After a week of qualifying competitions for various upcoming events a number of tour players head to Furth in Germany for the Paul Hunter Classic. Given the name that the tournament carries this is often hard fought but a number of the leading lights have surprisingly swerved the tournament this year.
That opens it up for one of the lesser lights to make a breakthrough with Michael White hoping to defend the title he won here 12 months ago. You get the feeling this could be a big weekend for a number of players.
Recent Winners
2017 – Michael White
2016 – Mark Selby
2015 – Ali Carter
2014 – Mark Allen
2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
2012 – Mark Selby
2011 – Mark Selby
2010 – Judd Trump
2009 – Shaun Murphy
2008 – Shaun Murphy
The Format
This is the only event on the calendar that is run like the old PTC tournaments were which means that the top half of the draw play out from the last 128 to the last 16 on Friday with the bottom half doing the same on Saturday. Sunday sees the competition concluding from the last 16 down to the champion being determined. Every match in the tournament is the best of seven frames and is a straight knockout in a pre-determined draw.
Top Quarter
It seems a little pointless splitting the preview up into seeded players and unseeded players with so many top names but the highest ranked player in the top quarter of the draw as the number one seed and the defending champion. Also in this quarter are the likes of Tom Ford, Mark Joyce and Dominic Dale while players such as Scott Donaldson, Sam Craigie, Zhang Anda and Rory McLeod will be looking for big, confidence boosting weekends.
Second Quarter
Luca Brecel is the standout name in the second quarter of the draw with Mark King another high ranked player in it. Ben Woollaston and Jamie Jones set a decent standard in what looks like a pretty low key quarter with so many amateurs in it. Peter Ebdon, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and the Shootout champion Michael Georgiou should be mentioned as contenders in it however.
Third Quarter
Kyren Wilson will be the man expected to come through the third quarter. He is comfortably the highest ranked player in the section with Xiao Guodong and Robert Milkins the next best. Guodong has a bye in the first round which makes him appeal a touch. Andrew Higginson, Gary Wilson, Matt Selt, Liam Highfield and Gerard Greene will all look to take advantage of a friendly section, Wilson aside.
Bottom Quarter
Shaun Murphy sets the standard in the bottom quarter but it could be all about Jack Lisowski who has already made a final and a semi-final this season. Jimmy Robertson and Mark Davis could do their ranking no harm from this quarter while Noppon Saengkham will be looking to build on his run to the semi-final of the World Open. Kurt Maflin and Joe Swail will be hoping for decent runs this weekend too.
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Betting
As ever in these tournaments I’ll take a player from each quarter in the hope of getting a few through to Sunday. In the top quarter I will take Tom Ford. I’ve always liked Ford in these sort of events. Sometimes he can struggle to maintain his form for a whole week but here he only has to play well for two days and in quick fire sprints which I really think is right up his street. Take Michael White out of the top quarter and it has nothing of note in it so I would be surprised if Ford isn’t still going on Sunday and if he is he’ll be a danger for everyone.
In the second quarter it could be worth taking Thepchaiya Un-Nooh for the same reasons. He is another who when he is firing can be devastating and if he can catch fire for a couple of days there is no reason why he can’t run deep here. He’s in a section of the draw which looks destined to open right up and were anything to happen to Luca Brecel early doors literally anyone could come through it. On current form Un-Nooh wouldn’t be a massive outsider against Brecel in a quarter final though so at 33/1 he’s a fair enough pick in my eyes.
Moving into the bottom half and Gerard Greene caught my eye with a 5-0 win over Robbie Williams in the qualifying for the China Championship earlier in the week and Kyren Wilson aside he is in a very open part of the draw. You wouldn’t make Greene a no hoper even against Wilson over this format so off the back of a win which must have done wonders for his confidence the Northern Irishman looks a huge price this week.
I’m hoping the Thais can have a real good weekend here because in the bottom quarter Noppon Saengkham jumps out to me. He wouldn’t have done if he hadn’t won his China Championship qualifier but not only did he win that but he scored sensationally which tells me he is over the agonising semi-final defeat in the World Open earlier in the month. That run highlighted that he’s in decent form and can win high scoring matches and scrappy ones. He’ll have to come through both this weekend but he might just do that at a tasty price.
Tips
Back T.Ford to win Paul Hunter Classic (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with William Hill (1/2 1-2)
Back him here:
Back T.Un-Nooh to win Paul Hunter Classic (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Coral (1/2 1-2)
Back N.Saengkham to win Paul Hunter Classic (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Coral (1/2 1-2)
Back them here:
Back G.Greene to win Paul Hunter Classic (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 151.00 with Betfair (1/2 1-2)
Back him here:
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