are the best of seven frames with the best-of-nine frame final due to take place on Friday, November 21 at 19:00 UK time.
O’Sullivan defeated Luca Brecel 5-2 in the first final in March 2024, with Allen running out a 5-1 winner over Brecel before Christmas last year.
You will find the draw and schedule for this event here on snooker.org.
The way Ronnie’s matches are scheduled fans in the UK and western mainland Europe will have to stay up very late to watch them live, but, of course, those hours are the ones most suitable for the Saudi Arabian fans, as many of them have day jobs
China’s Wu Yize blitzed to a 10-6 victory over Scotland’s four-time World Champion John Higgins to capture his maiden ranking title by winning the International Championship in Nanjing.
The supremely talented 22-year-old’s potential has been clear for many years. He became World Under-21 Champion back in 2018, aged just 14. Four years later, in 2022, he was named Rookie of the Year after his debut season on tour.
However, this has been Wu’s coming of age week. Having also beaten the likes of compatriots Zhang Anda and World Champion Zhao Xintong, it was against two of England’s finest where he displayed his blistering best.
From 4-0 down in his last 16 tie with world number one Judd Trump, Wu strung together 12 consecutive frames to win 6-4 and then whitewash Barry Hawkins 6-0. Each of those frames contained a break over 60. The question was could he carry that form into his final with experienced 50-year-old Higgins?
Today’s clash was the fourth biggest ever age gap in a ranking final, the biggest was 30 years between Ding Junhui and Steve Davis in the 2005 UK Championship final.
Wu’s previous two final appearances ended in defeat. He lost 9-7 to Neil Robertson in the 2024 English Open final and a few months later was beaten 9-5 by Lei Peifan in the 2024 Scottish Open final.
This win makes Wu the ninth ranking event winner from mainland China and he pockets a £175,000 top prize. That catapults Wu from 22nd to 13th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. He now qualifies automatically for the UK Championship, at Chris Wakelin’s expense.
It’s a disappointing end to a very strong week for 33-time ranking event winner Higgins. He will have to settle for the £75,000 runner-up cheque in his 59th ranking final. His run included a 9-2 win over close friend Stephen Maguire in the semis and a 6-2 defeat of Shaun Murphy in the quarters.
The afternoon session saw Wu dominate large chunks of the play, but Higgins showed his grit and experience to claim the last two frames leave the match in the balance at 5-4 to Wu.
When play got underway this evening, Wu immediately regained the initiative with a break of 87 to go two ahead.
A dramatic 11th frame proved to be a crucial juncture in the match. Higgins had the frame under control when he missed a tricky brown to the left hand baulk corner. After a brief exchange, Wu took on a double which led to a tremendous clearance of 43 to steal on the black and move 7-4 ahead.
Wu compounded that frame with a maximum attempt in the 12th. His run ended on 80, but it left him needing just two frames for glory at 8-4 as they went in for the mid-session.
After play resumed, the next two frames were traded, as Wu moved to the verge of victory at 9-5. Higgins crafted a defiant 53 to make it 9-6, but this evening was Wu’s moment. He went out with a bang, hammering home 108 to get over the line and become the International Champion.
“Honestly, it feels unbelievable. After beating Judd Trump, I started thinking about the whole journey and it was surreal,” said an elated Wu.
“I think one of the good things was that I started both sessions of the final really well. Having a lead helped me to relax. Everything went pretty much the way I wanted.
“It has been a long wait since reaching the final at the Scottish Open and the English Open last year. At times I honestly felt quite desperate, but deep down I always believed I had the ability to win a title. Every day I kept thinking about it. I had a strong will to lift a trophy. That belief carried me through this week.
“My parents are everything. My dad (Wu Jiepin) has been with me since I was a kid, always by my side. He’s helped me so much, especially during difficult times in the UK. I’m so grateful for what he has done for me.”
Higgins said: “I was nowhere near good enough all day. He was striking the ball beautifully. He was by far the better player. It reminded me so much of playing Paul Hunter. The way he gets through the ball and gets so much action on it. He is a brilliant player.
“There’s no point in getting too down. I’ll get home and have a couple of days off before the Champion of Champions. After that it is the Riyadh tournament and then building up to the UK. I’m disappointed with how I played today.
“I’m delighted his mum and dad are here. It brings back memories for me. It could open the floodgates. It goes to show the good hands snooker is in. I’m glad that I’ll probably be retiring in a couple of years with guys like that potting them off the lampshades. He is a total star.“
I’m absolutely delighted for Wu, who I always enjoy watching.
It’s not like he had an easy route to the title either as he had to beat both the reigning World Champion, Zhao Xintong, and the World Number One, Judd Trump, as already mentioned in WST’s report. Playing in his own country, China, probably added pressure as well. He’s a special player, no doubts!
