The Masters: semi-finals draw, preview, and schedule II
In the Masters semifinals on Saturday, Mark Williams will play Jack Lisowski, while Judd Trump will entertain Stuart Bingham. The elite invitational at the Alexandra Palace has reached the last four, and each player needs two more victories to claim victory in London. Before we start you can see part one of The Masters semi-finals here. Let’s examine both of the upcoming matches, beginning with the one in the top half of the Masters draw, as it looks to be an exciting penultimate day at the Ally Pally.
Stuart Bingham vs Judd Trump
It is reasonable to claim that Stuart Bingham and Judd Trump have advanced to this stage of the contest in various ways. Trump has been forced to rely on his battling skills while the former has largely demolished his two opponents thus far with a torrent of massive breaks. With a 6-5 victory over Barry Hawkins on Friday, the latter won in a second consecutive decisive game this week. On the other hand, a self-assured Bingham crushed Shaun Murphy 6-0 in a startlingly one-sided quarterfinal contest.
Trump and Bingham won the Masters in 2019 and 2020, respectively, so they’ll be motivated to have their names inscribed on the trophy once more. Bingham is likely setting the highest bar among the semi-finalists whereas Trump is categorically doing the opposite. In defeating Hawkins, the 33-year-old delivered two centuries, but there was also a lot of shoddy play.
However, there have been several occasions in the past where a player has made it through a tournament, perhaps unjustly, and gone on to win it all. Trump will be hoping that happens this week, but Bingham has unexpectedly found his best form again after a period of relative sluggishness. While Trump has an overall better head-to-head record, Bingham has won their two largest encounters. This combination has played many significant matches over the years.
On his way to winning the 2015 world championship, the 46-year-old overcame Trump in the semifinal. Two years later, he also edged off his fellow Englishman in the Welsh Open final.The fact that both of those ties required overtime to be decided may be a sign of how close this semifinal will be.
Mark Williams vs Jack Lisowski
On Saturday afternoon, Mark Williams and Jack Lisowski square off in the first of the two Masters semifinal matches. From the remaining four competitors, Lisowski is the only one who has never experienced Masters triumph. The fact that the 31-year-old is the top player in the world but hasn’t won any professional awards yet is becoming well known. Williams, in comparison, likely has a whole room set off for all the awards he has gathered over the years. The Welshman now has the chance to win his third Masters title. Which would be the first in 20 years, after defeating Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-5. Williams must be viewed as the favourite to move on from given his abundance of experience and, you’d have to say, a temperament that is considerably superior.
But logic would also imply that a player with extraordinary talent. Can only knock on a door so many times before being able to enter it. Lisowski has had numerous opportunities in the past to win over circumstances. He appears to be in the best possible position to do it this time. In The Masters semi finals he still exhibits nervousness in some significant situations. Has significantly developed since starting to work with Peter Ebdon in that area. The days when he would break down as soon as a match got close appear to be behind him. Williams has faced Lisowski seven times across all tournaments, and while Lisowski has triumphed three times. Williams has won both of their matches that have lasted a decent amount of time.
