4 dramatic days of motion on the Toughsheet Group Stadium in Bolton have whittled the Champion of Champions draw down from 16 runners to 4.
The semi-finals for the celebrated invitational, the place a £150,000 prime prize is up for grabs, will happen on Friday and Saturday.
Two among the many semi-finalists are trying to etch their names onto the trophy for the third time, whereas the opposite two are gunning for maiden successes within the competitors.
Let’s check out each semi-final ties.
Mark Allen vs Xiao Guodong
Mark Allen represented the highest seed on this yr’s Champion of Champions draw because the event’s reigning champion.
The Northern Irishman beat Igor Figueiredo within the first match of the week on Monday earlier than preventing again from 3-0 all the way down to edge Jak Jones within the final eight.
Allen is bidding to win the occasion for the third time in 5 editions, having additionally emerged with the trophy aloft again in 2020.
The Pistol will face Xiao Guodong for a berth on this yr’s closing, the latter representing arguably probably the most improved participant on the circuit this yr.
Xiao secured his first ever Champion of Champions look by touchdown the Wuhan Open crown in China final month, and he has definitely made probably the most of his alternative up to now.
The 35 year-old overturned a 3-0 deficit to Ronnie O’Sullivan in his opening fixture earlier than repeating the trick in opposition to Mark Selby late on Thursday night.
Xiao is wanting each bit a top-16 participant as of late, a standing he now boasts after breaking into the elite bracket of the rankings following his run to the semi-finals of final week’s Worldwide Championship.
Allen and Xiao have already clashed thrice this season, together with in Nanjing final week when the latter prevailed with a 6-2 scoreline.
Whereas Allen has the larger expertise at this stage of tournaments, Xiao might be the participant in larger type total – making it a tricky encounter to name.
Mark Williams vs Neil Robertson
Two former world champions will contest the second semi-final within the 2024 Champion of Champions draw on Saturday night.
Like Allen, Neil Robertson is hoping to get his fingers on the silverware for the third time having skilled glory in each 2015 and 2019.
The Australian wasn’t at his free-scoring finest however dug deep to beat Ali Carter and Judd Trump in shut battles on Wednesday.
Mark Williams booked his last-four ticket a day earlier courtesy of a brace of victories over reigning world champions Bai Yulu and Kyren Wilson.
Considerably surprisingly given his pedigree within the sport, this marks the primary time that Williams has reached the latter rounds of this model of the Champion of Champions.
The Welshman boasts an terrible head-to-head document in opposition to Robertson, having received solely six of their 30 battles in all competitions.
These sorts of stats are unlikely to trouble Williams a lot, although, and he’s nonetheless ranked 12 locations greater than Robertson on the official world rankings record.
Robertson has already been within the winners’ enclosure this season following his triumph on the English Open, and the Melbourne man can be eager on getting himself on a roll.
Williams, in fact, narrowly missed out on capturing the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters title when he was pipped in a decider by Judd Trump.
2024 Champion of Champions draw
Group 1
Mark Allen 4-2 Igor Figueiredo
Gary Wilson 2-4 Jak Jones
Group 1 Closing
Mark Allen 6-4 Jak Jones
Group 2
Judd Trump 4-0 Ding Junhui
Ali Carter 3-4 Neil Robertson
Group 2 Closing
Judd Trump 4-6 Neil Robertson
Group 3
Kyren Wilson 4-1 Luca Brecel
Mark Williams 4-1 Bai Yulu
Group 3 Closing
Kyren Wilson 5-6 Mark Williams
Group 4
Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-4 Xiao Guodong
Mark Selby 4-2 Shaun Murphy
Group 4 Closing
Xiao Guodong 6-5 Mark Selby
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Friday, 7pm UTC
Mark Allen vs Xiao Guodong
Saturday, 7pm UTC
Mark Williams vs Neil Robertson
Closing (bo19)
Sunday at 1pm and 7pm UTC
Click on right here to view the complete up to date draw
(snooker.org)
Featured picture credit score: WST
