Kyren Wilson and Zhao Xintong will battle for a place in the final of the Shanghai Masters when they meet at the last-four stage of the invitational event on Saturday morning.
A clash against Judd Trump awaits the winner and a £210,000 first prize is up for grabs in the China showdown.
Kyren Wilson v Zhao Xintong Tips Summary
Best Bet - Kyren Wilson to win @ 11/5
Alternative Bet - Kyren Wilson to win 10-8 @ 11/1
Kyren Wilson v Zhao Xintong Prediction
Best Bet: Kyren Wilson to win @ 11/5
Kyren Wilson’s love affair with the Shanghai Masters shows no sign of ending and the defending champion is only two matches away from another title.
The Warrior has won six straight matches in the invitational event and it’s clear that he feels at home in China.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was beaten 6-4 in Wilson’s first assignment at this year’s Shanghai Masters in which the Warrior had to battle back from 4-3 down against the seven-time world champion.
Mark Williams, another multiple Crucible king, was downed 6-5 in the quarter-finals and Wilson appears to be operating at the peak of his game.
The 2024 world champion beat Zhao Xintong 10-5 at this stage of last year’s Shanghai Masters and punters should prepare for deja vu.
The invitational event increases to the best-of-19-frames at the semi-final stage, but a longer format is no hindrance to a cueman famed for his battling qualities.
Xintong is a top-level potter, who cruised past Ding Junhui 6-2 and Neil Robertson 6-0 on his way to the last four of the Shanghai Masters.
Those impressive wins catch the eye, but the Cyclone now faces his toughest test of the tournament against Wilson.
Xintong deserves to be favourite for the last-four showdown, but the 4/11 on offer looks too short.
At 11/5, Wilson is a bet to battle his way into a second successive Shanghai Masters final.
Alternative Bet: Kyren Wilson to win 10-8 @ 11/1
Kyren Wilson beat Zhao Xintong 10-5 at the semi-final stage of last year’s Shanghai Masters, but the scores could be a little closer 12 months later.
The Warrior is fancied to land a place against Judd Trump in the final, but Xintong made breaks of 85, 98, 102 and 117 in his 6-0 quarter-final success over Neil Robertson and the scoring power of the Cyclone is difficult to suppress.
Wilson will fancy his chances of nicking the scrappy frames, but keeping a classy operator like Xintong from scoring is a difficult task.
At 11/1, a chance can be taken on a 10-8 Wilson victory on the correct score market.
Kyren Wilson v Zhao Xintong H2H Record & Stats
Kyren Wilson | 4 |
Zhao Xintong | 3 |
Key Match Stats
- Kyren Wilson has won his last six Shanghai Masters matches
- Wilson has won four of his last six matches against Zhao Xintong
- Zhao Xintong has made four century breaks in his two Shanghai Masters matches
- The Cyclone has won 12 of the 14 frames he has contested at the Shanghai Masters
- The Warrior has made 10 breaks of more than 50 in his two matches at this year’s Shanghai Masters
- Three of the last four matches between these players have gone to a deciding frame
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.
