The opening round of the International Championship concludes on Monday when the last 16 first round matches are played over two sessions of action out in China.
The first day of the tournament saw us lose our number one seed Ricky Walden but by and large everyone else came through unscathed so we’re set for a really high quality week on the green baize.
Plenty more big names are in action on Monday with the likes of Neil Robertson, John Higgins, Ding Junhui and Stuart Bingham all featuring across the two sessions of play.
The earlier session is where Robertson and Higgins begin their quest for the title but neither match offers much betting potential. Higgins is my pick from the bottom half this week so I’m happy to sit back and watch him win without getting too involved.
There is one bet I like in this session though and that is on the Thai play Noppon Saengkham. Saengkham made a name for himself when he beat Stephen Maguire in the qualifying round for this tournament and he was a semi-finalist in the Six Red World Championship so he’s in good nick at the minute.
Perhaps more crucially Saengkham has already played a match this week having been drawn to play a wildcard match. Those matches are beyond all evil but when you come through it then it can benefit you in the next game as you’re playing a cold opponent and that is very much the case here.
The Thai takes on the youngster Oliver Lines in the first round on Monday and I’m surprised he is the outsider. Lines is a talented individual but most of his better results come over the shorter distances where his aggressive play can have better effect.
Saengkham wasn’t brilliant in the wildcard round but he did make four decent breaks and with his cue arm nicely oiled I think he is a big price to come through this one.
The later session of play sees both Ding Junhui and Stuart Bingham back in action in matches they should win especially with the benefit of a match on Sunday to their names. They face Craig Steadman and Yu Delu respectively and while both can cause problems it would be a surprise if either beat their more illustrious opponents.
One man who I won’t be surprised to see win in this session is Matt Selt. Selt is improving all the time and is now firmly established in the top 32 in the world and I would imagine he will close in on the top 16 over the course of this season.
Selt takes on Dominic Dale in the opening round and while Dale has a good past his present form isn’t at the level he would like it. Selt’s tactical play is improving all the time but his scoring is so much better than it used to be and it is that scoring which I think can prove too much for the Welshman in this contest.
Back N.Saengkham to beat O.Lines for a 4/10 stake at 2.38 with Stan James
Back M.Selt (-1.5 frames) to beat D.Dale for a 4/10 stake at 2.00 with William Hill
