Judd Trump

World Snooker Championship semi-finals betting preview: Ronnie O'Sullivan v Zhao Xintong & Judd Trump v Mark Williams

By Richard Mann

Snooker

Thu May 01, 2025 · 7M ago

Richard Mann sets the scene ahead of the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship, which begin at the Crucible on Thursday.

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At the end of another day of high drama at the Crucible on Wednesday, the World Snooker Championship of 2025 has its final four.

Eleven world titles between them, 36 Triple Crowns wins, and countless more ranking and invitational tournament victories. The first man to reach 1000 career centuries, and as of Wednesday evening, the player with the most centuries ever in a single season.

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In Zhao Xintong, the only one of the quartet yet to be world champion, the odd one out so to speak, the final four also features the finest talent of his generation. A young man who, despite his past mistakes, seemingly has the world at his feet.

Zhao is indeed the best of his generation, but Ronnie O’Sullivan, his opponent in the last four and seven times a world champion, is not just the best of his generation, but the greatest of any generation.

As Neal Foulds said on TNT Sports when calling the winning moment in his quarter-final victory over Si Jiahui, O’Sullivan is ‘the most instinctive player there’s ever been. The best player there’s ever been’.

O'Sullivan the acid test for Zhao

What a test awaits the 28-year-old Chinese who was a brilliant winner of the 2021 UK Championship, before subsequently being banned from the sport for breaching betting rules. A rising star and a blossoming career stopped dead in disgrace.

Zhao Xintong shakes hands with Jak Jones at the Crucible

Zhao Xintong was in sparkling form in round one

But whatever your views are on the length of Zhao’s ban, or whether he should be back playing at all, he’s here, and he’s certainly done it the hard way having had to come through four qualifying matches just to reach the Crucible. Now chalk up three more in the main draw itself.

That’s tough work for anyone, and while Zhao’s form was electric in qualifying and then when brushing aside Jak Jones in round one, I do think his standard has dipped since.

He had to work hard to beat Lei Peifan 13-10, not managing a single century in that match, before meeting very little resistance from an overwhelmed Chris Wakelin. Despite winning 13-5, Zhao only managed five breaks of fifty-plus.

I really do fear that Zhao has run out of steam – and he wouldn’t be the first in a gruelling tournament that takes so much out of players.

O'Sullivan ready to do it the hard way

I expect O’Sullivan to consistently pick Zhao’s pocket over the course of the next three days, and can certainly see why the 49-year-old is only 8/15 to win the match.

I probably wouldn’t have made that statement a couple of weeks ago, when Zhao was shooting the lights out in qualifying while O’Sullivan wasn’t even sure he'd play in the event.

And O’Sullivan’s form in wins over Ali Carter, Pang Junxu and Si was a long way from his vintage best. His long game has looked to go missing at times, and he’s made no secret of the fact he believes his opponents have given him an easy ride.

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I’d agree with all of that, and don’t this time believe he is merely employing deflection tactics. But, despite holes in his game, he remains deadly in the balls. His break-building is, to this day, peerless.

Moreover, his attitude has been excellent, and he seems determined to get what he can from the tournament, even if that means doing it the hard way.

For all O’Sullivan had strong reservations about competing in Sheffield this year, he’s here now, he’s bought the ticket, and is just two matches from winning an eighth world title that would take him clear of Stephen Hendry.

O’Sullivan isn’t backing out or backing down now. He’s here for the long haul, and Zhao won’t be able to handle him.

The correct score market did take my eye, with O’Sullivan winning between 17-9 and 17-11 most likely. 17-9 can be backed at 14/1, 17-10 is 12/1, and 17-11 is 11/1, but we’d need to cover three lines here, and I’m not sure that makes enough appeal.

Trump and Williams renew hostilities

O’Sullivan and Zhao will open the show at 13:00, with Mark Williams and Judd Trump taking centre stage at 19:00.

For the purist, this is arguably the more interesting of the two semi-finals, a repeat of their thrilling last-four tussle here in 2022 when Trump won the match in a deciding frame following a brilliant Williams comeback.

Judd Trump and Mark Williams

In fact, Trump has got the better of Williams in a number of close, high-profile matches in recent years, and the 10-9 defeat in the final of the Saudi Arabia Masters earlier in the season was a particularly expensive one for the Welshman.

Trump also came out on top in the final of the 2023 Masters, winning 10-8 after Williams had appeared to be getting on top late on, at one stage leading 8-7.

However, at last year’s Tour Championship, an event Williams went on to win, he dismantled Trump 10-4, and he also won their most recent meeting at the Riyadh Season Championship.

On what we’ve seen so far in Sheffield, Trump deserves to be strong favourite for the match – and the 2/9 is coming under pressure at the time of writing. The remaining 5/6 in the outright market might not last long, either.

Trump has barely put a foot wrong in Sheffield this year, and despite meeting some criticism for his overall record in Triple Crown events, he won the UK Championship in December.

Trump too hot to handle?

His scoring has been outstanding throughout, and his four centuries against Luca Brecel took him to 11 for the tournament already. He is currently on 104 tons for the season, a new record.

THE RECORD BREAKING CENTURY

#104

(We don't blame you for missing one Dennis 😉) #HaloWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/fUaPwuJ4XN
— WST (@WeAreWST) April 30, 2025

But more than his scoring, I thought his game management against Brecel was excellent when his opponent got on a roll and surged into a 7-5 lead, threatening to take the game away from Trump in quick time.

Trump dug in, got out of the session all square, and it was a different story in the evening when it was his turn to do the scoring. It was a masterclass from the modern master.

The 2019 champion faces the old master in the last four, Williams having come through an epic battle with Higgins to prevail 13-12. It's a match sure to be remembered for years to come, and Williams played extremely well.

Though at pains to play down his chances, Williams is starting to score, he’s making the big pots under pressure – like he has always done when at his best – and he’ll relish the challenge of locking horns with the younger Trump again.

The pair get on well, and Williams is sure to make Trump work for a victory that, ultimately, feels inevitable.

8/13 about Trump making over 3.5 match centuries looks the right price to me, but it will be worth shopping around nearer the start time to see if any firms offer big prices for Trump to make five and six centuries. That is by no means out of the question.

Published at 2315 BST on 30/04/25