The second semi-final of The Masters will see two men who have lifted the Paul Hunter Trophy in the past battling it out inside Alexandra Palace for the chance to get their hands on it again when Stuart Bingham faces Judd Trump.
Trump won this tournament in 2019 and it was Bingham who took the title from him a year later so both men have good memories of this venue and will be giving it all they have got to get into the final on Sunday.
Stuart Bingham
Coming into the week if you had said that Stuart Bingham would be in the semi-final I don’t think too many would have believed you. He started the week talking about his eyes going and needing some aid with his sight in order to stay at the top of the game and then he has come out and beaten two seasoned campaigners in Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy and he could easily have beaten them both without losing a single frame which would have been pretty incredible.
Bingham was 5-0 up on Wilson before he fell over the line a touch in the end and then he did complete a whitewash over Murphy. He has been scoring incredibly well and his long game has looked in great order as well. We know from the past that Bingham relished these occasions and he is into the deeper part of his career which means that he will savour each time he gets to play in a match of this magnitude and ensure he gives it his all.
Judd Trump
If things have been serene for Sruart Bingham so far this week they have been the exact opposite for Judd Trump who has had to battle two top class opponents but also battle himself to make it through to this stage of the tournament. If we are being honest Trump has been there for the taking in both matches but his fighting qualities have come out when he has needed them the most and he deserves credit for never giving in.
The other thing he deserves credit for is recognising when his opponents have struggled to get the job done and summoning up an effort to make them pay. The concern with all that is whether there is anything left in the well should he need to go there again. Those were both afternoon matches and he mentioned after the second one that he has struggled with his cueing because the tie has got in his way. If the change in attire brings his cueing back to the level we would expect then he could be a real danger.
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Head-to-head
These two men have been in the opposite corner to each other on 20 previous occasions with Judd Trump holding a firm advantage at 13-7. He is clear on the frame count as well at 104-91 and has won their last two meetings, the latest of which was in the quarter final of the World Championship last season. They have met just once at The Masters which was a first round clash back in 2012 which Trump won 6-3. This will be their third semi-final meeting and they have shared the first two. Trump is also 3-2 ahead when it comes to their battles over the best of 11 frames.
Betting
I think we are going to see a close semi-final here. These two have met on some pretty big occasions in their career and they generally rise to it. The atmosphere is sure to be sensational inside Alexandra Palace on a Saturday night and they are both players who draw inspiration by performing in front of a decent crowd. The prize that is at stake ensures they are going to be giving this everything they have got anyway.
Bingham has been sensational in this tournament but we did see him struggle to get over the line when Kyren Wilson put him under pressure and you would think that is the least Trump will do here. We’ve seen the fighting spirit of Trump all week and while I would expect him to play much better than he has so far in this match, we shouldn’t forget that he hasn’t made life easy for himself all season. This doesn’t have the feel of either man running away with it about it so I like over 9.5 frames in this one.
Tips
Back Over 9.5 frames for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Betway
