Defending champion Kyren Wilson will face world number one Judd Trump in the 2026 Shanghai Masters final on Sunday in China.
A blockbuster title-deciding battle pits a pair of esteemed Englishmen against each other, with the £210,000 top prize on the line at the Luwan Gymnasium.
Wilson moved to within one win of a successful defence of the prestigious invitational crown with a hard-fought 10-8 semi-final triumph over Zhao Xintong on Saturday.
In a ding-dong and high-scoring affair, the 2024 world champion compiled a hat-trick of century breaks and won the last four frames to overturn a late deficit.
Indeed, it was the third match on the trot where Wilson demonstrated his resilience and never-say-die attitude late in a game.
Trump, meanwhile, looked to be in fine form as he dismantled the challenge of reigning world champion Wu Yize in Friday’s first semi-final clash.
The 36 year-old tallied a brace of tons and made several other frame-winning contributions in orchestrating a 10-6 glory over the world number four.
It sets up a mouthwatering climax to the week’s action with 2024 champion Trump and Wilson rekindling their long-held rivalry against one another.
Their head-to-head almost dates back to this very fixture in 2015 when the Shanghai Masters was previously staged as a ranking event.
On that occasion, a mostly unknown Wilson emerged from the first round of qualifiers to stun Trump 10-9 in the final and secure his maiden professional crown.
A few years later in the midst of numerous high-profile encounters, the duo exchanged heated words through the media and a fierce rivalry was born.
Since then, a mutual respect has developed with the outcomes from plenty of important matches going one way or the other.
Trump leads their overall head-to-head record with 20 triumphs to Wilson’s 17, but it would be fair to say that the latter has enjoyed the upper hand when they have faced off at this stage of tournaments.
Wilson has, in fact, won four out of the five finals they have contested – including their most recent tie at the 2025 Players Championship final.
The scoreline that day read 10-9 in Wilson’s favour and there is every chance that the 2026 Shanghai Masters final could be just as close and compelling.
Both players have been scoring heavily throughout the week – helped by what appears to be much kinder conditions than normal.
They have combined to make a dozen century breaks since they each entered the fray in the round of 16, and over a 21-frame final they are both bound to add to those tallies.
Yet the result may just come down to the nitty-gritty of the last few frames where the contender who holds his nerve the most will ultimately come out on top.
It promises to be a firecracker finale with each player attempting to get their 2026/27 snooker seasons off to the best possible start.
The 2026 Shanghai Masters takes place over the best-of-21 frames on Sunday, August 2, with sessions beginning at 07:00am and 12:30pm BST.
Featured photo credit: WST
Congratulations to Kyren Wilson for his semi-final win. Kyren and his family have been through plenty over the years which I could relate to. Unlike his fellow Brits (Ronnie O’ Sullivan, Judd Trump and Matt Selt) that decided to leave there home country and not give back to the English sport that made them stars, Kyren has tackled both the good and bad that you typically find in a democratic society and is a bright example what a strong family core can gain you. In January Kyren Wilson and his wife Sophie along with The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) announced a program to help snooker players and their families with support as the need arises. He is looking for his second Shanghai Open back to back.
Good luck to both in the final.
It was hard to watch with the way Kyren Wilson lost. The game was much closer than the scored indicates. At one point in the evening session Kyren was way up on points but way down in frames won. Judd Trump came back with potting colours to edge out Wilson 4 or 5 times in the match. I would like to ask the (statistician) Jay Bannon to confirm the commentator was Neil Foulds. Either way I really like this commentator.
Yes, Foulds did the second session with Dave Hendon.
Thank You Sir.
It’s Brannon!
The last time a non-English player won the Shanghai Masters was Ding Junhui in 2016.
I am so sorry Brannon. It is good to have you back. About 20 years ago I became a group owner of race horses. I was so dedicated to facts and stats that they started calling me the statistician, If it is okay with you, I will refer to you as the statistician from time to time. Jay you definitely are qualified.
Also no disrespect Jay Brannon, but I sometimes compare you to a very special track handicapper that is very well known by the name of Jim Bannon. What can I say, getting old is hard.