The second week of the snooker World Championship promises to get underway in fantastic fashion with three of the biggest names in the game looking to make it into the quarter finals while the defending champion Mark Selby also takes to the green baize.
John Higgins, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui will all have their second round matches decided on another busy day inside the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Saturday so it is a day which promises much.
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Day 7 Recap
Friday was a good day for Kyren Wilson as he became the first man into the quarter finals when he saw off Stuart Bingham 13-10. That was good for us as we backed him for that match. More good news for us came when Liang Wenbo fired in the third century of his match with Ding Junhui.
They will finish off on Saturday afternoon with Ding leading 9-7. Ronnie O’Sullivan will look to seal the deal having opened up a 10-6 lead on Shaun Murphy on Saturday while John Higgins and Mark Allen will continue with the man from Northern Ireland 5-3 up.
Stephen Maguire vs Rory McLeod
The only all-qualifier battle gets underway on Saturday afternoon when Stephen Maguire takes on the conqueror of Judd Trump in Rory McLeod. Much was made of Trump’s demise in that match but that was a little harsh on McLeod who still had to beat him and that is what he did.
McLeod will have his work cut out here though. Stephen Maguire flew through qualifying and he didn’t stop there. He won 10 frames on the bounce to see off Anthony McGill in a one-sided first round clash and you’ve got to think he will enjoy another smooth passage here. Having been burnt by one player overestimating McLeod though I don’t want to run into another so I’ll see how the first session goes before I bet here.
Mark Selby vs Xiao Guodong
Mark Selby’s title defence continues when he takes on the Chinese qualifier Xiao Guodong over the best of 25 frames. It has been a week since Mark Selby sae off a clearly jaded and nervous Fergal O’Brien and you’ve got to think with the assurance that Xiao saw off Ryan Day with in the first round he is going to provide the champion with a sterner test.
I’m interested to see how this one goes over the three sessions. You’ve got to think Selby will win but I’ve a feeling Xiao is up for this and can keep the Leicester man honest. I’ll leave all the match markets alone but I do think this will be higher scoring than many think. The best stuff comes out in this round and these two can dish up when they get in early. Over 2.5 centuries looks a fair enough punt to me.
Tips
Back M.Selby vs X.Guodong – Over 2.5 centuries for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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