We are at the semi-final stage of the Scottish Open inside the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh with both matches taking place across two sessions of action on what will be an interesting Saturday.
We have one member of the top 16 left in the second Home Nations event of the season and three players for whom the next couple of days could be a massive turning point in their career and life changing overall.
Afternoon Session
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Gary Wilson
The opening semi-final sees two of those three players outside the top 16 in the rankings battling it out for a place in the final which will not only put at least 35,000 points on their world ranking but will likely qualify them for the first of the Cazoo Series events in 2023, when Thepchaiya Un-Nooh meets Gary Wilson.
A place in the final and a potential life changing day awaits the winner of this one and nobody can argue they don’t deserve to be in this position as between them they have taken care of four of the top six in the world in Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson and Mark Allen. I think it is fair to say that Un-Nooh has played the better snooker so far this week but it is Wilson who is more experienced at this stage of a tournament. I see this going one of two ways – either Un-Nooh continues his great form and runs away from Wilson or this gets tense and nervy and the Englishman battles his way home. I don’t really fancy guessing which one it will be though so I’ll sit this match out.
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Evening Session
Joe O’Connor vs Neil Robertson
The second semi-final looks like something of a mismatch on paper as Joe O’Connor prepares to compete in just the second ranking semi of his career when he goes up against a Neil Robertson for whom these occasions are second nature these days.
O’Co’nor has seen off four near enough top 16 players to make it through to this stage having overcome Zhao Xintong, Ding Junhui, Mark Williams and Ricky Walden to make it to this semi-final and you don’t run a gauntlet like that if you are not playing extremely well. He hasn’t just battled his way through, he has played some nice snooker in the process. Robertson mished and mashed his way through the opening stages of the tournament but was near perfect as soon as the format went up in his quarter final, winning a brilliant clash with Mark Selby 5-2. Clearly Robertson is a favourite here but he’ll do well to play as well as he did against Selby again. O’Connor can make this scrappy and challenge Robertson if he can settle in the surroundings. I think this will be closer than the odds suggest and if O’Connor settles then he can get us at least a push on the +3 frame Asian handicap by winning three frames and potentially grab a fourth as the pressure mounts on the Australian, who might be distracted by events in Qatar where his beloved Socceroos are playing at the same time.
Tips
Back J.O’Connor (+3 frames – Asian Handicap) to beat N.Robertson for a 3/10 stake at 1.85 with Bet365
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