Judd Trump established a 5-3 overnight lead against Mark Williams after a scrappy opening session in the World Snooker Championship semi-finals at the Crucible. Despite producing one of his least convincing performances of the tournament so far, the world No 1 finished strongly, capitalising on a series of mistakes from his veteran opponent.
The evening began in tense fashion, with both players struggling to find rhythm in a frame ultimately won by Williams thanks to a break of 73, aided by a fortunate red while escaping a snooker. The second frame was even more drawn out, lasting 39 minutes, and ended in Trump’s favour after Williams missed a critical blue while attempting an aggressive approach.
Trump then edged the third frame, using a successful three-ball plant and further errors from Williams to move ahead. However, the Welshman, a three-time world champion, responded with a fluent break of 116 to level the scores at 2-2 going into the mid-session interval.
The match continued in a similar back-and-forth manner after the break. Both players had opportunities but failed to assert dominance as the score progressed to 3-3. In the seventh frame, Trump benefited from a fortunate fluke, potting a red into the bottom right pocket while attempting to escape a tricky snooker. That lucky break allowed him to claim a hard-fought frame, in which both players had chances to win.
The final frame of the session saw more drama, as Williams missed a routine black, allowing Trump to step in and compile a superb break of 109. That effort gave him a two-frame cushion and some momentum heading into the next session, despite an overall patchy display.
In the other semi-final, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Zhao Xintong were locked at 4-4 after an enthralling opening session. The encounter was Zhao’s first experience on the Crucible’s one-table setup, but the 27-year-old showed few signs of nerves. He made an impressive start, taking the first two frames with breaks of 60 and 62, capitalising on early mistakes from O’Sullivan, including a miscued black and a potted white off the break.
O’Sullivan, a seven-time world champion, responded in typically composed fashion. A brisk 64 got him on the board before he added a break of 73 to level the scores at 2-2 by the mid-session interval. He could have added a century, but a black jawed in the pocket at the end of a promising break.
After the break, O’Sullivan continued to assert himself, winning the fifth frame after a well-fought safety exchange and then restricting Zhao from scoring for more than 30 minutes. However, Zhao showed great resilience, ending his barren run and edging the sixth to tie things up at 3-3.
Both players produced their best snooker late in the session. O’Sullivan made a composed 82 to regain the lead, but Zhao hit back with the highest break of the match, an 86, to ensure the match remained finely poised at 4-4.
With everything to play for in both semi-finals, the stage is set for two thrilling contests as the players battle for a place in the final.
