• Updates from Alexandra Palace semis, from 7.30pm GMT

• Follow us on Bluesky | And get in touch: email Niall

Luke Littler
Age: 18. From: Warrington. Seeded: No 1.
Nickname: The Nuke. Title odds: 1-2.
Path to the final: R1 bt Labanauskas 3-0, R2 bt Davies 3-0;
R3 bt Sulovic 4-0; R4 bt Cross 4-2; QF bt Ratajski 5-0.
Best worlds performance: Champion (2025).

Ryan Searle
Age: 38. From: Devon. Seeded: No 20.
Nickname: Heavy Metal. Title odds: 22-1.
Path to the final: R1 bt Landman 3-0, R2 bt Dolan 3-0;
R3 by Schindler 4-0; R4 bt Hurrell 4-0; QF bt Clayton 5-2.
Best worlds performance: Semi-finalist (2026).