Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson will contest the 2024 Northern Ireland Open final at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on Sunday.
The world numbers one and two will battle it out for the £100,000 top prize and the Alex Higgins Trophy.
It’s a piece of silverware that reigning champion Trump has already lifted a record four times in his career.
The Englishman thrashed Elliot Slessor 6-0 in Saturday’s second semi-final to extend his excellent record in the tournament.
Earlier on the penultimate day, Wilson fended off a sterner challenge from Pang Junxu to eventually overcome the young Chinese competitor with a 6-4 scoreline.
It sets up a repeat of the Xi’an Grand Prix final from earlier this season, where the world champion pipped Trump to glory by a couple of frames.
There is every chance that this showdown will be just as close with both players bidding to claim a second ranking title of the 2024/25 term.
Even though he lost that title-deciding affair in China, Trump still boasts a superior head-to-head record from their prior meetings overall.
The 35 year-old leads his countryman 18-13 from matches played in all competitions.
Interestingly, though, Wilson has won three out of the four finals in which they have encountered each other in the past.
It will take a while to catch Trump at the top of the world rankings list after the £500,000 cheque he pocketed for his triumph at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
But Wilson could close the gap with success in the Northern Ireland Open final, and a third ranking title of the 2024 calendar year would boost his credentials as the second-best player on the circuit at present.
There’s no doubting Trump’s status as the top dog at the moment, though, and he continues to be a constant presence at the business end of every event he plays in.
Trump has won seven titles in just over a year and hasn’t lost before the quarter-finals stage of a tournament in 2024 at all.
He will begin the Northern Ireland Open final as the slight favourite, not just because of that form but also on the back of his pedigree in Belfast.
But writing Wilson off would be foolish, as he proved in confident fashion with his come-from-behind victory over Trump in Xi’an.
Either way, it promises to be a fascinating climax to the second Home Nations tournament of the season.
2024 Northern Ireland Open
Sunday, October 27th
Final (bo17)
1pm and 7pm UTC
Judd Trump vs Kyren Wilson
Click here to view the full draw
(snooker.org)
Featured photo credit: WST
Trump appearing in a 47th ranking final. Wilson in his 16th.
It’s 12-10 to Trump when you take out the Championship League matches.
Wilson has won just three frames from his previous two Home Nations finals. He was outclassed 9-2 by Ronnie O’Sullivan in the 2017 English Open final. While Shaun Murphy battered him 9-1 in the 2020 Welsh Open final.