The second semi-final of The Masters takes place in front of what is sure to be a sold out crowd inside Alexandra Palace on Saturday evening as the former winner Judd Trump takes on a man who has been to the final before in Barry Hawkins.
Both men had comfortable times of it in their quarter finals so there should be no issues with fatigue or anything like that, although with the size of the prize on offer adrenalin and everything else would have seen them right so we should be in for a cracking contest here.
Judd Trump
You would have to say that in terms of the players he has beaten, Judd Trump has made it through to this semi-final the hard way. He had arguably the hardest draw of the first round in Mark Allen and although he had to ride his luck a little he overcame that challenge and then as far as the score went he dominated his quarter final against Kyren Wilson, which in terms of the rankings was again the hardest opponent he could have faced. He has a softer semi-final according to the rankings but needs to make sure he doesn’t take his foot off the gas.
I don’t think Trump has been quite as emphatic as the run so far has suggested but we know from what we have seen of Trump in the past that he tends to get better the longer a tournament goes on. He could just do with tightening up his scoring because as good as his safety is these days he won’t want to leave anything to chance in terms of not being able to put Hawkins away. If he can score like we know he can then he has every chance here.
Barry Hawkins
While there is an element of Barry Hawkins having taken advantage of two opponents who just hasn’t turned up to this tournament in order to make it through to this semi-final, the former finalist has made it through and he has done what he has needed to do. Sometimes it can be harder to perform against players who are visibly struggling but to be fair to Hawkins he has played some nice stuff to come through to this stage.
I guess Hawkins will have to improve a shade on what he has shown so far in order to win this match but you would imagine when his opponent lays it down to him he will find any extra gears he needs. You sense that Hawkins is enjoying it this week and if there is one thing we have seen so far it is that you need to embrace the crowd and let them carry you on to good snooker. I’ve long since thought Hawkins is a big match player so I certainly expect him to turn up here.
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Head to head
These two men have met on 13 previous occasions in their career and surprisingly it is Hawkins who holds a 7-6 lead. That advantage is much more emphatic in the frame count where he is ahead 64-54 which would suggest his wins are of a wider margin than Trump ones. This is their third meeting at The Masters. Their trilogy currently sits at 1-1 in this event. It will also be the seventh time they have met in a semi-final. They are 3-3 for the previous last four clashes so wherever you look history suggests this will be a close match.
Betting
I have to admit I was a little surprised when I saw that Hawkins leads their previous meetings. I expected this to be a close match prior to finding that out because I did know that they have played a number of deciding frames in their 13 previous matches. Five of their past 13 matches have gone the distance and I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if this is another one which is getting a standing ovation ahead of a deciding frame such is how these two rise to the occasion.
I was going to line up a punt on over 9.5 frames but at a slightly shorter price I’ll just take Barry Hawkins with the 2.5 frame handicap. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins this match and there is certainly some value to be had in backing him but I’ve hit the buffers this week since a good first round and I could do with coming out of it with something to show for our efforts so rather than relying on both to reach four frames I’ll take just the one man needing to get there. Hawkins clearly doesn’t fear Trump and he looks in good touch. Whether he wins or he doesn’t I think he can get to four frames.
Tips
WON – Back B.Hawkins (+2.5 frames) to beat J.Trump for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Betfair
Back him here:
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