The 2018 World Championship gets underway at the Crucible Theatre on Saturday with 10 of the 32 challengers beginning their campaign for glory at the iconic venue of snooker. The opening day of this tournament is always a good one and I’m sure that will be the case once again.
We have the tradition of the defending champion opening up play on the first morning but in a first in a while we also have the number two seed on action along with a really good support cast on what should be a fantastic first day.
Mark Selby vs Joe Perry (Saturday 10am & 7pm)
The world champion Mark Selby begins the defence of his title in the only match to start and finish on the opening day of the competition. It is fair to say he could have had it easier as far as the draw is concerned with Joe Perry one of the qualifiers you wouldn’t really want.
Selby is an overwhelming favourite for this match which if it was taking place a month ago he may not have been but his stroll to the China Open title has reinforced the belief that he is the one to beat here. Perry has the tools to keep this one close but he needs everything to go his way to actually win I fancy. I think the handicap line is about right so unless something comes up in the first session which we can use to bet before the second session I’ll sit this out.
Marco Fu vs Lu Haotian (Saturday 10am & Sunday 7pm)
The first pair of players on Table 2 are the Asian pairing of Marco Fu and Lu Haotian and these two are very much chalk and cheese in terms of experience. Fu has been here plenty of times whereas Lu is tasting these conditions for the first time.
It will be interesting to see how Marco Fu goes in this match. He hasn’t been seen on the tour for three months due to an eye issue and he has been quite candid about the fact that the problem has not cleared up. Any other tournament you suspect he would not even be playing but you always have to beware of the injured player.
I think Fu’s issue is genuine though. He has barely won a match this season and lost to some opponents you wouldn’t believe he would lose to normally. Lu was one of them at the UK Championship and that is interesting. There was a lot to like about how Lu qualified for this tournament.
Lu made 11 breaks of 50-99 and four tons in the 30 frames he won in qualifying so he is playing quite nicely and with Fu not only struggling with his eyes but rusty in tournament conditions the Chinese youngster looks good value to cause the first upset of the tournament.
When the two met in the UK Championship it was Lu who made the highest break with a 121. Fu may not win many frames here but the ones he wins he’s unlikely to bang in many big breaks. I think Lu to hit the highest break is also worth a play.
Kyren Wilson vs Matthew Stevens (Saturday 2.30pm & Sunday 7pm)
One of the more intriguing matches of the opening day is the one between The Masters finalist Kyren Wilson and the man who has lost in two world finals in Matthew Stevens. The two meet over the best of 19 frames for a place in the second round.
Wilson is relatively inexperienced in this tournament but that didn’t stop him making the quarter finals here last year. Stevens is full of experience here and you sense the two session matches bring out the best in him. That was certainly the case in the qualifying where he played very well. In truth this one of those matches where you watch the first session and assess again and that’s what I’ll do.
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Stephen Maguire (Saturday 2.30pm & Sunday 10am)
The undoubted tie of the first round is a repeat of both the UK Championship semi-final and the World Grand Prix semi-final as Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on Stephen Maguire in a real heavyweight tussle. Let us make no mistake about it, whoever wins this could easily win the tournament.
O’Sullivan goes into the tournament as the favourite to win let alone this match but we saw him given a bit of a drubbing in his last outing in China and it would be natural if he were to have the odd doubt creeping in as a result. Maguire powered through qualifying and if he gets into this match early we are all set up for a cracker.
This should be a high scoring contest. They are two of the highest scorers in the game and look to dominate the table. By that I mean they look to clear the table even when the frame is won to send a message out to their opponent. The 50 break line in this match is 12.5 and as long as this is 10-6 or 10-7 or closer, which it should be, then I think this gets covered.
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Ali Carter vs Graeme Dott (Saturday 7pm & Sunday 2.30pm)
When the draw was made one of the tougher looking matches seemed to be the one between former finalist Ali Carter and the man who landed the Holy Grail in 2006 in Graeme Dott. Both men know what it takes to go deep in this tournament.
Carter hasn’t had the best of seasons I think it would be fair to say but that can all change with a decent run here. Dott on the other hand is enjoying a good campaign having made two finals and a couple of other good runs.
These two met in this round last year and Dott won 10-7 and I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if the scoreline is the same here too if not closer. Dott beat Carter 13-11 back in 2011 too so there is a strong chance this one will be close between two players who love a scrap and give nothing away.
Dott could be value at odds against but there isn’t a huge amount in the price. The better bet based on what we know of them and their history against each other is over 16.5 frames. 10-7 or closer either way lands this and I expect it to be that close.
Tips
WON – Back L.Haotian to beat M.Fu for a 4/10 stake at 2.50 with Ladbrokes
Back him here:
WON – Back L.Haotian Highest Break vs M.Fu for a 4/10 stake at 2.63 with Bet365
Back R.O’Sullivan vs S.Maguire – Over 12.5 50+ breaks for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Betfair
Back it here:
WON – Back A.Carter vs G.Dott – Over 16.5 frames for a 4/10 stake at 1.95 with William Hill
Back it here:
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