The first round of the World Championship concludes inside the Crucible Theatre on Thursday and the second round begins on the first day of the tournament where there are only two sessions of action for us to enjoy.
We’ve had some thrilling action so far in the event, with top class snooker and all the drama, tension and excitement that we have come to expect from this competition, and we are set for plenty more of the same on Thursday.
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Wednesday Recap
It looked bleak for Judd Trump when he returned 6-3 down to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh on Wednesday morning but he came through in a deciding frame epic to move into the second round. There was also a win for Zhou Yuelong over Mark Allen, but not before the man from Northern Ireland came from 9-2 down back to 9-7 only to lose 10-7. Barry Hawkins had no such troubles though. He won 10-1 against Li Hang. Two first round matches are still to be completed. Kyren Wilson leads Scott Donaldson 6-2 while Ali Carter holds a 5-4 lead over Jack Lisowski.
In Play Betting
I am tempted to get involved in the match between Jack Lisowski and Ali Carter as the price on over 17.5 frames is luring me in, but I’ve already got a couple of bets on that encounter which both have live chances so I will tentatively leave it. I’ve got a lot invested in Lisowski in this tournament so I will sit back and hope that he can turn his fortunes in that one around. Nothing really stands out for me in the Wilson and Donaldson match either so that is me done in terms of first round betting for the tournament.
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Shaun Murphy vs Neil Robertson (Thursday 1pm, Friday 10am & Friday 7pm)
The first of the second round matches in the tournament sees Neil Robertson continuing his quest for a second world title when he goes up against a class act in Shaun Murphy, who also has eyes on a second crown over the next couple of weeks.
Both these men eased to victory in their first round matches so we can’t really take too much from them in terms of form guides and things like that but Murphy did bang in four tons and while he’ll have to work a lot harder for his chances in this match, he did show when he’s in the balls he can score heavily. Robertson didn’t score quite as well as that but in his first session in particular he looked extremely good.
Surprisingly this is the first time the pair have met in a proper competition in four years and while Murphy won The Masters final between them in 2015, it is largely Robertson who has fared better. I would expect the Aussie to win but the handicap lines are a little tight so rather than back something I’m not confident with, I’ll watch the first session and look to get involved beyond that.
Mark Selby vs Gary Wilson (Thursday 7pm, Friday 230pm & Saturday 10am)
There are three matches in the second round which take place over three days and the first of those sees the former champion Mark Selby taking on a Gary Wilson who did well to come through an epic deciding frame in the first round.
I think it is fair to say that we didn’t see the best of either man in the first round. The score book suggests Selby played well but the reality is he was gifted his win with Zhao collapsing from 5-1 in front. Wilson played some wonderful safety in the opening round but didn’t score like we know he can, which he highlighted as a concern in his presser after the match.
I suspect some of Wilson’s scoring woes in that first game was born about by two things – firstly he had never won a match at the Crucible so was entitled to be nervous, and secondly, he probably thought he had a draw he could come through and that created its own pressure. I expect to see much more from him here. When we think back to two years ago when he played O’Sullivan in a match where nobody expected him to win he rammed in a couple of tons and a host of other breaks. He isn’t expected to win here so he can play with a freedom to run Selby close. We know his tactical game is in good order and while that might not be enough to win, it can certainly get him to eight frames.
Tips
Back G.Wilson (+4.5 frames) to beat M.Selby for a 4/10 stake at 1.73 with BetVictor
Back him here:
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