The two semi-finals take place at the Northern Ireland Open on Saturday when the four men remaining in the tournament take to the baize at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast looking for a place in the final on Sunday and a shot at the Alex Higgins Trophy.
All four men remaining in the tournament have won a ranking event in the past so we should get a couple of competitive semi-finals as we head towards finding out who will be the winner of the first Home Nations event of the campaign.
Afternoon Session
Mark Allen vs Ricky Walden
The opening semi-final of the tournament is sure to be played in front of a loud and raucous crowd as the home man Mark Allen takes on the lowest ranked player remaining in the competition in the shape of Ricky Walden.
Allen has played very well this week, smashing in a maximum in his opening match and taking care of Stephen Maguire and the defending champion Judd Trump in the last two rounds but Walden hasn’t been far behind. He might not have the flashy breaks that Allen has but got the scalps of Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy on his CV. Walden made five breaks of 70 or more in his quarter final win over Murphy while Allen looked in good touch when he settled down as well. I think we’re in for a cracking first semi-final, one which looks to have plenty of potential to go over 9.5 frames at a very acceptable price.
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Evening Session
Yan Bingtao vs John Higgins
The second semi-final is a repeat of The Masters final from earlier in the year as Yan Bingtao takes on the man he beat to get his hands on that famous prize in John Higgins in what promises to be an epic contest over the best of 11 frames.
Bingtao arrived here with a decent record in this event having made the final in 2017, narrowly losing to Mark Williams, and a quarter final in Milton Keynes last year. He had also made the last 16 on two other occasions and now he is in the semi-final so there is something about this tournament which gets his juices flowing. On the way to the last four this week he has already seen off one ‘Class of 92’ legend in Ronnie O’Sullivan and now he’s after the scalp of another. This is the second time Higgins has made the last four here and having seen off Mark Williams and Dave Gilbert from behind in the last two matches we know none of his fighting qualities have disappeared. If there is a concern over the Scot it would be the noises he was making about his tip after the quarter final win. He had a day to sort those out so like their meeting at The Masters, I expect this to be a close match and over 9.5 frames appeals here too.
Tips
Back M.Allen vs R.Walden – Over 9.5 frames for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Betfair
Back Y.Bingtao vs J.Higgins – Over 9.5 frames for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Betfair
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