The 2025 Wuhan Open semi-finals will function 4 gamers who all have expertise of elevating a rating occasion trophy aloft.
Two wins are wanted from right here on out on the Optics Valley Gymnasium to land the 2025/26 snooker season’s third rating crown, and with it a £140,000 high prize.
It guarantees to be an interesting penultimate day in China with the format for the semi-finals rising to one of the best of 11 frames.
Let’s take a short take a look at each Wuhan Open semi-finals.
Xiao Guodong vs Mark Williams
Defending champion Xiao Guodong is placing up an outstanding defence of the maiden rating title he received a yr in the past at this occasion.
The 36 year-old compiled a 147 break in his first outing with Mink Nutcharut and reached the final 4 courtesy of a 5-2 defeat of Stan Moody on Thursday.
Xiao skipped the current Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, giving up a profitable alternative to as an alternative compete on the World Video games the place he received a gold medal for China.
He’s definitely making up for misplaced time at what is popping into arguably his favorite occasion on the calendar.
A terrific stat that highlights Xiao’s current rise is how he’s into his sixth event semi-final within the final two years after making the identical quantity in his earlier 16 years as a professional.
Standing in his method of a return to the ultimate is Mark Williams, who because the fifth seed represents the best left within the operating this yr.
Williams continues to level to creating issues along with his eyesight and power ranges, however these points haven’t stopped him from producing on the baize.
The 50 year-old, who thrashed Zhang Anda 5-1 within the quarter-finals, would turn into the oldest winner of a rating occasion if he had been to emerge with the trophy in his palms on Saturday.
Williams and Xiao final crossed paths within the last of the Champion of Champions the place the previous prevailed with a 10-6 triumph.
General, the Welshman boasts a superior 5-1 head-to-head benefit with Xiao’s solely success coming within the short-format Championship League Snooker invitational.
When is it? Friday, August twenty ninth at 7am UTC+1 (BST)
Gary Wilson vs Mark Allen
The second fixture within the Wuhan Open semi-finals pits 11-time rating occasion winner Mark Allen in opposition to three-time champion Gary Wilson.
It marks the primary time in 2025 that each gamers have reached the final 4 of a rating event.
Allen continued his rejuvenated run with a dramatic 5-4 defeat of Si Jiahui on Thursday, whereas Wilson edged John Higgins with a 5-3 scoreline.
Wilson is chasing a return to the highest 16 of the world rankings and would usurp Shaun Murphy into sixteenth if he had been to succeed in Saturday’s last.
Allen stays contained in the elite bracket as issues stand, however with loads of rating factors to return off his rolling two-year tally this time period, the Pistol is provisionally outdoors the automated spots within the Race to the Crucible standings.
There’s loads of time between now and the World Championship for the Northern Irishman to repair that situation, however he’d nonetheless quite safeguard his standing earlier quite than later.
Allen has crushed Wilson on six of the 9 earlier events they’ve confronted one another, together with every of the final three.
When is it? Friday, August twenty ninth at 12:30pm UTC+1 (BST)
2025 Wuhan Open draw
Spherical of 16 (bo9)
Xiao Guodong 5-2 Matthew Selt
Barry Hawkins 0-5 Stan Moody
Mark Williams 5-3 Mark Selby
Zhang Anda 5-4 Aaron Hill
Judd Trump 4-5 Gary Wilson
Tom Ford 1-5 John Higgins
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 1-5 Mark Allen
Si Jiahui 5-2 Stephen Maguire
Quarter-Finals (bo9)
Xiao Guodong 5-2 Stan Moody
Mark Williams 5-1 Zhang Anda
Gary Wilson 5-3 John Higgins
Mark Allen 5-3 Si Jiahui
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Xiao Guodong vs Mark Williams
Friday, 7am UTC+1 (BST)
Gary Wilson vs Mark Allen
Friday, 12:30pm UTC+1 (BST)
Click on right here to view the total replace draw
Featured photograph credit score: WST
