The second semi-final of the Players Championship takes place on Saturday evening when Yan Bingtao takes on Shaun Murphy at this stage of a ranking event for the second time in three tournaments inside the Waterfront in Southport.
Judd Trump will be awaiting the winner of the match in the final of the second Coral Series event of the campaign on Sunday, with both men eager to come through and take on the world champion for the title.
Yan Bingtao
The Chinese number two went into this tournament in good form and he has maintained that in Southport. He arrived having made the semi-final of the last two events and the least he will do is leave with a third such finish in his pocket, however having lost to this same opponent at this stage of the Welsh Open, he will be eager to make it into what would be a second ranking event final of the campaign.
The first was in the Riga Masters and he went on to win that tournament, growing in strength as the event went on. That was not the case in the Welsh Open but those weeks can be hectic and it all looked like it caught up with him. This week he has shown he can score but he has also given us the other side of his game – an immaculate tactical prowess. Against Joe Perry in the quarter final he also showed he can hold his nerve in even the tensest situations.
Shaun Murphy
It is not just Yan Bingtao who comes here in excellent form, that is very much the case for Shaun Murphy as well. The difference between the two in many ways is that Murphy has displayed his form throughout the entirety of the campaign. He has already won two ranking event titles this season – the China Championship and more recently the Welsh Open, and he’ll join a select few if he can land a third title this weekend.
Murphy arrived here second in the one-year rankings which highlights just how well he has been going. Not only has he won two titles but he has made two other finals which is a huge achievement. That form has continued here, where he has come past Dave Gilbert in a deciding frame of a wonderful contest and then he looked assured in beating Mark Allen in the quarter final on Friday. It would be a surprise if we don’t get a strong showing from Murphy here.
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Head to Head
These two have met on six previous occasions in their careers, most recently at the Welsh Open earlier this month at this stage where Murphy won 6-5 after making a century in the final frame. That was Murphy’s third win in succession against Bingtao, but the Chinese youngster did have two wins from their first three matches, including at the Champion of Champions so both men will know the youngster can beat the former world champion on the big stage. The frame totals between the two reads 34-31 to Murphy which suggests we could be in for a tight contest.
Betting
That is very much how I see this semi-final playing out. Both men have shown their battling qualities this week, having both come through a deciding frame earlier in the tournament, and both are clearly cueing well. I’m already on Bingtao at 22.5/1 to win this match having taken him outright and I’m happy to let that ride because I was so impressed with the quality of his safety game against Joe Perry and that could be the difference here.
Ultimately though, it would be foolish to think we are not going to be in for a long match here. There has never been more than two frames between them in any of their six meetings and they have gone to a deciding frame in half of those battles. That was the case at the Welsh Open earlier in the month and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this one goes all the way too. At the very least I expect this one to have more than 9.5 frames.
Tips
Back Over 9.5 frames for a 4/10 stake at 2.30 with William Hill
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