Barry Hawkins leads Mark Williams 5-3 after the first session of their World Championship semi-final. Hawkins reached the final in 2013 and since then has managed three further semi-final appearances but he has yet to claim the biggest prize in snooker.
The 39-year-old made an exceptional start at the Crucible and seemed to pick up where he left off having outclassed Ding Junhui in the previous round. Hawkins hit a 129 break in the opening frame and moved into a 3-1 lead but Williams responded as the duo shared the final four frames of the session 2-2 to leave the last four clash finely poised. Two-time champion Williams hit a century of his own but Hawkins managed a break of 90 to secure the lead overnight. The pair are set to resume their last-four clash on Friday afternoon and the winner will go on to face either John Higgins or Kyren Wilson in the final.
Williams, who ended a seven-year ranking title drought with two trophies this season, is available at 13/10 to secure the victory and Hawkins is 61/100. The Hawk can be backed at 11/1 to win 17-12 and Williams is the same price to secure a 17-15 victory. Hawkins is 5/2 to win the tournament outright and Welshman Williams is available at 9/2.
Snooker odds available at Dafabet.