Richard Mann takes a look at the quarter-final ties at the World Snooker Championship, including Ronnie O'Sullivan's clash with Si Jiahui.
Snooker betting tips: World Championship
1pt Over 5.5 centuries in Luca Brecel/Judd Trump match at 13/8 (General)
1pt Si Jiahui to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan at 3/1 (General)
Luca Brecel v Judd Trump
- Tuesday 14:30
- Sky Bet match odds: Trump 4/11, Brecel 2/1
Attention all pockets when Luca Brecel and Judd Trump lock horns in this blockbuster clash.
Both men have curious records at the Crucible, with feast or famine the best way to describe Brecel’s record here.
Brecel has only ever won matches at the Crucible in 2023, when he went all the way and lifted the title, and then this year, with victory over Ryan Day and then a hammering of Ding Junhui. Good omen?
It’s no surprise that Trump has the stronger overall record in Sheffield, having blitzed his way to glory in 2019, and made the final in 2022 to go alongside his runner-up effort in 2011.
However, he was beaten in the first round in 2023 and the last eight 12 months ago.
On what we’ve seen from both men so far, Brecel’s ruthless rout of Ding and Trump's big-break display against Shaun Murphy in particular, we should be in for quite the show.
Trump reached 100 centuries for the season in his win over Murphy, knocking in two more and three breaks in the 90s, while Brecel made two against Ding and a series of other fifty-plus breaks.
I wouldn’t discount Brecel here, for all the market rightly favours Trump who has won three more big titles this season.
Brecel doesn’t fear anyone, and that’s a big thing against the likes of Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Expect plenty more big breaks, and I’ll be backing OVER 5.5 CENTURIES IN THE MATCH at 13/8.
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Si Jiahui
- Tuesday 14:30
- Sky Bet match odds: O'Sullivan 1/4, Si 3/1
For snooker fans, the sight of Ronnie O’Sullivan playing again has been most welcome, and the World Championship better for his presence.
But for punters, he’s not easy to weigh up. We are talking about the greatest player of all time here, someone very capable of flicking that switch and winning his eighth world title next Monday.
But just on what we’ve seen so far, in his wins over Ali Carter and Pang Junxu, it’s hard to make a strong case for him.
He might’ve made four centuries against Carter, and two more against Pang, but he met little resistance from either, and those flashes of the old magic mask plenty of unforced errors and a long game some way short of his best.
O’Sullivan will need to improve. His post-match comments following his win over Pang said as much and summed up his thoughts on the current state of his game.
He told the BBC: "I feel so unconfident. If either of my opponents that I played had played well, I would have got beat.
"But they played poorly, they let me off the hook, and I’ve managed to score a few. That’s basically how I’ve got through."
He is of course more than capable of suddenly finding some inspiration, that touch of genius. But I’m not sure we should be banking on it.
In fact, I fear that we’ve all been expecting too much of O’Sullivan, in his 50th year, after so long out of the game.
In Si Jiahui, O'Sullivan comes up against a huge talent, a semi-finalist here in 2023 who clearly feels right at home in this venue.
Si had to work hard to see off Ben Woollaston on Monday, but given the latter had been a worthy winner over Mark Selby in round one, I’m not sure we should be underestimating the strength of that form.
That Brown 🤯
— WST (@WeAreWST) April 28, 2025
What a way to finish from Si Jiahui. #HaloWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/fW37UDU9tA
Moreover, Si eased past Dave Gilbert in his first-round match. Gilbert was a semi-finalist here only 12 months ago.
Si came into this championship in poor form, but that didn’t stop Kyren Wilson last year, or Luca Brecel the year before that, so I’m not letting that put me off Si’s chances from here, not now we know he’s playing well.
He certainly played well at the Wuhan Open earlier in the season, giving Judd Trump a pasting on his way to the final, so is evidently capable of taking down the very best, and I suspect he’ll relish this latest challenge.
Yes, O’Sullivan has earned the right to be favourite, but I don’t make him a 1/4 chance on what I saw in his first two matches. I also believe him when he himself says he is no good thing.
At 10/3, Si has to be the play.
Already advised
0.5pt John Higgins to beat Mark Williams 13-11 at 9/1 (General)
0.5pt John Higgins to beat Mark Williams 13-12 at 10/1 (Betfred, BetGoodwin)
John Higgins v Mark Williams
- Tuesday 10:00
- Sky Bet match odds: Higgins 4/7, Williams 5/4
We’re only at the last-eight stage, but it’s hard to think there will be a more eagerly-anticipated match at this year's World Championship than John Higgins against Mark Williams.
