Snooker World Grand Prix 2025: Higgins Emerges Victorious Over World Champion Wilson - Trump Advances Alongside Freeloaders in the Quarterfinals
Rewritten Article:
Snooker World Grand Prix 2025: Exciting Moments and Surprising Results
By our talented team, last updated on: April 30, 2025.
The Snooker World Grand Prix 2025 has been a rollercoaster, with historical moments, bizarre scenes, and shocking outcomes. Here, we recap the tournament's progress and offer sports betting tips.
Championship Winner: Neil Robertson
In a nail-biting finale, Neil Robertson claimed the World Grand Prix 2025 title. He handily beat Stuart Bingham 10-0 in the final, including a century break. Robertson, who has now won two titles this season, securing a top-16 world ranking, effortlessly qualified for the upcoming Snooker World Championship 2025.
Quarterfinal Glory: John Higgins
Just a few hours ago, the highly anticipated clash between veterans John Higgins and Kyren Wilson took place. In the quarterfinals, Higgins, 49, trounced Wilson, 33, 4-2. Higgins' impressive performance included two century breaks of 143 and 100 points, demonstrating his superb form following his recent Snooker World Open victory.
Beating the reigning world champion Kyren Wilson can only boost Higgins' confidence even further. In the quarterfinals, Higgins will face the winner of the thrilling match between Barry Hawkins, 45, and Shaun Murphy, 42.
Bye for Judd Trump
While John Higgins had to battle it out with Kyren Wilson, Judd Trump, 35, enjoyed a bye. Originally slated to face Jack Lisowski, 33, Trump's match was called off when Lisowski withdrew from the tournament for personal reasons. The WST announced Lisowski's absence on the evening of March 6:
"Jack Lisowski has withdrawn from the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong for personal reasons. Trump will now receive a bye. Neil Robertson against David Gilbert will now take place on table one."- WST
With a free day to rest, Trump will face either Hossein Vafaei, 30, or Xu Si, 27, in the next round.
Sportsbooks' Favorites
After some unexpected results in the first round, the bookies have revised their odds. Judd Trump remains the frontrunner, but John Higgins and Mark Selby, 41, also offer promising chances of winning the tournament:
- Judd Trump: 2.63
- John Higgins: 5.00
- Mark Selby: 6.50
- Neil Robertson: 8.00
- Shaun Murphy: 8.00
Bizarre Scenes in the Arena
The first session of the World Grand Prix 2025 featured an audience, but the evening session was played without spectators due to strict nighttime rules at the newly built Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong. After negotiations with the arena operators, fans can now watch the evening session live in the hall until the end of the matches.
Mark Allen Eliminated
The opening day of the World Grand Prix 2025 brought some surprise results. Mark Williams, 49, was knocked out after losing 2-4 to Stuart Bingham, 48. Despite a strong start to the season, Williams seems to be struggling with his form.
Another significant upset was Ding Junhui, 37, becoming the highest-ranked Chinese player in the WST world rankings, being eliminated in the first round. He lost 3-4 to Xu Si, 27, while Si Jiahui, 22, the strongest Chinese junior player, also bowed out after the first round.
Mark Allen, who started the 2024/2025 season as the world number one, also suffered an early exit after losing 2-4 to Jimmy Robertson, 38. Frustrated by his performance, Allen vowed to bring his best game for the upcoming Snooker World Championship 2025.
Exciting Matches Ahead
The evening session in Hong Kong will take place later today. Fans can look forward to exciting matches featuring several title favorites:
- Hossein Vafaei - Xu Si
- Barry Hawkins - Shaun Murphy
- Jimmy Robertson - Mark Selby
- Xiao Guodong - Lei Peifan
Stay tuned for more thrilling matches in the Snooker World Grand Prix 2025, which concludes on Sunday, March 9.
Additional Info
- Neil Robertson reached his second title this season, securing his position in the top 16 of the world rankings and automatic qualification for the upcoming Snooker World Championship 2025.
- After some surprising results in the first round, the bookmakers have adjusted their odds for the Snooker World Grand Prix 2025, with Judd Trump, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, and Shaun Murphy appearing as strong contenders.
- A curfew at the Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong caused some matches, including those featuring John Higgins, Kyren Wilson, and Judd Trump, to be played without an audience during the evening session on the tournament's opening day.
- What about the upcoming match between John Higgins and the winner of the Barry Hawkins vs Shaun Murphy quarterfinal clash? Will Higgins maintain his impressive form and advance to the semifinals?
- Did you hear that Neil Robertson received some attention from sportsbook operators after his victory in the World Grand Prix 2025? He's currently priced at 8.00 by the bookies for winning the Snooker World Championship 2025.
- Exciting news for snooker enthusiasts as the Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong has finally decided to allow audiences for evening sessions following negotiations with the arena operators. The bizarre scenes of playing without spectators in the first session will be a thing of the past for the remaining matches.
