April has arrived which means that the attention of the snooker world is starting to lean towards the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield but before we get to the World Championship we have the penultimate tournament of the season, the China Open, which begins in Beijing on Monday.
With the odd exception near enough anyone who is anyone in the game will be heading to the Chinese city for a tournament which has had a makeover and now offers some huge money so every win is going to be crucial for those aiming to secure automatic qualification for the World Championship. This is the last tournament for those not yet in to force their way into Sheffield by right.
Recent Winners
2017 – Mark Selby
2016 – Judd Trump
2015 – Mark Selby
2014 – Ding Junhui
2013 – Neil Robertson
2012 – Peter Ebdon
2011 – Judd Trump
2010 – Mark Williams
2009 – Peter Ebdon
2008 – Stephen Maguire
The Format
This was previously a best of nine event but that has changed for this tournament. We have already had a qualifying round which means there will be 64 players in the first round this week although some qualifying matches were held over and some wildcards mean there are more than 64 men starting out. The first round of the tournament right through to and including the quarter finals are the best of 11 frames. The semi-finals are the best of 19 and the final is the best of 21 frames where the champion will pocket £225,000.
Top Quarter
As the defending champion Mark Selby is the number one seed this week and as such he is in this quarter. If he is going to launch anything remotely close to a title defence in the World Championship you would think he needs a big week here. The other top 16 players in this quarter are Mark Allen and Mark Williams.
There are some decent outsiders in this section though not least Yan Bingtao who many think will make it to the top of the game. Stephen Maguire is a few wins away from securing his spot at Sheffield and he will try to get them from here while Michael Holt is more than capable too. Ben Woollaston is another who could do some damage.
Second Quarter
John Higgins has just won the Championship League and he will be looking to win this tournament from the second quarter but there are some top players in his way beginning with Ding Junhui and Ali Carter who are both going along well at the minute. Kyren Wilson is the other top 16 player in this quarter.
There are a couple of players who could still make it to Sheffield without needing the qualifiers in this section. Joe Perry and Mark King are those. Xiao Guodong will want a big week on home soil while Anthony Hamilton and Jack Lisowski have had decent seasons and will be wanting a big finish.
Third Quarter
Judd Trump was meant to be the main act in the third quarter this week but he lost in the qualifying event which has opened the door up a little for Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy. Both men have won a tournament this season and would love another to take to Sheffield with them. Stuart Bingham is the other member of the top 16 in this part of the draw.
Graeme Dott is in good form and he is one of the lesser ranked players in this section with Ricky Walden and Martin Gould all decent quality in their own right. Zhou Yuelong had a good run in the Championship League last week while Jak Jones beat Judd Trump in qualifying.
Bottom Quarter
The man of the moment Ronnie O’Sullivan is in this quarter and given the form he has shown this season he is very much the man to beat. Barry Hawkins is the chief ranked player to oppose him in this draw while Luca Brecel could be coming back to form at the right time. Anthony McGill is also in here from the top 16.
Tom Ford, Liang Wenbo and Dave Gilbert all set a decent standard among the qualifiers in the bottom quarter while Michael White is a tournament winner this season and Cao Yupeng has been beaten in a couple of finals so they should not be disrespected.
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Betting
I’m going to go for two bets this week, one from each half of the draw in the hope of bagging something to take to Sheffield with us. In the top half I think Ali Carter could be overpriced. The Essex man is clearly going well at the minute having made the semi-final in Romania and having had a good week in the Championship League last week. Carter has won in China before in the other Chinese events and generally peaks at this time of year. He’s worth support.
In the other half of the draw we might need to get Ronnie O’Sullivan beat but one man who should enjoy the longer format and the potential clash with O’Sullivan in the semi-final is Neil Robertson. Although he has won this season this hasn’t been the campaign the Australian will have wanted to so might be fully motivated to have a tilt at this title. Robertson has been playing better in the second half of the season and he has every right to be a big danger this week, should O’Sullivan be beatable in the bottom half.
Tips
Back A.Carter to win China Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Coral (1/2 1-2)
Back him here:
Back N.Robertson to win China Open (e/w) for a 1.5/10 stake at 15.00 with Betfred (1/2 1-2)
Back him here:
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