In a fitting conclusion to this week's action, Judd Trump will face Ronnie O'Sullivan in the Shanghai Masters final after both were comfortable enough winners on semi-finals day.
Trump reached what will be his third final in Shanghai by overcoming Jack Lisowski in the first last four tie, while O'Sullivan beat John Higgins in their third meeting in the last four events to make a final in China for the first time since winning this title back in 2009.
Trump went 2-0 ahead early on in his semi-final aided by runs of 52 and 70 but in his first ever full ranking semi-final, Lisowski hit back quickly making a 79 in the third frame on the way to levelling the match at 2-2 going into the mid-session interval.
The match high break came in frame five as Trump loaded up a break of 105 to regain the advantage, but a nice 55 in the sixth was enough for Lisowski to pull himself level again with his good friend. Successive frames again saw Trump pull away and take a 5-3 lead, putting him just a frame away from the final.
Lisowski did look like staying in the game and pulling the score back to 4-5, but an under-hit positional shot from yellow to green left Lisowski having to play safe 25 ahead with 25 left. Trump would win a black ball battle to force the re-spot after Lisowski missed a long attempt that rattled in both bottom corner pocket jaws. Then a mis-hit safety from the last four rookie left the twice runner-up a shot at the re-spot from mid-distance and it was the sort of shot that Trump usually buries, and this occasion was to see no exception.
Then it was the turn of O'Sullivan and Higgins, as the Scotsman looked to avenge the 6-0 drubbing handed out by the five times world champion in last week's Champion of Champions quarter-finals. When a scrappy opening frame went to Higgins he was already better off than a week earlier, but things were not to improve hugely when he found himself 3-1 down at the mid-session interval. A run of 79 in the second was followed by a sublime 67 in the third frame.
79 from Higgins after the break got him back in it at 2-3, but O'Sullivan's two frame lead was soon restored, and then in frame seven a big blow was landed. A run of 50 from Higgins was not enough to take the frame and O'Sullivan came from behind to take it on the colours and move one away from the final at 5-2. As always, he then saved his best until last by compiling a superb break of 123 to close out victory and set up a fan favourite final.
Semi-Final results:
Judd Trump 6-3 Jack Lisowski
Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-2 John Higgins
The Final:
Judd Trump Vs Ronnie O'Sullivan (Best-of-19 frames)
This will be the 15th meeting between Trump and O'Sullivan (outside of Championship and Premier Leagues) and the previous 14 have been shared equally between the two. This will also be the fifth time they have played in a major final, and the previous four of those have also been halved. O'Sullivan overcame Trump twice at the back end of 2014 in the Champion of Champions and UK Championship finals while Trump was triumphant in the 2015 World Grand Prix and 2016 European Masters final. Two of those finals went to deciding frames, while the others were both 10-7 so those stats would suggest a close match.
Prior to O'Sullivan's 6-5 win in the Hong Kong Masters semi-finals in the summer, Trump was on a three match winning streak over the Rocket which suggests the stage when this was a "Master and his apprentice" type battle has long since gone.
This is very much a worthy final as the pair have been far and away the best players of the week. Trump has reached this stage for the loss of just the three frames he conceded in the semi-finals, while O'Sullivan has come back strong from defeat in the Champion of Champions final to make his second final in a week, only dropping six frames himself despite playing his five games in the space of three days.
Make no mistake, this would be a valuable victory for O'Sullivan to prove he can get the job done in China, with this being his first ranking event final in China for eight years, in which time he has made 11 ranking finals in the UK and Europe. However, it was this tournament that he won in 2009 after falling short a year earlier in Shanghai to Ricky Walden. Trump meanwhile is also in his third Shanghai final having lost the previous two to John Higgins in 2012 and Kyren Wilson in 2015, both 10-9.
Whatever the outcome, this could well be one of the great finals and should provide more than a fitting end to what has been a great week of snooker.
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