The English Open semi-finals take place on Saturday when for the first time in years four players from outside the top 16 will battle it out for a spot in a full ranking event final and the chance to win the Steve Davis Trophy.
All four remaining top 16 players fell by the wayside in the quarter final on Friday and now there is a massive opportunity for someone to either revive, boost or launch their career in a big way over the next couple of days which is exciting.
Afternoon Session
Wu Yize vs Ishpreet Singh Chadha
The opportunity to launch a career comes in the opening semi-final where two men will be competing at this stage of a ranking event for the first time when Wu Yize takes on Ishpreet Snigh Chadha in an all-Asian clash.
Wu Yize has taken care of a couple of top 10 players in the world this week having dispatched of Ali Carter and Judd Trump and he looks to be playing some nice snooker at the minute. What I like about his journey this week is he hasn’t suffered a hangover from losing to Trump from 4-0 up in the Saudi Masters and that tells us a lot about his character which is important. Chadha is having the best week of his career so far in this tournament but without meaning to sound too harsh, he has fallen over the line with a decent lead in the last two matches and you wonder if the mental energy he has consumed, coupled with the fact he finished late at night on Friday, will catch him out. I suspect it will. Wu Yize has been spoken about as a rising talent for a few months now and he has played the better snooker for me. Ishpreet is going to be one of those players who when he is good he is dangerous but with how hard he hits the ball when it isn’t quite going for him he could struggle. I like the Chinese player to win this with a bit in hand here.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THIS TOURNAMENT! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Evening Session
Chris Wakelin vs Neil Robertson
Two ranking event winners meet in the second semi-final where the winner will be a huge favourite to come out on top in the final as the former Shootout champion Chris Wakelin takes on the highly decorated Australian player in Neil Robertson.
Not only are these two men playing for a shot at glory on Sunday and the spot in the Champion of Champions that comes with it but if one goes on and wins on Sunday then they will be into the top 16 of the world rankings with the cut offs for the UK Championship and The Masters looming on the horizon so that would be big. I suspect that might ensure that we get a competitive match here but I’m not really sure on the form of Robertson. I think he is playing better than he was but I don’t think he is quite where he was in his pomp but then when he was winning tournaments he would always up his game whenever he gets down to the one table setups. I do think Wakelin is ready to win a tournament of this kind so I expect him to put up a battle but this one is one to watch for me rather than get too heavily involved in.
Tips
Back W.Yize (-1.5 frames) to beat I-S. Chadha for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Coral
