As the end of the UK Championship draws closer we are finally down to the one table at the Barbican Centre on Saturday as the two semi-finals of the tournament are played out over the best of 11 frames in York.
At the end of the day we will know the two men who will be competing in Sunday’s final for the second biggest title in the game and the £170,000 first prize which goes with it.
Shaun Murphy vs Mark Selby
Two of the best names in the game meet in the opening semi-final in the afternoon in what is a repeat of last year’s German Masters final which Mark Selby won 9-7. These two have met on a few occasions and they generally have good matches which might have something to do with them being friends and being relaxed when they meet.
Selby is the favourite and as long as he has recovered from the marathon match with John Higgins in the quarter final I expect him to win too but matches like that do leave a mark so I wouldn’t want to be taking a handicap on him or anything.
One bet I am happy to have is for there to be more than 1.5 centuries in the match. Selby is scoring really nicely this week while Murphy is always a danger for scoring tons. When they met in the German Masters final last year they made two between them in the opening five frames and their Masters meeting a month earlier also contained a pair of centuries. There’s no reason why this one won’t either.
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Marco Fu
Two men who have been nowhere near their top form this week compete in the second semi-final when Ronnie O’Sullivan plays Marco Fu. Fu might well be wondering how he is still in the tournament given that he trailed Jamie Jones 5-2 in the quarter final but the Welshman went into his shell and Fu took advantage. O’Sullivan hasn’t been tested at all this week despite his below par form.
It is hard to see how Fu gets close to O’Sullivan here. Mark Williams threatened to but couldn’t do it and Fu isn’t playing anything like as well as Williams was. Fu might also have some mental baggage to contend with as well given that his last two meetings with O’Sullivan have seen him thrashed 6-0 and 6-1.
Neither are on top form so this may not be a classic but O’Sullivan’s below top form is significantly better than Fu’s and as a result I expect him to win comfortably. 3.5 frames is never a comfortable handicap to be on but the price is enough for me to take it with a small stake.
Tips
Back S.Murphy vs M.Selby – Over 1.5 centuries for a 3/10 stake at 2.50 with Bet365
Back it here:
Back R.O’Sullivan (-3.5 frames) to beat M.Fu for a 3/10 stake at 2.38 with Boylesports
Back him here:
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