Kyren Wilson Sets Up Thrilling Semi-Final Against Judd Trump

Kyren Wilson secured a 6-3 win over Michael Holt to set up a thrilling UK Championship semi-final against world number one Judd Trump in York. Wilson, the reigning world champion extended his impressive form despite a tough challenge from Holt, who was playing in his first quarter-final since 1999. Wilson established a 3-0 lead early with breaks of 52 and 72 but Holt fought back reducing the deficit to 4-3. However, Wilson responded with a crucial 67 and nearly achieved a maximum 147 finishing with a break of 89 to seal the victory.

In the other semi-final, Trump produced a flawless performance to beat Zhang Anda 6-2 making four centuries including breaks of 126, 120 and 131. Trump led 4-0 at the mid-session interval and continued to dominate, despite a brief rally from Zhang. Trump’s near-perfect display solidified his reputation as a title contender even though he played down his status as the favorite. Meanwhile, Barry Hawkins advanced to the semi-finals with a 6-2 victory over Shaun Murphy.

Hawkins, who had already defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan and David Gilbert displayed consistency with five half-century breaks, finishing strong after a mid-session break. His win marks only his second semi-final appearance at the UK Championship. Mark Allen also triumphed in the battle of left-handers defeating Jack Lisowski 6-3. Despite being 3-1 down, Allen remained patient and capitalized on Lisowski’s mistakes to win the final five frames securing his place in the semi-finals.

The upcoming semi-final between Kyren Wilson and Judd Trump promises to be an exciting clash between the top two players in the world.