The cream has risen to the top at the Shanghai Masters and this quarter-final features two former winners of the event in world number one Judd Trump and legendary Scot John Higgins.
Trump won this title in 2024, defeating Shaun Murphy in the final, while Higgins’ sole success in Shanghai came back in 2012 when he got the better of Trump in the final.
Both players should have strong ambitions of adding a second win in Shanghai and Trump impressed in recording a 6-4 victory over Barry Hawkins in the last round, posting breaks of 138, 106 and 81.
Higgins needed a final-frame decider to see off Jack Lisowski 6-5 but that is testament to his character and breaks of 83, 57, 56 and 53 show that he has hit the ground running.
Judd Trump v John Higgins Tips Summary
Best Bet - Over 9.5 frames @ 1/1
Alternative Bet - Under 1.5 centuries @ 6/4
Judd Trump v John Higgins Prediction
Best Bet: Over 9.5 frames @ 1/1
These two superstars have met twice in 2026 and both rivalries, played over this best-of-11 format, narrowly went Higgins’ way.
Higgins edged past Trump 6-5 in the semi-final of the Masters in January and he won by that scoreline again when they locked horns in the last four of the Players Championship in February.
The fact that they are locked level at 28 wins apiece in a long, illustrious personal series shows how evenly matched they can be and Higgins’ ability to grind out results should stand him in good stead.
Trump has the flair and the scoring power but Higgins tends to make the most of his opportunities and won’t go down without a fight.
Trump was made to work hard by Hawkins in his opener, having come through that 6-4, while Higgins fended off a late fightback from Lisowski to edge it 6-5.
Alternative Bet: Under 1.5 centuries @ 6/4
If Higgins is to record a third straight win over Trump then he may have to rely on the safest aspect of his game and turn this contest somewhat scrappy.
Trump has the ability to blow away anybody on his day and if he gets on a scoring trail then this could be one-way traffic.
However, Higgins has long been one of the best at pinching tight frames and capitalising on mistakes from his opponents.
Even though the last two meetings have finished 6-5 to Higgins, those rivalries featured just one century in total and it may be about getting the job done rather than a series of big breaks.
Higgins overcame Lisowski 6-5 in his Shanghai Masters opener but his highest break was just 83 and he failed to register another knock over 57.
Trump had two centuries in beating Hawkins but Higgins will surely make it much tougher for the world number one.
Judd Trump v John Higgins H2H Record & Stats
Judd Trump | 28 |
John Higgins | 28 |
Draws | 1 |
Key Match Stats
The last six meetings over this best-of-11 format went over 9.5 total frames
Three of the last five rivalries went to a deciding frame
Higgins has won 14 of his last 19 matches
Trump has won seven of his last nine rivalries with Higgins, although the Scot has triumphed in the last two
There have been only two centuries across the last three meetings between the pair
Trump has lost only three of his last 13 matches
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.
