UK Championship Snooker 2024 – Semi-Finals Tips and Betting Preview

We are down to the one table at the UK Championship on Saturday where both of the semi-finals will be played out across the two sessions of play as we find out which two men will compete in the first Triple Crown final of the season.

We have four class acts who have made it through to the semi-finals and two really good matches are pretty much guaranteed as the tournament builds towards what looks like it will be a fantastic crescendo to the week.

Afternoon Session

Judd Trump vs Kyren Wilson

The first semi-final is a repeat of the Xi’an Grand Prix and Northern Ireland Open finals from earlier in the season as the two best players in the world collide when the former winner Judd Trump goes up against the world champion Kyren Wilson.

Trump had battled his way into this tournament but he really came alive in the quarter final where he played five flawless frames in going 5-0 up on Zhang Anda before getting over the line in the end and if he performs like that here then he is going to be very tough to beat. If there is a man who could beat him it could be Wilson. He won both of those finals so he’ll fancy his chances here anyway but he has made the semi-final for the loss of just five frames in his three matches. He hasn’t been completely fluent in those outings though and I do think Wilson will need to raise his game a touch if he is going to win this match, or hope that the Trump of earlier in the week turns up. My hunch is that Wilson will win this but I’m also aware the pressure is beginning to mount as he is chasing that place in history of joining a rare bunch who have won the World Championship and then the UK Championship in the same year. The form Trump showed in the win over Zhang is enough for me to give this one a watching brief rather than a betting one.

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Evening Session

Barry Hawkins vs Mark Allen

The second semi-final sees two classy left-handers battling it out for a place in the final when Barry Hawkins looks to make the title match for the first time when he takes on the former champion Mark Allen in a competitive looking match.

Hawkins has arguably been the player of the tournament so far having dispatched Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy on his way to this semi-final. His showing against Murphy was very good because Murphy came back at him and didn’t really do a lot wrong whereas O’Sullivan missed a couple of balls which opened the door for Hawkins. Allen has been very hard to fathom in this tournament. The first thing we should acknowledge is he still hasn’t met a seeded player in the event yet and doesn’t face one here but I do think Hawkins will be his toughest challenge and he’ll need more than good safety play and bits and pieces scoring to get the job done here. Hawkins has won their only two meetings in recent times and I just think he is playing the better snooker right now so I’m surprised he is the price he is. I like the Hawk as the outsider here.

Tips

Back B.Hawkins to beat M.Allen for a 3/10 stake at 2.30 with Bet365