The 2025 Wuhan Open semi-finals will feature four players who all have experience of raising a ranking event trophy aloft.
Two wins are needed from here on out at the Optics Valley Gymnasium to land the 2025/26 snooker season’s third ranking crown, and with it a £140,000 top prize.
It promises to be a fascinating penultimate day in China with the format for the semi-finals increasing to the best of 11 frames.
Let’s take a brief look at both Wuhan Open semi-finals.
Xiao Guodong vs Mark Williams
Defending champion Xiao Guodong is putting up a superb defence of the maiden ranking title he won a year ago at this event.
The 36 year-old compiled a 147 break in his first outing with Mink Nutcharut and reached the last four courtesy of a 5-2 defeat of Stan Moody on Thursday.
Xiao skipped the recent Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, giving up a lucrative opportunity to instead compete at the World Games where he won a gold medal for China.
He is certainly making up for lost time at what is turning into arguably his favourite event on the calendar.
A terrific stat that highlights Xiao’s recent rise is how he’s into his sixth tournament semi-final in the last two years after making the same amount in his previous 16 years as a pro.
Standing in his way of a return to the final is Mark Williams, who as the fifth seed represents the highest left in the running this year.
Williams continues to point to developing problems with his eyesight and energy levels, but those issues haven’t stopped him from producing on the baize.
The 50 year-old, who thrashed Zhang Anda 5-1 in the quarter-finals, would become the oldest winner of a ranking event if he were to emerge with the trophy in his hands on Saturday.
Williams and Xiao last crossed paths in the final of the Champion of Champions where the former prevailed with a 10-6 triumph.
Overall, the Welshman boasts a superior 5-1 head-to-head advantage with Xiao’s only success coming in the short-format Championship League Snooker invitational.
When is it? Friday, August 29th at 7am UTC+1 (BST)
Gary Wilson vs Mark Allen
The second fixture in the Wuhan Open semi-finals pits 11-time ranking event winner Mark Allen against three-time champion Gary Wilson.
It marks the first time in 2025 that both players have reached the last four of a ranking tournament.
Allen continued his rejuvenated run with a dramatic 5-4 defeat of Si Jiahui on Thursday, while Wilson edged John Higgins with a 5-3 scoreline.
Wilson is chasing a return to the top 16 of the world rankings and would usurp Shaun Murphy into 16th if he were to reach Saturday’s final.
Allen remains inside the elite bracket as things stand, but with plenty of ranking points to come off his rolling two-year tally this term, the Pistol is provisionally outside the automatic spots in the Race to the Crucible standings.
There’s plenty of time between now and the World Championship for the Northern Irishman to fix that issue, but he’d still rather safeguard his status earlier rather than later.
Allen has beaten Wilson on six of the nine previous occasions they’ve faced each other, including each of the last three.
When is it? Friday, August 29th at 12:30pm UTC+1 (BST)
2025 Wuhan Open draw
Round of 16 (bo9)
Xiao Guodong 5-2 Matthew Selt
Barry Hawkins 0-5 Stan Moody
Mark Williams 5-3 Mark Selby
Zhang Anda 5-4 Aaron Hill
Judd Trump 4-5 Gary Wilson
Tom Ford 1-5 John Higgins
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 1-5 Mark Allen
Si Jiahui 5-2 Stephen Maguire
Quarter-Finals (bo9)
Xiao Guodong 5-2 Stan Moody
Mark Williams 5-1 Zhang Anda
Gary Wilson 5-3 John Higgins
Mark Allen 5-3 Si Jiahui
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Xiao Guodong vs Mark Williams
Friday, 7am UTC+1 (BST)
Gary Wilson vs Mark Allen
Friday, 12:30pm UTC+1 (BST)
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Featured photo credit: WST
