Snooker
Helsinki International Snooker Cup Preview: Shaun Murphy vs Mark J Williams Odds, Tips and Prediction
Date: Saturday 17th May 2025 Start time: 11 am local time (GMT+3) Venue: Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, Finland Last meeting: November 29, 2024, UK Championship, Judd Trump 6-2 Zhang Anda Shaun Murphy and Mark J Williams will feature at the invitational Helsinki International Snooker Cup.
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Mark Williams of Wales//Getty Images
Shaun Murphy and Mark J Williams will feature at the invitational Helsinki International Snooker Cup. This eight-player invitational will commence on Saturday, 17th May, in the capital with two players who are in red-hot form. Murphy won the Masters earlier in the season, while Williams made an impressive run to the final of the World Championship, becoming the oldest final participant in the process. Who will produce the goods to win in this matchup?
This preview is brought to you by SportsBoom, where we have you covered on all the finer details ahead of this matchup. We look into their recent head-to-head encounters, recent form, before sharing our value bets. We conclude with our final prediction based on the information we’ve carefully researched.
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Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability
Shaun Murphy: 10/11 (1.91) – 52.4%
Mark J. Williams: 10/11 (1.91) – 52.4%
Forecast odds – Betting available on 1Win closer to event
For a deeper look at the platform’s features and reliability, check out our 1Win sportsbook review.
Head-to-Head Record
Shaun Murphy has prevailed against Mark J Williams in their previous five encounters, winning in a variety of formats and tournaments. The last time Williams won against Murphy was in the quarter-final of the 2017 China Open, over eight years ago.
While Murphy has the significant upper hand in recent memory, both players are in impressive form which makes this a hard one to choose.
Last Five Matches
| Tournament | Stage | Score line |
| 2023 Championship League | Winners Group – Final | Shaun Murphy 3-0 Mark Williams |
| 2021 Masters | Last 16 | Shaun Murphy 6-4 Mark Williams |
| 2019 China Championship | Final | Shaun Murphy 10-9 Mark Williams |
| 2019 Shanghai Masters | Last 16 | Shaun Murphy 6-5 Mark Williams |
| 2018 Players Championship | Semi-Final | Shaun Murphy 6-3 Mark Williams |
Player Career Timeline
Shaun Murphy
- Current Ranking: 14
Shaun Murphy arrives at this exhibition after a successful year on the circuit. Despite no ranking titles to his name, Murphy had one of the best weeks of his life in London by winning the Masters for a second time.
The 42-year-old made consistent runs in the ranking tournaments and feels good about his game, indicating that a possible win in Finland could be on the cards.
Last 5 Ranking Tournament Runs
- 2025 World Snooker Championship – 2nd Round
- 2025 Tour Championship – 1st Round
- 2025 Players Championship – Quarter-Final
- 2025 World Grand Prix – Semi-Final
- 2025 World Open – Quarter-Final
Last 5 Ranking Tournament Wins
- 2023 Championship League
- 2023 Tour Championship
- 2023 Players Championship
- 2020 Welsh Open
- 2019 China Championship
Mark J Williams
- Current Ranking: 3
Following on from Mark J Williams’ history-making run to the final in Sheffield, he’s risen to number three in the world. The Welshman has reached an additional final too at the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, but his consistency has earned him a place with the elite.
Williams won the Champions of Champions for the first time, and, albeit a non-ranking competition, it was one of the few tournaments he hadn’t won before.
Last 5 Ranking Tournament Runs
- 2025 World Snooker Championship – Runners-Up
- 2025 Tour Championship – 1st Round
- 2025 Players Championship – Quarter-Final
- 2025 World Grand Prix – 1st Round
- 2025 Welsh Open – 2nd Round
Last Ranking Tournament Wins
- 2024 Tour Championship
- 2023 British Open
- 2021 British Open
- 2021 WST Pro Series
- 2018 World Open
Value Bets
Shaun Murphy – Highest Break: Despite both players being impeccable break-builders, we believe Shaun Murphy will secure the highest break. In professional tournaments, Murphy has potted 10 maximum breaks compared to Williams’ 3, so we are using this statistic to back this value bet up.
Total Frames Even/Odd – Odd: The short best-of-7 frame format means any mistakes early on, and it could be curtains, therefore, we predict an odd number of frames.
Either Player to Win Successive Frames – Shaun Murphy: When on song, Shaun Murphy’s confidence increases when winning frames in succession, leading us to believe he could win multiple in a row.
Prediction: Shaun Murphy to win 4-3
In conclusion, SportsBoom predicts Shaun Murphy will win in a last-frame decider. He has won their previous five meetings, and this will give him all the confidence ahead of this matchup.
Henry Cheal is a versatile freelance sports journalist with extensive experience in the industry. Henry has previously worked at the 2024 World Snooker Championship and earned a Multimedia Sports Journalism degree from UCFB in 2023.
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