World Snooker Championship 2025: Judd Trump Wary of Burnout Ahead of 2022 Semi-Final Rematch with Mark Williams

Judd Trump cruised into the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship with a composed 13-8 victory over defending champion Luca Brecel — and broke a major record in the process.

The world No.1, chasing a second Crucible crown, delivered a performance of control and class as he dismantled the 2023 title-winner to reach his sixth career semi-final on snooker’s biggest stage.

The clash was a game of three parts. Trump stormed into a commanding 5-1 lead, showcasing his break-building brilliance with centuries of 106 and 110. But Brecel, ever the entertainer, battled back by taking six consecutive frames — including sublime breaks of 114 and 128 — to edge ahead at 7-5.

From there, Trump shifted through the gears. He found another level to win eight of the next nine frames and seal a 13-8 win, knocking out the Belgian Bullet with authority.

Trump Shrugs Off Record 

It was another dominant outing in a record-breaking season. In his previous match, Trump reached the remarkable milestone of 100 centuries for the campaign, becoming just the second player in history to record a “century of centuries” after Neil Robertson in 2013/14. That feat also earned him a £100,000 bonus.

Robertson made 103 centuries that season, sealing the landmark with a ton against Trump himself. Trump, who previously hit 102 centuries in the 2019/20 campaign, has now gone one better.

And in the 18th frame against Brecel, Trump hammered in a break of 116 to bring up his 104th century of the season — breaking Robertson’s record for the most centuries ever in a single campaign.

But in typical fashion, the Bristolian shrugged off the achievement.

“Yeah, it’s not very important. I don’t really care about that record. I was just happy to make the breaks at the important time. No matter what they were, it was just about digging in and putting him them under pressure.”

Wary of Williams Repeat Burnout 

Trump now sets up a mouthwatering semi-final rematch with three-time world champion Mark Williams — a repeat of their 2022 thriller that went all the way to a deciding frame. On that occasion, Trump edged out the Welsh great 17-16 in what has since been hailed as one of the Crucible’s all-time classic matches.

Williams had looked out of the contest at 7-1 down, before mounting a stunning comeback to lead 16-15, only for Trump to rally and steal the last two frames.

This time, the pair meet again after Williams battled past fellow ‘Class of ’92’ legend John Higgins in another dramatic decider, winning 13-12.

Should Trump advance past Williams once more, there’s the mouthwatering prospect of a final showdown with Ronnie O’Sullivan — provided the Rocket can beat Zhao Xintong in the other semi-final.

Trump still carries mental scars from that 2022 semi-final against Williams, even though he won the match — admitting it drained him so badly it impacted his performance in the final, where he lost to O’Sullivan.

“I just remember how drained I was. I remember doing an interview after and I couldn’t breathe. It was so nerve wracking being involved in that.”

“I just felt so drained the next day, it was a horrible feeling against Ronnie [in the 2022 final] because I just had nothing left."

This time around, Trump believes he might hold a slight edge — noting that Williams looked similarly spent after his own quarter-final epic against Higgins.

“I kind of saw how I felt in Mark [Williams] earlier after he finished that game against John [Higgins].”

“It’s like coming through a 12-round fight and then having to fight again the next day. It’s very, very difficult. There’s a great lineup in the semi-finals whatever happens now.”

Trump Weighs in on All-Time Greats 

To conclude, we asked Trump for his overall opinion on Williams and how he views the Welshman’s place among snooker’s all-time greats. 

After his quarter-final victory over Higgins, Williams downplayed his own legacy, saying he’s never been a fan of the ‘Class of ’92’ label — believing that O’Sullivan and Higgins have always been on another level and that he doesn’t deserve to be mentioned alongside them.

“Yeah, I’ve never really liked it. I’ve always said that them two they’re the two best players in the world ever,” Williams told SportsBoom.co.uk. 

And Trump gave a typically honest verdict when asked whether he agreed with that assessment.

“It’s difficult. I would put them two [O’Sullivan & Higgins] first. [Stephen] Hendry is out of the equation for me because I never really played him.”

“In terms of them three, he’s just behind.”

“If he was to win the worlds this time, beat me and play well, maybe I’ll have a different opinion.”