Judd Trump took a huge step towards a first ranking title in eight months as he thrashed Mark Selby 5-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Shenzhen Open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s the first time that Trump has whitewashed Selby in a match longer than best of five frames, and he goes through to face Shaun Murphy or Wu Yize on Saturday for a place in the final in China’s Guangdong Province. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
World number two Trump is into the 77th ranking semi-final of his career and two more wins would give him a 32nd ranking title and first since the German Masters in February – though he did land the invitational Shanghai Masters trophy at the start of this season. While Zhao Xintong is sure to finish the week as world number one, Trump can slash his lead to just \u00a39,000 if he goes all the way to the \u00a3177,000 top prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Breaks of 63, 52, 77, 51 and 79 helped Trump to an emphatic victory in their first meeting since the Champion of Champions and UK Championship finals late last year, both won by Selby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“He got the better of me in those two finals but before that I had a really good record against Mark so I knew in the back of my head that I was capable of beating him,” said Trump, who is seeking an eighth ranking title in China. “But it’s tough to do it in that kind of manner. It was important to start well and put him under pressure. The fourth frame was big because he had a chance to clear for 3-1 so that was crucial that he didn’t make that clearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“From the quarter-finals onwards in a tournament is when you really feel alive, you can see the winning line. That’s usually when I raise my game. The semi-finals are special because it’s down to one table. The attendance here in Shenzhen has been superb, when I walked out today I was pleasantly surprised how many people were there. It was nice to have that support and play well in front of them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
World number 45 Jimmy Robertson enjoyed a 5-3 victory over Chris Wakelin to reach the fourth ranking semi-final of his career and first since the 2022 Players Championship. The 40-year-old from Sussex is hoping to double his tally of ranking titles having won his first at the 2018 European Masters. Robertson has now won five matches in this event, compared to just three in the seven other knockout ranking events this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Breaks of 59, 76 and 73 gave him a 3-0 lead, then Scottish Open champion Wakelin took three of the next four frames with a top break of 120, before Robertson sealed the result in the eighth with runs of 54 and 28. He will face Michael Holt or Yuan Sijun on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Any run in a tournament is massive for me to get some confidence and belief, and this is a huge event. Hopefully I can keep it going,” said Robertson. “I felt pretty relaxed today, I have won a tournament before and played at the Crucible five times so I know what the feelings are in big matches. When I am on a roll and feeling confident, it doesn’t matter what stage of the tournament it is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“When Chris got back to 4-3 I felt he had the upper hand in the safety battles, it got scrappy. I am experienced enough to know that happens, and Chris is a top 16 player. I still felt if I got a chance I could take it. The draw does make a difference, if you play someone in the world’s top five it’s going to be super tough. But the players left in it are all there for a reason. It is an opportunity for all of us on this side of the draw.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shaun Murphy suffered a painful flashback to last season’s Crucible final as he was beaten yet again by Wu Yize in a deciding frame, this time by a 5-4 scoreline as the World Champion progressed to the semi-finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There must have been a sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu for Murphy as – just as he did in Sheffield in May – he had an early chance in the last frame but couldn’t take it, and had to sit in his chair as talented 22-year-old Yize made a superb break. England’s Murphy also lost 6-5 against his new bogey player Yize in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This time, world number four Yize goes through to an intriguing clash with Judd Trump on Saturday, for a place in the final against teammate Yuan Sijun. It has been a quiet start to the season for Yize – this is his first run beyond the last 16 of a ranking event – but he is now into his ninth career ranking semi-final and can look forward to a potentially epic fixture with Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Murphy led 3-2 with breaks of 104, 98 and 68, then Wu took the next two frames with 94 and 121 to edge 4-3 ahead. The Chinese ace had a clear chance for victory in the eighth but missed match-ball brown to a baulk corner and his opponent cleared for 4-4. Early in the decider, Murphy potted red and blue, but then overcut an awkward red to a top corner, bridging over other balls. Yize knocked in a mid-range red to set up a fabulous 117.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I definitely feel huge pressure every time I play against him, I think we both put a lot of pressure on each other,” said Yize. “I felt that both of us really wanted to beat the other, which led to us making some mistakes. But I managed to hold my nerve at the crucial moment once again, so I\u2019m really looking forward to the next match and facing Judd. The most important thing in the last frame is your mentality.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It will be difficult against Trump, and that\u2019s what makes it exciting. He\u2019s obviously been one of the best players in the world over the years, without question. So I really enjoy playing against him. I\u2019m always happy to play against and learn from any great player.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, China’s Yuan reached the third ranking semi-final of his career with a 5-2 defeat of Michael Holt. He is now guaranteed a career high payday of \u00a334,500, surpassing the \u00a321,000 he earned from the 2025 German Masters semi-finals. Victory over Robertson would earn the 26-year-old a first ranking final. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
World number 33 Yuan took the opening frame with a break of 69 then Holt levelled with a run of 89 before going 2-1 ahead. Yuan then dominated, reeling off the next four frames with top breaks of 116 and 139.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I didn\u2019t feel completely comfortable at the start, but I slowly adapted as the match went on,” said Yuan, who first turned pro in 2017 after winning the Asian Under-21 Championship. “Hopefully I can play my own game well in the semi-final against Jimmy Robertson. We\u2019re quite close in the rankings, so it could be a good opportunity for me. I\u2019ll try to put in an even better performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Since coming to Shenzhen, I\u2019ve been having great food every day, which definitely puts me in a better mood. I like claypot congee and seafood, and I tend to eat lighter food during the tournament. Once my matches are finished and I have some free time, I\u2019ll go out and explore the city a bit.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Judd Trump (Eng) bt Mark Shelby (Eng) 5-0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jimmy Robertson (Eng) bt Chris Wakelin (Eng) 5-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wu Yize (Chn) bt Shaun Murphy (Eng) 5-4<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yuan Sijun (Chn) bt Michael Holt (Eng) 5-2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Judd Trump took a huge step towards a first ranking title in eight months as he thrashed Mark<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[378],"class_list":["post-16223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-snooker"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t