Players Championship snooker 2025 LIVE RESULTS: Higgins vs Xiao & Robertson vs Wilson TONIGHT after Trump win – updates
THE Players Championship is racing towards the business end of the tournament ahead of the final on Sunday!
World No1 Judd Trump secured his spot in the semi-finals after he thrashed Shaun Murphy in an epic 6-0 whitewash. Trump will meet one of Xiao Guodong or John Higgins - who play at 1pm on Friday - in the last four on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Australian Neil Robertson beat Mark Selby 6-3 in Thursday's opener to progress to the semi-finals, where he will face Kyren Wilson on Friday night.
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'My eyes have gone'
Mark Williams managed to grind out a win against Ding Junhui last night with neither player at their best.
The top break in the game was 64 from Williams, while Ding had a crucial miss on the brink of making it 3-2 but failed to win another frame.
Williams said: "t was tough. Not great. Ding struggled as well, but I’m over the moon with the win."
The three-time world champion - who turns 50 this week - then revealed he is struggling with his eyesight.
"My eyes have gone," he added, "In the last six months they have deteriorated rapidly.
"Every single shot is blurry to me now, whether it is a straight black off the spot or an easy blue. I’m guessing.
"I’ll have to look into it after the World Championship and see if I can get something done.
"How I won that game I don’t know. The lights magnify it a lot more. I can’t see anything."
Credit: Getty More from Wilson
Speaking on Monday night, he added: "I feel like I’m getting a free hit at tournaments now as I’ve won the biggest of them all.
"Nothing will ever compare to [winning the world title], but when you get a hunger for winning you want to do it more."
Wilson confident
Kyren Wilson was down 3-1 to defending champion Mark Allen on Monday night but managed to secure a stunning win to set up a quarter-final clash with Mark Williams.
The reigning world champion reeled off five straight frames to KO The Pistol.
He said: "I’ve thrived from being World Champion and I’ve enjoyed all of this season.
"It has just given me so much confidence and it hasn’t been a burden on me.
"When you carry that confidence, you can transfer it onto the table and you can almost transfer it into your opponent’s minds.
"I feel like I’ve done that a lot this season. If you cower away in events against these top players then they will eat you alive.
"I’m pleased with how I managed to handle it."
Players Championship order of play:
So, what’s coming up these next few days…
All times GMT
Round One
Tuesday, March 18
13:00
- Neil Robertson vs Stuart Bingham
- Mark Selby vs Si Jiahui
19:00
- Judd Trump vs Lei Peifan
- Barry Hawkins vs Shaun Murphy
Wednesday, March 19
13:00
- Xiao Guodong vs Wu Yize
- John Higgins vs Chris Wakelin
Credit: Rex Williams and Wilson THROUGH
It's not to be for Irishman and defending champion Allen on St Patrick's Day as world champion Kyren Wilson is able to see out the topsy-turvy contest and win the final and decisive frame.
Tense early frames didn't faze Mark Williams as he wrapped a comfortable end to his evening against Ding Junhui - winning the last four.
- Mark Williams 6-2 Ding Junhui
- Kyren Wilson 6-3 Mark Allen
Kyren Wilson 5-3 Mark Allen
Wilson closes out the eight frame with a double.
Needs one more to win.
Whilst, Williams chugs along in his game against Ding Junhui as the Welshman is up by three, also needs one more.
Credit: Rex Last-16 – latest scores
In typical champions fashion, Allen finds a way to get back into this game.
There was no doubt Wilson had him in an uncomfortable place but misses from his cue has given the defending champion the initiative he needed in this.
On the other table, Williams re-takes his lead.
- Mark Williams 3-2 Ding Junhui
- Kyren Wilson 3-3 Mark Allen
Mark Williams 2-2 Ding Junhui
On this match, Williams would take the third before his Chinese opponent nicknamed The Dragon responded with an 81 to level.
Back from the interval.
Remember, best out of 11 frames wins.
Last-16 - latest scores
On the interval, Wilson opens up his advantage in this one with a 93% pot success.
Elsewhere, Williams and Junhui are locked in their third frame but the former looks set to take it.
- Mark Williams 1 (58-6) 1 Ding Junhui
- Kyren Wilson 3-1 Mark Allen
Kyren Wilson 1-1 Mark Allen
Defending champion Allen has roared back into this contest to see out the frame with a total clearance of 125.
Credit: Getty Kyren Wilson 1-0 Mark Allen
In dogged fashion, Wilson takes control of the first frame and dosen't let go. Junhui is also one-up across the arena.
Mark Williams 0-1 Ding Junhui
Latest scores
Not a whole lot of exciting stuff going on either table.
Both sets of players, as you would expect, are engaging in a feeling out process in the opening frame.
- Mark Williams 0 (35-66) 0 Ding Junhui
- Kyren Wilson 0 (34-39) 0 Mark Allen
Last-16 action begins NOW
We are underway in tonight's two last-16 games, with our main focus on Kyren Wilson and Mark Allen.
- Mark Williams v Ding Junhui
- Kyren Wilson v Mark Allen
Players Championship order of play:
So, what's coming up these next few days...
All times GMT
Monday, March 17
Round One
19:00
- Mark Williams v Ding Junhui
- Kyren Wilson v Mark Allen
Tuesday, March 18
13:00
- Neil Robertson v Stuart Bingham
- Mark Selby v Si Jiahui
19:00
- Judd Trump v Lei Peifan
- Barry Hawkins v Shaun Murphy
Wednesday, March 19
13:00
- Xiao Guodong v Wu Yize
- John Higgins v Chris Wakelin
Some pre-match reading
Including Neil Robertson and the man Shaun Murphy claims is a ‘cheat code’:
Players Championship snooker prize money
A whopping total of £500,000 is up for grabs this week in Telford.
It's a huge rise from last year's tournament, which had a pot of £385,000.
Here is a FULL breakdown of the half-a-million-pound kitty.
- Winner: £150,000
- Runner-up: £70,000
- Semi-finals: £35,000
- Quarter-finals: £20,000
- Last 16: £15,000
- High break: £10,000
- Total: £500,000
Opening night
Evening and welcome to the first night of this year’s Players Championship.
The last time out in elite snooker, Neil Robertson produced a stunning performance to whitewash Stuart Bingham in the World Grand Prix final - those two will meet again for play tomorrow.
Joined by world No.1 Judd Trump, who will headline the top 16-strong pack as he seeks to taste success again.
So will Mark Allen, who was the champion in the last edition of this tournament. Whilst Ronnie O'Sullivan will be absent once again.
Telford, as it did last year, will play host for the next seven days - underway at 7pm with Mark Williams v Ding Junhui and Kyren Wilson v Mark Allen.
Credit: Getty