The 2026 British Open semi-finals will be an all-British affair with three Englishmen and a Welshman still in the hunt for the £100,000 top prize.
Two wins separate the remaining four contenders from glory and lifting the Clive Everton Trophy at the Centaur in Chetenham this weekend.
Both semi-final ties follow a somewhat similar theme, with two former world champions and world number ones up against a couple of players hoping to become more consistent forces at the latter stages of events.
Let’s take a look at each of the upcoming last-four fixtures on Saturday.
Mark Selby vs Liam Highfield
Mark Selby thrashed local lad Jack Lisowski 5-0 in the quarter-finals on Friday, a marked change from his earlier struggles in the week.
Right throughout his career, Selby has established reputation of growing in stature as a tournament progresses, and having emerged from three deciding-frame thrillers at the start of the tournament, the same seems to be ringing true here.
Selby, the British Open champion two years ago, already has one ranking event title to his name from this season after triumphing at the China Open.
The 43 year-old will now have his eyes fixed on a possible 27th career ranking crown, and he will undoubtedly be a heavy favourite against next opponent Liam Highfield.
Highfield, who first turned professional way back in 2010, reached a maiden ranking event semi-final with a fine 5-2 defeat of a petulant Stan Moody in the last round.
The 35 year-old has long been considered as a journeyman in the sport, but his stock has been on the rise since teaming up with former German Masters champion Anthony Hamilton.
Highfield gave defending champion Zhao Xintong a run for his money at the Crucible Theatre and has produced some encouraging displays this term, especially in Cheltenham.
A victory over Selby at this point of a tournament would represent another significant step, but Highfield has just three wins from 11 previous meetings against the four-time world champion.
When is it? Saturday, September 5th at 13:00 BST
Judd Trump vs Jak Jones
The second semi-final encounter pits the 2026/27 snooker season’s first two champions against one another.
Jak Jones won Championship League Snooker in July to secure his first-ever ranking title on the World Snooker Tour, while Judd Trump won the prestigious Shanghai Masters in China shortly after.
Trump laid down a marker on Friday by thumping Zhao Xintong 5-1, sending out a message to the Chinese star who just last week replaced him as snooker’s world number one.
The 37 year-old can’t quite regain the top spot on the official list this week, but collecting the main prize on Sunday would significantly narrow the gap again.
Jones, meanwhile, is looking like a far more consistent player after joining the winners’ enclosure, ending more than two years of bad form following his surprising run to the World Championship final in 2024.
The 33 year-old memorably ousted Trump in the quarter-finals of that edition in Sheffield, but that’s one of only two victories he boasts over the Bristol potter from nine previous attempts.
Jones, who beat Aaron Hill 5-4 in the last eight, is a much more dangerous prospect than he was a few months ago.
Trump, though, looks determined to remind everyone that, although he has slipped down to world number five, he remains the sport’s most prolific winner.
When is it? Saturday, September 5th at 19:00 BST
Featured photo credit: WST
