It is the last day of short course matches in the snooker season on Friday when the China Open quarter finals take place and despite a barrel load of shocks and surprises so far in the tournament the cast list for the last eight is strong.
The entire event is played out on the TV tables from now onwards which elevates the profile of it further although with no Chinese players left in the crowds will need to find someone else to throw their support behind.
Morning Session
Mark Selby vs Mark Williams
The pick of the quarter finals comes in the morning session when Mark Selby meets Mark Williams in what is a repeat of the final from last year. Selby prevailed in that final but Williams has beaten him in a couple of high profile encounters since then.
Both men have looked in fantastic form this week and I wouldn’t like to predict how this one is going to go other than I think it will be close throughout. Generally when these two meet they are close matches. They have met over this distance in the last two Masters and both went to a deciding frame while Selby won 6-4 in the International Championship earlier in the season.
The final here last year was only won 10-8 and they also had a final in Shanghai which Selby won 10-9. These two are no strangers to a tight tussle and they look equipped to play out another one here.
Barry Hawkins vs Tom Ford
The second quarter final has plenty of interest and intrigue in it. Barry Hawkins seems to save his best for the month of April and having come from miles back to take out Cao Yupeng in the previous round he will fancy his chances of seeing off Tom Ford.
Ford heads into Friday as one of two men who can dethrone Mark Allen in the final automatic qualifying spot for the Crucible later in the month and a win here would move him even closer. I fancy Ford will meet his match here but Hawkins is priced accordingly so there is little that takes my fancy in this one.
[the_ad_group id=”3624″]
Afternoon Session
Neil Robertson vs Stuart Bingham
Two men who are showing a real return to form this week meet in the main quarter final in the afternoon session when Neil Robertson takes on Stuart Bingham in a match that both men will want to win to continue to boost their confidence ahead of the World Championship.
Robertson looks to have hit form at the right time and while it hasn’t been as plain sailing for Bingham he has come through the draw well albeit needing a couple of deciders in the last two rounds.
These two went the distance in Romania a couple of weeks ago and they have a history of tight battles and I see no reason why this one won’t be another of those. Over 9.5 frames looks a fairly obvious bet given how closely matched the two are.
Jack Lisowski vs Kyren Wilson
The last match in the quarter finals sees the underrated Jack Lisowski taking on a Kyren Wilson who is rapidly becoming a major contender every time he enters a major tournament. He has already made three major finals this season and wants to go a win away from another.
Wilson is unlikely to have this all his own way though. Lisowski has won their last two meetings for a combined frame total of 9-1 so he has something of the wood on his English counterpart at the moment. Both these men are playing well so this should be a tight match but at the same time they are both quite capable of blowing the other away so this isn’t really one to bet on in my eyes.
Tips
Back M.Selby vs M.Williams – Over 9.5 frames for a 4/10 stake at 2.20 with William Hill
Back it here:
Back N.Robertson vs S.Bingham – Over 9.5 frames for a 4/10 stake at 2.10 with Betfair
Back it here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018
