It is semi-final day at the British Open on Saturday with the tournament now down to the one-table setup and the profile of it about to really increase as both matches are played out inside the Centaur at the Cheltenham Racecourse.
We have one semi-final which could easily be a final and the other which pits experience against youth. Three of the four players left in the tournament are serial winners while the other is an outsider who is hoping for the best weekend of his life.
Afternoon Session
John Higgins vs Oliver Lines
The opening semi-final is the battle of experience against inexperience as John Higgins looks to make it through to another major final when he goes up against an Oliver Lines who is in the semi-final at this level for the first time in what has been the best week of his career to date.
Higgins isn’t just playing for a spot in the final of the tournament but a win in this semi-final would return him to the top 16 after a week away. This has already been the best week in the life of Oliver Lines and a win in this match would set up a first shot at a major trophy. The way Lines saw off Jak Jones in the final frame of their quarter final on Friday evening should give him a lot of confidence for this semi-final and if he can settle down early in this match and calm the nerves he will know he is facing an opponent who has fallen at the semi-final stage a number of times over the last few seasons. This is probably all about Higgins and he should win and win well but I’m hoping the script gets flipped because I’m effectively on Lines at 125/1 courtesy of taking him outright before a ball was hit this week. That can be my interest in the opening semi-final.
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Evening Session
Mark Selby vs Mark Allen
The pick of the semi-finals comes along in the evening though where two serial winners of tournaments meet for a spot in the final when Mark Selby bids to make the title match here for the second year in succession when he faces off against Mark Allen.
Allen started the week a little quiet on the table and making more of a noise off of it but that has changed the longer the tournament has gone on. He has made a maximum break this week and dumped out the man of the week in Judd Trump in the quarter final. Selby has battled his way through to the semi-final. He has shown glimpses of good scoring but every match he has been in has gone to a deciding frame and I just think at some point that catches up with every the strongest players mentally. There is no doubt that Selby is one of the best there is in a battle but I just feel Allen might have a gear which gets him away from Selby here. I’ve thought all week that Selby has been waiting to be put out of his misery. Allen has no problems doing that. He has won their last two matches in deciding frames so if this is as tight as everyone expects it to be that bodes well for him but I think someone is due to run away from Selby and get the job done. At even money I like Allen here.
Tips
Back M.Allen to beat M.Selby for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Coral
