It is quarter final day in the Scottish Open on Friday and as with all the Home Nations events all four matches will be played out across two sessions of play as we finalise the semi-final line up inside the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
We are used to seeing different players in this stage of this tournaments with the shocks and surprises that the best of seven frame matches bring but we actually have five of the best players in the world on show over the course of the day.
Afternoon Session
Mark Selby vs Ricky Walden
The defending champion Mark Selby gets the action underway on Friday when he goes up against the former ranking event finalist Ricky Walden who is building up a good run of form after making the last 16 of the UK Championship last week.
This might be the most competitive match of the day as two seasoned campaigners battle it out for a spot in the last four. Selby is a winning machine at the best of times but there is no doubt that Walden is capable of winning this match as wins over Pang Junxu and Mark Allen already this week has shown us. Selby doesn’t lose at the business stage of events too often but Walden is playing well enough to keep him honest here and I think the outsider is worth backing with the 2.5 frame head start.
Judd Trump vs Li Hang
The second match of the afternoon session sees Judd Trump looking to continue his unbeaten record in the Home Nations events this season when he goes up against the Chinese player Li Hang for a spot in the last four.
There were one or two question marks over how Trump would be this week after he lost so agonisingly in the UK Championship final last week but he hasn’t shown any signs of any issues with that as he has powered his way through what has been a relatively competitive draw. Li Hang merits respect in this match after seeing off four capable opponents so far this week but you get the feeling that he has fed on not being put away. I don’t expect him to get much joy with that strategy here but Trump is plenty short enough, albeit for good reason.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THIS TOURNAMENT! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Evening Session
Ding Junhui vs Ronnie O’Sullivan
The pick of the quarter final matches is the one which is on the main table in the evening session on Friday as Ding Junhui takes on the world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan at this stage for the second Home Nations event in succession.
O’Sullivan won their meeting at the Northern Ireland Open but you would be fibbing if you said he was convincing in doing it. The world champion won 5-2 which looks comfortable but he was 2-0 down before Ding went walkabout and starting coughing up chance after chance. I don’t expect that to happen again and I happen to think Ding will reverse the tables with the Rocket here. O’Sullivan was having some real tip issues on Thursday and so he’ll either he playing with a new tip or struggling with the one he has. Ding has played some very good stuff this week and if he believes he can beat the Rocket then this is chance to do it.
Kyren Wilson vs Jamie Jones
The one match that isn’t on the main table over the course of Friday sees the Championship League winner Kyren Wilson taking on a Jamie Jones who is back in a ranking event quarter final after returning to the tour earlier in the year.
Jones’ issues were well documented but he was never a bad player so it certainly isn’t a surprise that he is back in the last eight of an event but whether he is good enough to see off someone as seasoned as Wilson remains to be seen. Wilson can battle it out and he can outplay players in a scoring battle. The one thing you’d say about Wilson is that he doesn’t always win matches as easily as he should so Jones might be kept interested in this one. I still fancy Wilson to win but there isn’t much that I like in terms of a bet.
Tips
WON – Back R.Walden (+2.5 frames) to beat M.Selby for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
Back him here:
Back D.Junhui to beat R.O’Sullivan for a 3/10 stake at 3.00 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
