The snooker season is about to really kick into gear with almost every week between now and Christmas containing action and that all begins when the tour returns to Belgium for the first time in 25 years as the European Masters takes place.
There has already been a qualifying event for the competition which begins on Monday so in total 67 men will be competing in Lommel as three matches from qualifying were held over to the main venue.
Recent Winners
2016 – Judd Trump
The Format
We have a pre-determined draw this week which is knockout right from the start. The held over matches and first round right the way through to the quarter finals are the best of seven frames. The two semi-finals are the best of 11 frames and the final is played over two sessions and the best of 17 frames on Sunday.
Top Quarter
The defending champion Judd Trump headlines this top quarter. He will have to play an extra match to the rest this week having had his qualifying match held over. His quarter could be considered fairly tough with Mark Allen and Kyren Wilson both in it and they are not the only dangers.
Mark King won a tournament of this kind in Northern Ireland last year while it is surely only a matter of time before Dave Gilbert wins a tournament of significance. Jamie Jones and Ben Woollaston should not be underestimated this week either.
Second Quarter
This looks another tasty quarter too even allowing for the fact that Barry Hawkins was knocked out of it in qualifying. Neil Robertson is here though as is Mark Williams and they are more than capable of coming through any draw let alone this one. They are not the only contenders though.
Martin Gould has a decent record in Europe and it would be foolish to write him off while Michael Holt will knock on the door of a tour title at some point too. Yan Bingtao is gaining experience all the time and he could be a dark horse over the course of this week.
Third Quarter
John Higgins is the main draw in this part of the draw. He has had his potential route through made a little easier with Shaun Murphy having been taken out in qualifying. He may still have to deal with Anthony McGill and Ryan Day before he gets through the quarter though.
They are not the only players who are capable of decent runs this week either. Mark Davis and Matthew Selt are both extremely capable while if it all clicks for Thepchaiya Un-Nooh he can beat anyone. The Chinese sensational Zhou Yuelong will be winning tournaments too before long.
Bottom Quarter
Mark Selby is the main seed in this part of the draw but all eyes and attention will centre on the home hero Luca Brecel for this tournament. Both men will have to play held over matches before they get stuck into the tournament for real but both are more than good enough. Stuart Bingham will be aiming to take advantage of any slip ups.
In terms of genuine tournament winners there are not too many others in this part of the draw although Joe Perry can take one down when he is playing well. Graeme Dott is often a hidden spoiler in tournaments too but this looks like a quarter for the big names to shine in.
[the_ad_group id=”3624″]
Outright Betting
I was impressed with Mark Allen in the recent World Open. Had he not missed a blue in the deciding frame of the semi-final when he was concentrating on a cannon he may well have made the final there. I’m not necessarily one for the nappy factor being an actual thing but for those who are you would have that on your side in backing Allen this week. He is a regular at taking down these best of seven frame events though and the form he showed in China suggests he should do some damage here.
I’ve a feeling Zhou Yuelong will get his hands on a minor tournament this season and he looks worth a go here. We know he hasn’t lost any of his ability and if anything his win over Mark Selby in the China Championship showed that his all-round game is getting better. He might not be at the level where he’s ready to win a longer frame format event just yet but he has an ideal game for these ones. At 80/1 he’s worth a tickle over the next month or so but hopefully he lands the goods this week.
Quarter Betting
All eyes will be on Luca Brecel this week. We saw in the Home Nations events last year that is not easy to win with the pressure of home expectation but he does look to have a nice early draw and he is playing well. I think he can enjoy himself in the early stages of the competition before maybe struggling the nearer to the finish line he gets. At 8/1 he’s a decent price to win the bottom quarter before he is beaten.
Tips
Back M.Allen to win European Masters (e/w) for a 1.5/10 stake at 19.00 with Boylesports (1/2 1-2)
Back him here:
Back Z.Yuelong to win European Masters (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 81.00 with Ladbrokes (1/2 1-2)
Back him here:
Back L.Brecel to win 4th Quarter for a 2/10 stake at 9.00 with Coral
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017
