The China Open semi-finals will take place across two sessions of hugely important snooker action on Saturday and by the end of it we will know the identity of the two men who will battle for the title and the £85,000 first prize on Sunday.
It isn’t just a title that is at stake for one of the semi-finalists. He can also secure the final automatic qualifying spot for the World Championship by winning this event too. That man is Mark Williams and he features in the opening semi, both of which are now the best of 11 frames.
Hossein Vafaei vs Mark Williams
Williams will go up against the Iranian player Hossein Vafaei for a place in the final. Vafaei has done remarkably well to make it this far but we shouldn’t use his ranking to be surprised he is here. He has always had talent and now that his visa issues look to be behind him he will climb the world rankings very quickly.
Vafaei saw off Judd Trump in one of the best performances of his career in the quarter final on Friday. Trump was playing very well heading into that match but Vafaei took it to him and deservedly saw him off with a couple of centuries along the way. Mark Williams took care of a former world champion for the second day in a row when he followed up his win over John Higgins by thrashing Shaun Murphy 5-1 to make it to this stage.
After his win and the quality he produced against Judd Trump we know facing the big names don’t faze Vafaei so unless the occasion gets the better of him we can expect him to lay it down to Williams here. Williams is under pressure himself though and even if he does win you would think the situation will dictate he has to work hard for it. I don’t see Vafaei’s run as a fluke and I would be surprised if he doesn’t reach four frames here if he handles the occasion.
Kyren Wilson vs Mark Selby
The second semi-final is where the odds suggest the winner of the tournament will come from. Mark Selby is now an emphatic favourite to win the tournament but Kyren Wilson has had the bit between his teeth this week and he might take a lot of beating.
The 5-1 scoreline when Selby beat Stephen Maguire in the quarter final sounds like an emphatic win but really Maguire should have won three of the six frames at the very least and with the composure and confidence Wilson has suddenly begun playing with this week if Selby presents the same opportunities to him he may be punished more.
I get why Selby is the favourite here but there is something about China that Kyren Wilson clearly likes and at 9/4 there is just enough value in him to win this one.
Tips
Back H.Vafaei (+2.5 frames) to beat M.Williams for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with BetVictor
Back him here:
Back K.Wilson to beat M.Selby for a 3/10 stake at 3.25 with Ladbrokes
Back him here:
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