The second day of the Romanian Masters sees the first round of the tournament concluded with the last eight players getting their campaigns underway in Bucharest all knowing they are four wins away from a decent prize and a trophy.
We saw shocks galore on the opening day of the competition as the world champion Mark Selby bit the dust. Mark Williams and Neil Robertson were also sent packing so the favourites have every reason to be nervous on Thursday.
Afternoon Session
Barry Hawkins vs Ryan Day
The first of those favourites is the Welsh Open finalist Barry Hawkins for whom that tournament was a huge return to form. He takes on Ryan Day in the first match on Thursday with Day brimming with confidence after his win in Gibraltar last weekend.
Generally when these two meet we see a decent match and there is nothing to suggest that we won’t see another good one between these two here. I fancy Day to come through it though. He’s been in the better form throughout the season and we saw last weekend that he’s either gone back to his old cue or got himself sorted with his new one.
Day scored brilliantly out in Gibraltar and while Hawkins made the final in Cardiff he had some sloppy matches along the way which suggests he still isn’t bang on it. Day has had the better of the meetings between these two recently and I think he’ll win this one too.
John Higgins vs Anthony McGill
The afternoon concludes with two men who know a fair bit about each other both because they are from the same city and also because this will be the third one table format John Higgins and Anthony McGill have met in this season. They meet again next week in Llandudno too.
Higgins has largely had the better of their matches in recent times and given that he won in Wales recently you would fancy him to win here if his focus is there but with big events coming up an early exit wouldn’t be the end of the world for Higgins which is a concern in terms of backing him. McGill doesn’t convince me enough to back him so I’ll leave this one alone.
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Evening Session
Judd Trump vs Luca Brecel
Two of the most talented players there have ever been in the game get the evening session underway when Judd Trump takes on Luca Brecel over the best of what could be seven entertaining frames.
The big question going into this match is what on earth has happened to these two. Both have underperformed for a good while and in the case of Brecel he has looked shocking in recent times. That immediately puts me off betting on the match although Trump has already won a tournament in Romania which could give him a big edge. Even so it feels like one to leave alone.
Mark Allen vs Kyren Wilson
The final match of the first round of the tournament is a repeat of The Masters final as Mark Allen takes on Kyren Wilson. They met over the best of 19 frames in London when Allen won 10-7 but it will only be a maximum of seven frames here.
Since he won at Alexandra Palace, Allen has offered precious little to be fair and his form has to start becoming a concern as we head towards Sheffield, a tournament he is anything but safe for in terms of automatic qualification.
Wilson has bounced back from that defeat in London with a run to the last 16 in Wales and the quarter final in Gibraltar last weekend and that all suggests to me that he’s the value here especially when he should’ve been well clear after the first session of the final in London and also that he has had the better of their recent battles prior to that.
Tips
WON – Back R.Day to beat B.Hawkins for a 4/10 stake at 2.25 with Betfair
Back him here:
WON – Back K.Wilson to beat M.Allen for a 4/10 stake at 2.20 with LeoVegas
Back him here:
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