We are down to the semi-final stage of the UK Championship with the Barbican Centre in York now transformed into the one-table setup to determine which of the four remaining men will battle it out for the title on Sunday.
Both the semi-finals take place over the course of the two sessions of play in the first Triple Crown event of the season on Saturday and when both are concluded we will know who will battle it out for one of the most prestigious titles in the game.
Afternoon Session
Luca Brecel vs Kyren Wilson
The first of the two semi-finals sees the Belgian ace Luca Brecel looking for a place in his first Triple Crown final when he takes on the new tournament favourite Kyren Wilson, for whom this weekend could be the crowning of his coming of age at the top level of the game.
Brecel has played well in this tournament and carved through his draw but at the same time nobody has turned up with anything resembling their best against him in the last three matches. That is a concern for me because at the very least you would expect Wilson to battle hard. Wilson delivered the performance of the tournament to date in seeing off Ronnie O’Sullivan in an epic quarter final on Friday and as long as there isn’t a comedown from that he really should come through this match. You have to respect Brecel and if he does play his best he’ll be a match for Wilson but the tournament is on the cue of ‘The Warrior’ from here on in. If I wasn’t worried about the comedown I’d back Wilson here but given that is in play I’m happy to leave that one alone.
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Evening Session
Barry Hawkins vs Zhao Xintong
The second semi-final will see someone move into the UK Championship final for the first time when former world finalist Barry Hawkins takes on a Zhao Xintong who has had a breakout week already but could elevate his career to a whole new level over this weekend.
This has been the best week of the season for Hawkins and if experience is anything to go by he’s a sure thing here but we’ve seen all week that has counted for nothing. I’m not convinced Hawkins has gotten better in this tournament as it has gone along. He took advantage of Matt Selt being unable to perform to the level he did against Judd Trump in the fourth round and then the draw worked out perfectly for him in the quarter final when he landed an Andy Hicks who had run his race. Xintong certainly isn’t in that bracket though. He announced his arrival at this event when he put John Higgins out in the third round and since then has cruised past Peter Lines and Jack Lisowski with a barrage of good scoring. Hawkins can score with the best of them but he hasn’t really done it since he beat Cao Yupeng in the third round. I really like how Xintong has played this week and if he settles into this match early on then I think he can overcome a Hawkins who never convinces me as an expectant favourite.
Tips
Back Z.Xintong to beat B.Hawkins for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Coral
Back him here:
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