Judd Trump lifted the Shanghai Masters trophy in 2024 and the four-time finalist will be hoping for more glory in this year's event.
The Ace meets Barry Hawkins, who was a 6-4 winner over China's Lei Peifan in round one, at the last-16 stage of this invitational event and a high-class contest is on the cards.
Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins Tips Summary
Best Bet - Judd Trump -1.5 frames @ 4/6
Alternative Bet - Judd Trump to win 6-2 @ 5/1
Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins Prediction
Best Bet: Judd Trump -1.5 frames @ 4/6
Trump is a 2/5 chance to beat Hawkins and reach the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters, but perhaps the Ace should be even shorter than that mark.
The Bristol potter is the number three seed in China, with defending champion Kyren Wilson number one and world champion Wu Yize next best.
However, Trump won this tournament in 2024 and for all that the left-hander has won only one World Championship, the Bristol cueman has been the closest to dominating the sport in recent times.
Last season saw Trump win the German Masters, reach four other major finals and four semi-finals. The Ace has won 35 ranking titles in his career and the 36-year-old is a consistently brilliant performer.
The 2019 world champion has started four of the last seven seasons as the world number one and Hawkins may struggle to keep pace with his fellow lefty.
The Hawk has lost six of his last seven matches against Trump and there have been games which have ended in 6-1 and 4-1 victories for the Ace.
The 2013 World Championship runner-up progressed past China's Lei Peifan in round one of the Shanghai Masters, but that contest was tied at 4-4 and it wasn't a convincing success against a pretty limited performer.
Hawkins has the class to be a threat on his day and the Hawk did win the Welsh Open last season, but there were also a number of disappointing efforts, with consistency lacking at this stage of his career.
At 4/6, Trump can be fancied to beat Hawkins giving him a 1.5-frame start on the handicap.
Alternative Bet: Judd Trump to win 6-2 @ 5/1
At 5/1, backing Trump to win 6-2 on the correct score market can also be considered.
The Ace was a 6-1 winner over the Hawk in the quarter-finals of the Masters two years ago and previously downed the Kent cueman 4-1 in the Northern Ireland Open.
The 2019 world champion was a 5-2 victor over the Hawk in the 2023 World Open and that success started a run which has seen Trump win six of his last seven matches against Hawkins.
It's clear from the previous contests between the cuemen that the Ace can run out a wide-margin winner against the 47-year-old.
If Trump gets into his break-building rhythm in this last-16 contest against the Hawk he could draw clear and a 6-2 punt rates as the best correct score option.
Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins H2H Record & Stats
Judd Trump | 21 |
Barry Hawkins | 15 |
Key Match Stats
Judd Trump has won six of his last seven matches against Barry Hawkins
Hawkins has won only two matches in his last three visits to the Shanghai Masters
Trump is a former winner and a three-time Shanghai Masters runner-up
Trump won 45 of the 62 matches he played last season
Hawkins lost 197 of the 440 frames he contested last term
Trump has been ranked as world number one at the start of four of the last seven seasons
Read more snooker betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
