Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Judd Trump (file photo).Alamy Stock Photo FreeWorld Snooker Championship Judd Trump punishes Mark Williams errors to gain upper hand in semi-final clash A tense start to the match was filled with mistakes. 11.14pm, 1 May 2025 Share options JUDD TRUMP PUNISHED a series of costly errors from Mark Williams to build a 5-3 lead in their World Snooker Championship semi-final at the Crucible. A tense start to the match was filled with mistakes and it was a missed routine black by Williams in the eighth frame that enabled Trump to establish a healthy overnight advantage. The world number one produced comfortably his worst session of the tournament so far but he finished strongly, even if at times he rode his luck against his 50-year-old opponent from Wales. The edgy tone for the evening was set in a eventful opener that was ultimately won by Williams’ break of 73, but he needed a fortuitous red when escaping a snooker to put an end to Trump’s fightback. Advertisement The caginess continued into a second frame lasting 39 minutes that saw Williams pay the price for an aggressive approach that resulted in an important missed blue. Trump also took the third after succeeding with a three-ball plant and punishing errors by Williams, although the 35-year-old Bristolian’s play lacked conviction. When the interval arrived, Williams had drawn level 2-2 after producing a break of 116 and the roller-coaster play continued with mistakes made time and again as the score moved to 3-3. There was no let-up in the tension with neither player able to seize control of the session and in the seventh frame Trump received a good slice of luck as having been presented with the trickiest of snookers, on the third attempt he fluked a red into the bottom right pocket. Trump took a hard fought frame that both had ample chances to win and when Williams missed an easy black in the eighth, the Englishman pounced to compile a break of 109 that propelled him into a two-frame lead. In a gripping start to the other last-four clash, seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and first-time semi-finalist Zhao Xintong were deadlocked on 4-4. O’Sullivan’s pedigree and experience on the big stage did not deter Zhao, who took a 2-0 lead and then finished impressively with a break of 86 – the highest of the match to date – to leave things all square after the initial leg of their best-of-33 contest. With moments to go in the afternoon’s play, Zhao broke a corner runner with a powerful shot to leave balls rolling around the carpet as he applied the finishing touches. Earlier O’Sullivan, who considered his previous 13-9 win over Si Jiahui to be a let-off, won three frames in a row and at one stage stopped his opponent registering a point for almost 34 minutes. Press Association Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Judd Trump punishes Mark Williams errors to gain upper hand in semi-final clash”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Judd Trump punishes Mark Williams errors to gain upper hand in semi-final clash”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion World Snooker Championship News in 60 seconds Freegaa team news Kerry make six changes for Munster football final, Limerick name team to face Waterford Freeon the cusp Tottenham take control of Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt FreeBlue murder Chelsea cruise to 4-1 win at Djurgarden to put one foot in Conference League final FreeEuro Vision Manchester United thrash Athletic Bilbao to close in on Europa League final FreeMatch Report Nottingham Forest beaten at home by Brentford as Champions League hopes dented Lions series success has become rare. Farrell is determined to change that Freeback-to-back Teahupoo delivers again for Gordon Elliott, defending crown at Punchestown the best laid plans 'One of them dropped out' - Hallgrimsson's innovative May friendlies idea scuppered FreeGame Recognise Game Fin Smith and Sam Prendergast: Lions rivals but 'loosely in touch' since first meeting in 2022 Gavan Casey Match Officials Piardi, Amashukeli, and O’Keeffe to referee Lions Tests Freegaa team news Kerry make six changes for Munster football final, Limerick name team to face Waterford more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account