Masters snooker: Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson win to set up semi-final meeting

World number one Judd Trump and world champion Kyren Wilson both won their quarter-finals on Friday and will meet in the semi-finals of the Masters. Trump came from behind, winning five frames in a row after the mid-session interval to beat China's Ding Junhui 6-3 and advance to the semi-finals.

By reaching the last four at Alexandra Palace, Trump has now earned nearly £1.3 million in prize money this season, surpassing the single-season record previously held by Ronnie O'Sullivan. A key moment in his quarter-final came in the sixth frame when, leading 3-2, Ding missed a simple red after creating another winning opportunity, allowing Trump to seize the chance to counter.

Trump dominated from that point onwards and will next face compatriot Wilson, who defeated 2023 world champion Luca Brecel 6-4 on Friday evening. Despite his preparations being hampered by an accidental ankle twist while sleeping in bed, he still performed well. The other semi-final will see England's Shaun Murphy face Northern Ireland's Mark Allen.

The quality of the match between Trump and Ding was high, with impressive scoring, including seven of the nine frames featuring breaks over 70. Ding started with breaks of 70 and 74 to lead 2-0. Trump responded with a 75 to close the gap. But when the two-time Masters champion missed a difficult red in the fourth frame, Ding cleared with a 72 to extend his lead again. Trump then made a 97 to reduce the deficit to 2-3 and, after Ding's error in the sixth, made breaks of 50+, 125, 62 and 75 to win the match.

Seven-time world champion O'Sullivan, who withdrew from the Masters on the eve of the tournament due to medical reasons, earned around £1.26 million in prize money in the 2023-24 season, winning the UK Championship and the Masters. Trump is guaranteed at least £75,000 for reaching the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace, while the winner on Sunday will take home £350,000. He has already won the Shanghai Masters, the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, and the UK Championship this season, and if he maintains his current form, he is on track to break the £2 million prize money mark by the end of the season.

Trump said in an interview with BBC Two: “I’m probably playing at my peak at the moment. I’ve improved a lot from five or ten years ago. I think it’s the consistency, being able to have the inner belief time after time. When I’m 3-1 down, I still believe I can win five or ten frames on the bounce and not miss a ball. That’s what you have to do at this level.” Wilson is the only one of the four semi-finalists who has not won the Masters, although he was runner-up in 2018, losing to Allen.

The 33-year-old said his quarter-final win was "one of the best" of his career, despite some strange events in the build-up. He told BBC Four: "I could make a massive story out of it, but I literally fell asleep in bed. You know how they tuck the duvet in at hotels? My foot was in a funny position for eight hours. I woke up and couldn't move it. I twisted my ankle in my sleep – who does that?"

Despite these pre-match issues, Wilson played well against Brecel, capitalizing on his opponent's errors to take the lead. Wilson made five breaks of 50+ in the tight quarter-final, while Brecel never trailed by more than two frames. The Belgian reduced the deficit to one frame on four occasions with breaks of 96, 84 and 83. After missing a chance to close out the match in the ninth frame, Wilson finally secured victory in a tenth frame that lasted over 40 minutes, potting the pink to advance to the semi-finals.