It is quarter final day at the British Open on Friday with all four matches being played across two sessions of action inside the Centaur building at Cheltenham racecourse on a day where will find the semi-final line-up.
We are up to the best of nine frames for these matches which means that we have an interval and a bit more time for the class to come to the fore. That is what the bigger names will be hoping at the very least but as ever in a random draw this could be a big day for some players.
Afternoon Session
Dave Gilbert vs Mark Selby
The action on the main table on Friday afternoon sees two men familiar to each other battling it out for a spot in the semi-final as the World Championship semi-finalist Dave Gilbert goes up against the man who was beaten in the final here a year ago in Mark Selby.
Gilbert has played very nicely this season. He made the final day of the Championship League before reaching the quarter final of the Xi’an Grand Prix and the last 16 of the Saudi Masters. It has generally taken a good player to beat Gilbert this season with his losses in full events being to Judd Trump, Gary Wilson and John Higgins. Unfortunately for Gilbert he is up against another here in Selby but I’m not convinced Selby is playing that well. As always he delivers the goods with his back against the wall but really Pang Junxu should have had him beaten in the deciding frame and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh visibly weakened when he was heading for the finish line. You sense that won’t happen with Gilbert. He has already beaten Selby this season and the two matches between the two before that he went down in a deciding frame and won the match prior to that so there is clearly no fear in Gilbert against Selby now. Gilbert has scored well this season and I think he’s the value to win this one.
Elliot Slessor vs John Higgins
It is a big afternoon over on table two on Friday when Elliot Slessor looks to make it back into the semi-final of the British Open for the second time in four years when he takes on a John Higgins who is closing in on a return to the top 16 after falling out of it last week.
Slessor has kind of gone under the radar this season but he is having a good time of it. He made it through to the last 16 of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters from deeper down the draw. He took care of Zhou Yuelong and Ali Carter in Saudi Arabia and has already dumped out the world champion Kyren Wilson here so he shouldn’t be written off. Higgins has looked like a player who has the bit between his teeth this week though, almost like dropping out of the top 16 has given him the kick up the backside that he might have needed. He has taken care of Shaun Murphy in pretty ruthless fashion this week and is playing well. I think the Scot might have too much nous for Slessor as the 6-0 head to head record would suggest but I’m not going to go against Slessor so I’ll leave this one alone.
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Evening Session
Judd Trump vs Mark Allen
The pick of the quarter finals takes place on the main table in the evening session when two of the top three players in the world meet for a spot in the semi-final when Judd Trump goes up against Mark Allen.
These two usually treat us to fantastic matches and hopefully the fact that Allen didn’t finish until 1.30am on Friday morning doesn’t stop us getting another classic from these two players. I don’t think Trump is playing particularly well at the minute and I’m waiting for a good time to oppose him. Allen has criticised conditions this week but then he made the maximum on Thursday afternoon so he clearly isn’t playing too badly. If that late finish hasn’t taken too much out of him I think he will win this and is certainly value to do it but it might pay to see how he looks early in the first frame before pulling the trigger.
Jak Jones vs Oliver Lines
The weaker of the four quarter finals on paper will take place over on table two where the World Championship finalist Jak Jones will look to make it back to a ranking event semi-final when he takes on the lower ranked player left in the draw in Oliver Lines.
We already have a skin in this game because Lines is our one remaining outright bet and he is a monster price for us so I’m hoping that he can come through this one and set up hedging potential or being a win away from landing us some place money. Jones has played well this week and has seen off the likes of Luca Brecel and has been untroubled in the main so he is going to be hard to beat but Lines has scored well in the main this week and if he is given a chance to get into his work early he is hitting the ball well enough to keep our interest in him alive. I’ll leave that outright interest as my only interest in this one.
Tips
Back D.Gilbert to beat M.Selby for a 3/10 stake at 2.50 with William Hill
Back him here:
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