One of the biggest ranking event titles of the year will be won on Sunday when Tom Ford meets Ali Carter over the best of 19 frames in the final of the German Masters to round off a wonderful week of snooker inside the Tempodrom in Berlin.
Carter got his hands on this title 10 years ago and will be looking to win it for the second time to add to his list of ranking event wins. Ford is looking to break his duck in that respect in what will be the first two session final of his career.
Tom Ford
There were signs throughout the season and indeed last season that Tom Ford was getting into the sort of level to win a major tournament and he has highlighted that again this week. He was fortunate enough to get the first round bye but he has taken full advantage of that and has taken care of two of the few top 16 players that made it through to the final stages of this event in Kyren Wilson and Jack Lisowski.
Ford led Lisowski throughout that semi-final on Saturday evening but dropped behind in the deciding frame. He dug himself out of a hole with a dish which suggested he is in a real good place as he goes in search of a first major title in this match. Being in a good place is important because he is bound to be nervous on what is the biggest day of his career but after a quarter final at the Shootout last week and a semi-final at the UK Championship this performance has been coming.
Ali Carter
There have also been shades of life in the Ali Carter game as well, albeit without the results he would have wanted until this week. Carter clearly has a liking for Berlin having won this title before and he’ll be looking to double his tally of wins here in this final. He hasn’t had the toughest route to the final, as he too had a bye in the first round and then hasn’t faced a single top 16 player all week. Robert Milkins was his highest ranked opponent in the semi-final.
Carter opened up the season with a run to the semi-final of the European Masters but it was at the English Open where I noticed his form was on an upward curve and he has continued that this week. He has made five centuries in his three matches which is excellent scoring form and the big thing he has on his side is the experience of competing in the biggest matches in the best arenas. This won’t be second nature to him because it has been a while but at some point you would imagine he’ll be comfortable in the surroundings.
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Head-to-head
These two actually met in the Shootout last week which Ford won but we don’t include that tournament on the career records because it is under different rules. Taking their Championship League meetings out of the equation they have played on three occasions with Carter winning all three. Their first meeting was all the way back in 2004 and they have met twice since, the latest of which was in the quarter final here. Carter is 18-10 up on the frame count. This will be the first time they have met in a final but it isn’t the first two session match they have played. They met in the UK Championship in 2004. Carter won that match 9-8 which suggests we could be in for a close final.
Betting
I personally hope this isn’t a close final. I hope Tom Ford wins it with plenty in hand because I am on him to win this final at 33/1 having taken him before a ball was struck ahead of the tournament. We have the place money secured and there was just something about the way he cleared up under ultimate pressure in the deciding frame of his semi-final win that makes me think he will have the measure of Ali Carter in this final.
I don’t expect this to be won easily though. Both semi-finals needed a deciding frame and I would expect this final to be close too because these two are fairly evenly matched. I’m not really interested in the history of their battles because Ford is playing as well now as he ever has but we know Carter isn’t going to give up on anything without a good fight. The frame line for this one is 16.5 which has a 4/5 price and I just don’t see this final being won any easier than 10-7 regardless of who wins it.
Tips
Back Over 16.5 frames for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with Boylesports
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