The first round of the Players Championship concludes and the quarter finals begin on what should be a high quality Wednesday on the green baize. We get to see two modern legends on show on the same day at Venue Cymru in Llandudno with top class action guaranteed.
The final two first round matches take place in the afternoon session before the opening quarter final is played in the evening session. Every match remains over the best of 11 frames and with the players on show we should get a fantastic day of snooker.
Afternoon Session
Judd Trump vs Stephen Maguire
The first match on the main table on Wednesday sees two real class acts oppose each other when Judd Trump takes on Stephen Maguire with the winner progressing to take on Neil Robertson in the quarter final.
Trump comes in here as the favourite which normally would be perfectly fair but his form for much of this season makes him vulnerable in that position and although Maguire has a terrible recent record against the Bristolian, the Scot should really fancy his chances of coming through this encounter.
Maguire is in decent form having made the semi-final of the UK Championship and the World Grand Prix in recent times. Trump made the equivalent stage of The Masters but there is something keeping him from playing his best snooker. On the form of the last three months Maguire must be the bet here.
John Higgins vs Anthony McGill
Amazingly enough for the fourth time in 16 runner fields this season John Higgins and Anthony McGill will meet in the first round and they do so on the other table in the afternoon session with Shaun Murphy awaiting the winner.
Higgins has won the previous three matches including in Romania last week and given his prowess in these big tournaments it would be foolish to think that the Welsh Open champion won’t make it four wins in a row. Higgins also beat McGill in the Indian Open final earlier in the season so the recent history does not make good reading for the underdog.
McGill is getting a 2.5 frame start in this match but I’m not convinced that will be enough against Higgins who is playing well. Higgins won the Welsh Open last month and ran into the eventual winner in Romania last week. I think he can come through here no worse than 6-3.
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Evening Session
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ding Junhui
The first quarter final is a repeat of the recent World Grand Prix final when Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on Ding Junhui for a place in the semi-final. O’Sullivan won that final 10-3 and he’s a warm favourite to come through here too.
O’Sullivan eased into this quarter final courtesy of beating Graeme Dott 6-1. His safety in that match was out of this world and while he didn’t score like he could he didn’t really need to which was the whole point. Ding saw off Mark Allen 6-2 to get here but he wasn’t all that convincing, he just caught Allen on a terrible day.
Ding has an issue when he takes on O’Sullivan it seems. The win in the World Championship last year aside, generally when these two come up against each other O’Sullivan runs out an easy winner and I’m expecting the same to happen here. O’Sullivan looked focused in the first round and a focused O’Sullivan rarely gets beat. He can put paid to Ding with plenty in hand here.
Tips
Back S.Maguire to beat J.Trump fo a 4/10 stake at 2.75 with William Hill
WON – Back R.O’Sullivan (-2.5 frames) to beat D.Junhui for a 4/10 stake at 2.10 with William Hill
Back them here:
Back J.Higgins (-2.5 frames) to beat A.McGill for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Boylesports
Back him here:
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