The 2025 Worldwide Championship semi-finals in Nanjing have thrown up a few fascinating clashes, with a spot in Sunday’s last on the road.
In Friday’s opening last-four bout, there’s an all-Chinese language battle between world champion Zhao Xintong and a younger star hoping to make his massive breakthrough in Wu Yize.
Following that on Saturday is a heavyweight encounter between two Scottish warhorses of the sport, John Higgins and Stephen Maguire.
Let’s check out each of the upcoming Worldwide Championship semi-finals.
Zhao Xintong vs Wu Yize
With the format growing to the perfect of 17 frames to be performed throughout two periods, the 2 ties from the penultimate spherical every take centre stage and require one full day apiece.
First up on Friday is the competition between two of the brightest abilities that China at present has to supply in the intervening time.
Zhao Xintong has reached this stage of a rating occasion for the primary time since his triumph on the Crucible within the spring, helped by a dramatic comeback defeat of Mark Selby within the final spherical.
Wu Yize, in the meantime, has been in inspirational type since coming back from the mid-session interval of his round-of-16 fixture with Judd Trump 4-0 behind.
From then on, the 22 year-old has produced a relentless streak of energy scoring, successful his subsequent 12 frames within the competitors with 12 breaks of 62 or above.
Zhao and Wu have confronted off solely as soon as earlier than on the principle tour, again in 2023 when the previous received 5-3 in a qualifying match for the German Masters.
Wu’s tenure as skilled was solely in its infancy then, however he has quickly rising ever since and has already featured in a brace of rating occasion finals.
If he sustains his type whereas in among the many balls, he will likely be powerful to beat, however Zhao will likely be equally eager on bagging his first piece of silverware as a confirmed world champion.
John Higgins vs Stephen Maguire
On Saturday then, there’s a mouthwatering affair between two of the best gamers that Scotland has ever produced.
John Higgins and Stephen Maguire as soon as teamed as much as orchestrate glory on the World Cup group occasion, however they’ll very a lot be rivals once more right here.
By guaranteeing himself £33,000 in prize cash for reaching the Worldwide Championship semi-finals, Maguire has already matched the quantity he pocketed for successful the season-opening Championship League Snooker rating match.
It’s turning right into a promising spell for the previous UK champion, who will likely be wanting now on the prospect of qualifying for occasions on the Gamers Collection by means of the one-year rankings later within the marketing campaign.
Maguire’s major concern, after all, is outlasting a well-known foe in Higgins as he pursues one other look in a rating last.
Higgins took down Shaun Murphy within the quarter-finals on Thursday, a confidence-boosting victory towards a participant who has boasted lots of latest type.
The Wizard of Wishaw can have watched Mark Williams declare the final title on Chinese language soil as a 50 year-old pondering that he’d like a little bit of that motion too.
The top-to-head between Higgins and Maguire couldn’t be a lot tighter, with the previous edging it 14-13 from their prior matches in all competitions.
Surprisingly, that is their first assembly since 2019.
2025 Worldwide Championship Semi-Finals
John Higgins vs Stephen Maguire
Saturday, 6am and 11:30am UTC (GMT)
Wu Yize vs Zhao Xintong
Friday, 6am and 11:30am UTC (GMT)
Featured photograph credit score: WST
