It is semi-final Saturday at the German Masters and with us now down to just the one table inside the Tempodrom in Berlin the tournament really goes up a notch from here with both matches played out across two sessions of play.
The four players remaining are already in the Players Championship field which means that they are among the form men of the season so far so we should be in for an exciting day of snooker with the semi-finals over the best of 11 frames.
Afternoon Session
Zhao Xintong vs Ricky Walden
The opening semi-final of the German Masters sees the UK Championship winner Zhao Xintong looking to make it through to his second final of the campaign when he takes on Ricky Walden, who lost out in the last four in Northern Ireland and will be looking to go one better here.
Xintong is the player of the season so far for the dazzling way he played at the UK Championship and he has played some very good snooker this week too. He has taken care of Mark Williams, Tom Ford and Judd Trump and looks to have picked up where he left off in York. Walden has gone unnoticed this week though because he’s been on the outside table all week after his opener against Neil Robertson but he’s also seen off Luca Brecel and Kyren Wilson in emphatic fashion so this should be a great contest. I’m tempted by over 9.5 frames in this one but they are both playing so well that they could go on a burst of frames at any minute so I think this match is best watched rather than bet on.
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Evening Session
Mark Allen vs Yan Bingtao
The second semi-final takes place in the evening session when the Northern Ireland Open champion Mark Allen looks to go within a win of his second title of the campaign when he takes on the former Masters winner Yan Bingtao.
I’m looking forward to this semi-final as this has all the hallmarks of being an absolute cracker. Allen has had the plot draw this week which as expected he has come through so far but he’s now up against a real fighter who has it all to succeed at the top level of the game in Yan Bingtao. I don’t know if the Chinese superstar is on a free roll having come from 4-2 down to Mark Selby on Friday but if he is then he could be tough to stop here. Allen has been impeccable so far this week. In the 15 frames he has won he has made eight 50 breaks and four centuries so if Yan leaves him chances he’ll get punished. Bingtao is able to go toe to toe with anyone now though and I don’t see him being turned over easily. I hope Allen wins this one as I’m effectively on him at 9/2 to win it having backed him for this tournament outright but the best bet for this semi-final looks to be over 9.5 frames as this one has 6-4 or 6-5 either way written all over it.
Tips
WON – Back M.Allen vs Y.Bingtao – Over 9.5 frames for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Betfair
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