Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson: Prediction, Tips and Odds

World number one Judd Trump meets world number two Kyren Wilson in what is a clash of the titans for this UK Championship semi-final.

This is becoming quite the rivalry in snooker and Wilson has had Trump’s measure recently, winning 10-8 in the Grand Prix final in August and repeating the dose with a 9-3 victory in the Northern Ireland Open final.

Trump has had a tougher route to the semi-final, overcoming Neil Robertson, John Higgins and Zhang Anda, while he has had a stellar season with titles at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and the Shanghai Masters.

Wilson, meanwhile, has breezed past Stephen Maguire, Chris Wakelin and Michael Holt and he has handled the pressure of being world champion excellently, claiming silverware at the Xi'an Grand Prix and the Northern Ireland Open.

So this promises to be an epic last-four encounter and whoever prevails is likely to start a strong favourite for Sunday’s final, where they would meet either Barry Hawkins or Mark Allen.

Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson betting tips and predictions

Kyren Wilson to win - 13/10

Wilson is managing the pressure of being the reigning world champion supremely well and, if anything, it is making him go from strength to strength with two ranking titles this season highlighting the point.

The Warrior may have had a blessed passage to the final four, with matches against Maguire, Wakelin and Holt barely testing him, and as a result he has been below his brilliant best.

However, Wilson has had to use little mental strength to get this far and there is a sense that he has plenty more gears to go, something that a clash with Trump should bring out in him.

The Warrior sees Trump as his fiercest rival and preparation is always spot-on for the world number one, so expect Wilson to up his game.

He will need to do just that, however, as Trump looks full of belief following victories over Robertson, Higgins and Anda.

Trump is determined to add to the sole UK Championship triumph he claimed in 2011 and it would be a long overdue success for the world number one.

But Trump was beaten in last season’s semi-finals and there is a chance he may have met his match in Wilson, who has defeated the Juddernaut in their last two meetings.

Both of those victories for Wilson came in ranking finals over an extended format and, while this is a best-of-11, he still looks worth backing as an outsider.

The Warrior is a big-match player with a strong mentality and breaks of 89, 72, 72, 67 and 52 in his quarter-final win over Holt should have given him some belief to claim a notable scalp.

Wilson will pile the pressure on Trump and that is when he can start to miss some simple pots, something the Warrior will be well aware of.

Over 1.5 centuries - 1/2

Trump was at his free-flowing best against Anda in the quarter-final, winning 6-2 courtesy of breaks of 131, 126, 120 and 120, and although he will be under greater pressure against Wilson, a couple of centuries should be well within reach.

This has the potential to go the distance and, with 10 or 11 frames a strong possibility, there should be plenty of big breaks as the pair attempt to break their opponent.

Wilson hasn’t been at his high-scoring best, but in both meetings between the pair this season there have been two centuries and this encounter should follow suit.

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Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson odds

Judd Trump - 8/13
Kyren Wilson - 13/10

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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.