The pair have been rivals for over 30 years now, two thirds of the famous Class of 92 who remain powerful forces in the game even to this day.
Higgins came into this year’s World Championship as one of the form horses, having recently added the Tour Championship to his earlier victory at the World Open. Williams won the Champion of Champions before Christmas.
However, the Welshman has played down his Crucible chances for a while now, raising concerns about his eyesight, while there was a fear that Higgins’ heavy recent workload would catch up with him in Sheffield.
To make matters worse, Higgins had to come through a gruelling match with Xiao Guodong which eventually needed four sessions to complete, the Scot getting over the line in a final-frame decider.
Higgins has now won nine out of 10 deciders at the Crucible, a remarkable illustration of his temperament and sheer will to win. After a rocky couple of years, he has clearly turned a corner.
After beating Hossein Vafaei 13-10 in the last 16, Williams referenced the 2022 Masters when he and Higgins were greeted to an electric atmosphere inside Alexandra Palace, and we can surely expect something similar at the Crucible.
This will be a moment, and match, to savour between two great champions.
And despite his reservations, Williams appears to be steadily working his way back to top form, finishing with a century against Vafaei to cap a performance that generally improved throughout.
I don’t think there will be much between the two again, but Higgins does hold a significant lead in the head-to-head, currently ahead 38-24. Williams will hold on to the fact that he beat Higgins 13-7 here in 2021, and in a truly memorable world final in 2018.
The current strength of Higgins’ long game might give him the edge, however, and I’d broadly agree with his price of 4/7, though this does have all the hallmarks of a close contest.
Overs on total match frames makes obvious sense, but the market agrees, with over 21.5 match frames only available at 4/6.
Instead, I’ll try the correct score market, with HIGGINS TO WIN 13-11 at 9/1 (General) and HIGGINS TO WIN 13-12 at 10/1 (Betfred, BetGoodwin) worth dutching.
Zhao Xintong v Chris Wakelin
- Tuesday 10:00
- Sky Bet match odds: Zhao 4/9, Wakelin 13/8
Zhao Xintong will start as heavy favourite for his match with Chris Wakelin, but this season’s International Championship runner-up has already numbered Neil Robertson and Mark Allen among his victims in Sheffield.
Wakelin is finally delivering on the promise he has always held, and when in the balls, he is a particularly dangerous operator.
He played near-faultless snooker for the most part against Allen, eventually winning 13-6, though it was noticeable that he faltered late on, both in that match and against Robertson in the previous round.
Having led 7-2 against Robertson, he lost five frames on the bounce and was arguably fortunate to get through. It does leave a nagging doubt about him.
His form is clearly strong, but Zhao, a former UK champion, is probably more reliable in so much he has already won a Triple Crown event and has always appeared born for the big stage.
His scoring was devastating in qualifying, and when routing last year’s runner-up Jak Jones in the first round, and he’ll likely have too many guns for Wakelin if producing that standard on snooker here.
However, crumbs of comfort for Wakelin will be that Zhao was more laboured when beating Lei Peifan 13-10, not managing a century, though still looking very dangerous both from distance and in and around the black spot.
It’s worth noting that Zhao is still classed as an amateur, not long having returned from his suspension for breaching betting rules, and he had to come through four qualifiers just to reach the Crucible. Tuesday’s quarter-final will be his seventh match in three weeks.
That’s a heavy workload for anyone, and perhaps that will take the edge off his game at some stage.
I still expect the young Chinese star to get through, but he has been a busy boy of late, and with bookmakers taking no chances, no recommended bet has to be the advice.
Updated at 2230 BST on 28/04/25
Related snooker links
- Where are the young snooker players
- Perfect Snooker Player
- Snooker's GOAT: O'Sullivan by the numbers
- O'Sullivan's Triple Crown timeline
- Watch all the Crucible 147 breaks
- Should the worlds stay at the Crucible?
- History of 147 breaks
- Ronnie O'Sullivan's 147 breaks
- O'Sullivan: One of a kind
- History of snooker's number ones
- Best players never to win a world title
- Crucible memories: Ronnie's finest hour
- Crucible memories: Higgins denies Trump
- Crucible memories: White a People's Champion
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- Crucible memories: Foulds' dream debut
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