The Northern Ireland Open has reached the quarter final stage and as ever with a Home Nations event all four matches take place over two sessions of play and at the end of it all we will know the four men progressing to the one-table setup.
Home Nations events always throw up a mixture of top level campaigners mixed in with the odd surprise package of two and we have no different this week so we should be in for an entertaining day of snooker in Belfast.
Afternoon Session
Neil Robertson vs Pang Junxu
The opening quarter final sees the English Open winner Neil Robertson looking to continue his quest for successive Home Nations victories when he takes on the Chinese player Pang Junxu who will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Xiao Guodong and win a maiden world ranking title.
Robertson looks to be back to the form he had a few years ago when he was a danger in every tournament although he still doesn’t convince me in scrappy matches and Pang has the ability to turn this into a safety battle. If he can manage it then he would certainly have a chance here but I do think he would need to do that as I wouldn’t fancy him in a scoring battle. I wouldn’t fancy him against many on the tour let alone one of the best break builders in Robertson. I was toying with the idea of getting on Pang in some way here because we usually see the tables play tough in these Home Nations events by this stage of them but ultimately the Chinese player will need to score and that is where I’m unconvinced.
Mark Williams vs Kyren Wilson
The second match of the afternoon session is the pick of the quarter finals as the former winner of this tournament, Mark Williams, takes on the reigning world champion Kyren Wilson in what could be a cracking contest.
Williams has improved the longer the week has gone on and we are at the stage of the tournament where he might start to fancy his chances of coming out on top. Wilson has lived something of a charmed life at times this week but he is still here to tell the tale and can improve as a result. Both of these men know how to perform at their best in the business end of the season so this should be a really good game. Wilson has looked good this week but then he has been guilty of pushing the boat out a little against opponents he had more than enough in hand of. He doesn’t have as much in hand of Williams so he is going to need to be at his best here. Williams has a habit of hanging in matches and if the chance presents itself he’ll have no problem going through the open door to the semi-final so we should be in for a cracking contest. I like over 7.5 frames here at a perfectly fair 17/20.
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Evening Session
Judd Trump vs Shaun Murphy
The pick of the quarter finals on Friday comes in the offering on the main table in the evening session where the defending champion Judd Trump takes on the former world champion Shaun Murphy in what is a repeat of the Shanghai Masters final from earlier in the season.
Trump won that match 11-5 and he has since beaten Murphy 6-5 in the semi-final of the Saudi Masters when Murphy looked to have his man beat so we are in for a fascinating battle but one you would imagine will be a high quality one. I don’t think Trump has been anywhere near his best this week on the whole but when he has required the magic moments he has found them. That accusation can be levelled at Murphy as well but he has delivered the goods when he has had to and you sense there won’t be much between these two come the end and the winner might be the one who tightens up their game the most. This one could go either way but the odds are all about right in my eyes.
Louis Heathcote vs Elliot Slessor
There is always a quarter final on table two in a Home Nations event and on Friday evening that one sees the two lowest ranked players left in the competition battling it out for a big spot in the semi-final of a ranking event when Louis Heathcote meets Elliot Slessor.
Heathcote is through to his first full ranking event quarter final away from the Shootout and he meets a Slessor who is playing in a second in as many months having reached the last eight of the British Open at the end of last month. There he ran into John Higgins but he will know there is nothing of that quality in the opposite chair here. Heathcote will also know that this draw could have been a lot tougher so it would be a surprise if this isn’t a competitive encounter with some nerves and tension mixed in. That is unless Slessor’s experience allows him to settle quicker and run out a comfortable winner. I’m hoping that happens because I’m getting quite excited about my 200/1 outright bet all of a sudden and a win here would see Slessor playing for the place money. That’s all the interest I need in this one.
Tips
Back M.Williams vs K.Wilson – Over 7.5 frames for a 3/10 stake at 1.85 with Betway
