Snooker Results: Players Championship semi-finals set at Telford as Yuan stuns Trump in Hong Kong
The latest snooker results show the Players Championship has reached its final four at the Telford International Centre, while a separate event in Hong Kong produced an upset as Yuan sank world No. 1 Judd Trump. The semi-finals at Telford now set up two high-profile clashes that will decide the title contender.
Snooker Results: semi-final line-up at Telford
A field that began with 16 players drawn from the one-year rankings has been whittled to four competitors at the Players Championship 2026 held at the Telford International Centre. The tournament contains three former Players Championship winners among the final foursome, in addition to the reigning world champion, who is on course to make back-to-back ranking triumphs on the calendar.
Higgins and Trump renew a rivalry that dates to 2011
John Higgins and Judd Trump will meet in one semi-final, renewing a rivalry that effectively dates back to the 2011 World Championship final in Sheffield. Higgins, approaching 51, remains a four-time world champion and reached the final of the Masters in January. He reached the Players Championship field after being promoted from 17th at the cut-off when Ronnie O'Sullivan chose not to enter, and he booked his place in the last four with wins over Neil Robertson and Chris Wakelin.
Trump, the world number one and 36 years old, has collected a quantity of titles over the last decade and ended a 14-month title drought with success at the German Masters. He has looked strong in Telford, following a heavy win over Zhou Yuelong with a 6-3 quarter-final defeat of Mark Williams. Higgins and Trump last met in a 6-5 thriller at Alexandra Palace, a tight result that underlines how closely matched the pair remain.
Zhao Xintong to face Mark Allen in the other semi
Zhao Xintong, 28, is the favourite in form for many observers after winning his first title as world champion at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship and adding the World Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago. Zhao appeared in danger early at Telford when he trailed Elliot Slessor 5-2 in the first round, but he fought back to win in a deciding frame and then beat Shaun Murphy 6-3 in the quarter-finals.
His reward is a semi-final against Mark Allen, who entered the event as a 20/1 outsider despite having won the Players Championship a couple of years ago.
Yuan upsets world No. 1 Trump in Hong Kong; O'Sullivan praises Wu
Separately, Yuan produced an upset in Hong Kong by defeating the world No. 1, Judd Trump. In other news from recent coverage, Ronnie O'Sullivan heaped praise on Wu, saying, "This kid is really special, " and referring to Wu as a future "world champion. "
The Players Championship semi-finals at the Telford International Centre are the next confirmed events on the schedule: Higgins will face Trump in one semi, and Zhao Xintong will meet Mark Allen in the other.
