World Snooker Championship semi final preview: Mark Selby in the driving seat

The World Snooker Championships is at the business end and with pre-tournament favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan out of the reckoning, a window of opportunity has opened for the others.

The semi-finals take place across three days from Thursday to Saturday as the players fight for a place in Monday final.

We preview the matchups below.

Luca Brecel v Si Jiahui

This matchup offers an opportunity for two lesser-known players to showcase their abilities on the big stage as the World Numbers 10 and 80 respectively go head-to-head, with Brecel the odds-on favourite at 1/2.

Luca Brecel looked to be all but eliminated in his quarter final match against World Number One, and seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan when he found himself 10-6 down. The Belgian pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent times as he won seven unanswered sets to win 13-10.

Given his easier semi-final opponent, Brecel is 11/10 second favourite for the Championship. Having never made it past the first round at this tournament before Brecel will likely just be grateful at the chance of making it to the final weekend at The Crucible.

World Number 80, Si Jiahui, is the lowest ranked player left in the tournament. At just 20 years old he would never have expected to come this far and will relish being the 7/1 underdog for the championship.

Jiahui heads into the semi final as the underdog at 8/5 but with serious momentum and a sense of having nothing to lose, a miracle win from snooker’s rising star cannot be discounted.

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Mark Allen v Mark Selby

A slightly less surprising clash sees two of the world’s top three take each other on for the 23rd time in their careers.

The history between these players couldn’t be closer. In 22 previous meetings each player has won 11 with no ties. With Selby currently being higher in the rankings he is favourite for this matchup at 4/7.

Selby didn’t disappoint in his quarter final match against World Number 11 John Higgins, as he dispatched of the four-time champion with a score of 13-7. Selby showed no mercy against one of snooker’s best ever and he will be looking to carry this momentum through to the end of the tournament

Mark Selby is a household name in snooker, and with three World Championships under his belt the Englishman is the 11/10 favourite to make it three Championship wins in four years at The Crucible.

Mark Allen had a slightly tighter quarter final affair as he beat Jak Jones in an assured yet not necessarily comfortable victory. Having never won a World Championship, Allen’s lack of winning experience makes him third favourite at 7/2 for the tournament.

Despite their 50/50 history, Allen is the underdog for this match at 11/8. His less formidable performances and lower current World Ranking make him the underdog for this matchup but certainly don’t expect him to simply roll over. This semi-final looks the likeliest to provide the Championship victor.

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