Barry Hawkins vs Judd Trump Prediction: Can Hawkins give Trump a tough time?

The 2024 UK Championship snooker tournament final is upon us, and Barry Hawkins and Judd Trump will be the two players fighting for this trophy at York Barbican in York. The two professional players have had an amazing performance up to this stage and will have their eyes on winning. Below is a preview and betting outcomes we could expect. 

Barry Hawkins has been brilliant since the qualification stage of this tournament and will now hope things go his way in this most crucial encounter. In his opener, Barry Hawkins defeated previous world number one, Ronnie O’Sullivan, as the underdog in a 4-6 contest. However, the Englishman went on to pull off a 6-5 win over David Gilbert before a 6-2 victory over Shaun Murphy in the quarterfinal stage. With a win in the semis against Mark Allen as the underdog, which ended 6-5, Barry Hawkins will look to approach this game with his best strategy and hope for luck as he takes on the best player in the world. 

Judd Trump suffered a defeat to Neil Robertson in his prior encounter to this tournament, coming in the Champion of Champions quarter-final stage. However, opening this tournament against the same opponent he lost to, Judd Trump pulled off a 6-3 win. In the meantime, the English player went to play John Higgins and Anda Zhang in subsequent matches, pulling off 6-5 and 6-2 victories, respectively. While the world number one was brilliant in the semifinal stage against Kyren Wilson, he will now look to be at his best again, do what he is best at doing and win as the favourite for this tournament. 

Barry Hawkins could be a threat in this game, but Judd Trump has consistently gotten past him, and I expect a similar outcome here. While the English players have met a number of times, Judd Trump has had more wins, and those matches also ended with a clear margin. With this one being a very crucial encounter, I still do not see Barry Hawkins getting within the lines, given Judd Trump's solid performances. Bet on the world number one to win with a margin, as the total frames will be low.