World number one Judd Trump and World Champion Kyren Wilson are locked level at 4-4 after an enthralling afternoon session of the Sportsbet.io Players Championship final in Telford.
A rapid first eight frames were shared to leave the game set for a grandstand finish, when the pair return to play the best of 19 encounter to a conclusion at 7pm. The winner will take home a top prize of £150,000. Victory for Trump would see him become a three-time Players Champion, while Wilson is hoping to win the event for a first time.
The clash is a meeting between the top two players in both the Johnstone's Paint One Year list and the Johnstone's Paint World Rankings. Trump holds a substantial lead on both fronts, leaving Wilson unable to pass him in either list tonight.
Trump is aiming for the 31st ranking crown of his career, while victory for Wilson would take him to ten ranking titles and bring his tally level with the legendary Jimmy White.
However, it's Wilson who holds the upper hand in meetings between the pair this season. He's prevailed in two ranking finals against Trump at the Xi'an Grand Prix and the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open. Trump leads the overall head-to-head standings 13-12.
It was Trump who started fastest this afternoon, crafting runs of 90 and 58 to move 2-0 ahead. Wilson replied with 55 to pull within one and then fell short of a maximum break attempt when his run finished on 81, but levelled at 2-2.
A break of 79 saw Trump regain the lead after the interval, before Wilson hit back with two on the bounce to lead for the first time at 4-3. The last of the session went the way of 2019 World Champion Trump to ensure they ended all-square at 4-4.