After a high quality week in Beijing we now know the China Open final will be between Judd Trump and Ricky Walden with the pair meeting over the best of 19 frames for the title and the £85,000 first prize.
This would be a second China Open title for Trump were he to win the final whilst Walden will win the title for the first time and add it to the collection of titles he has already won in other Chinese events.
Judd Trump
Apart from in his quarter final against Mark King, Trump has looked almost invincible this week and he further confirmed that in his semi-final win over Stephen Maguire, a match he won 6-0 in no time at all. Maguire wasn’t at the races it has to be said but at the same time Trump was ruthless and now he stands one match away from the title again.
Trump’s scoring has been very good this week but his safety has really caught the eye and when he is creating comfortable chances for himself he is always going to be a tough nut to crack given how well he scores when he is in the balls.
Ricky Walden
For me Ricky Walden has been the most impressive player this week. He has scored really well, came through nicely when under pressure and really looked the part. That is all the more remarkable when you think less than a week ago he was playing in the Players Championship in Manchester as late as Sunday night.
Walden’s power scoring has seen him through with the highlight being the fantastic 131 clearance in the deciding frame of his semi-final with John Higgins. Walden has beaten Higgins and the world champion Stuart Bingham in the last two rounds and he’s nicely set up for this final.
Bets
If I had to pick a winner of this final it would be Judd Trump but he’s plenty short enough and I actually think it could be a closer final than many think which puts me off taking a handicap.
My only concern would be that the amount of matches and travelling will catch up with Ricky Walden. If I didn’t have that concern I would probably consider him as a value bet. Maybe the best way to play the outright market is to assess it after the first session. If Walden is in touch at half time he is unlikely to go away.
Walden has shown over the last two weeks how well he is scoring though so the 5/6 on him nailing a century in this final is of interest to me. He has just hit two centuries in his semi-final with Higgins and could easily have had a third in that match as well and he hit one earlier in the tournament.
That followed on from some eye catching scoring power that he displayed in Manchester last week and with all that in mind coupled with Judd still guilty of pushing the boat out now and again I think 5/6 on a Walden century is more than acceptable.
Tips
WON – Back R.Walden Over 0.5 centuries for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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