The opening day of the main draw part of the German Masters sees three quarters of the first round being completed on a day which sees those on show competing in the behind closed doors setup in Milton Keynes rather than the vastly packed arena in Berlin.
These times call for adaptations and that is what the players will have to do in order to make it through to the last 16 of what is usually one of the most popular events on the circuit. It might be behind closed doors and in England not Germany but we still have three decent sessions to enjoy.
Morning Session
We have a main table, a streamed table and two other tables in use this week. First up on the main table is a man who will be eager to go well in this tournament in Shaun Murphy. The trophy is named after his former friend and manager who recently passed away so he will not lack for motivation in his match against Jamie O’Neill. While those two are battling it out Ding Junhui will be attempting to make progress on the streamed table. He takes on the Polish ace Kacper Filipiak.
The other two tables are on the outside of the arena but they can still be viewed with the bookmakers. In this morning session they will be occupied by four talented operators as Liang Wenbo will look to make progress to the last 16 of the event when he goes up against Jak Jones who has had a decent season so far. Tom Ford will then look to take advantage of a wide open part of the draw when he faces the talented Chinese player Yuan SIjun.
Afternoon Session
This session was due to have John Higgins and Stuart Carrington on the main table but Higgins’ withdrawal has meant that match will not go ahead. That leaves the current Tour Championship holder Stephen Maguire as the man to get the TV treatment. The man who made the last eight of The Masters goes up against Dominic Dale. The withdrawal of Higgins means that Joe Perry gets an elevation onto the streamed table. He meets Duane Jones.
That leaves just the one match elsewhere in the arena but for the two men involved it could be a huge one as Fergal O’Brien takes on Michael White. O’Brien is way down the world rankings having started a new tour card at the beginning of the season. White doesn’t even have a tour card and with both men being in the quarter vacated by Higgins there is a chance for one to have a huge week so this should be a competitive contest.
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Evening Session
Judd Trump gets his title defence underway in the evening session when he takes on the veteran player Mark Davis who is probably in the twilight of his career but he can still play the game and cause problems for the better players when given the chance. Barry Hawkins will have the chance to showcase his talents on the streamed table when he takes on a Ryan Day who you feel must surely start to climb back up the rankings sooner rather than later.
There are two matches on what we call the outside tables in this session and one of them is a big one for Graeme Dott. He isn’t too many big events off a recall to the top 16 in the rankings and if he can beat Jordan Brown he’ll go a step closer to achieving that aim. The other match offers up the opportunity for Mark Joyce and Joe O’Connor to make it through to the last 16 of the event, and possibly further given the way their part of the draw has opened up.
Betting
There isn’t a huge amount that jumps off the page at me here but with so much snooker still to be played in the coming months there is no need to push bets that aren’t there. We can steadily increase our profits by being selective so I’ll go with just the one bet on Wednesday which comes in that important afternoon clash between Fergal O’Brien and Michael White, a contest which is very big for both men.
It is big for both players but I expect White to come through here. I say that for a few reasons. I think at this stage of their careers White has more to offer than O’Brien even allowing for the fact that White doesn’t have a tour card at present. The other reason I like White is because he blew off the Christmas cobwebs in the WST Pro Series last week where he put in some creditable showings. The last time O’Brien played competitively was back in the Scottish Open going on seven weeks ago so if he is rusty here that won’t be good. White won their most recent meeting 6-2 in the UK Championship last season and I’m expecting him to come through here.
Tips
Back M.White to beat F.O’Brien for a 3/10 stake at 1.73 with Coral
Back him here:
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