The first round of The Masters concludes on Wednesday with the last two matches played out in full over the two sessions at Alexandra Palace.
It might be the last day of the opening round but we still have two World and Masters champions on show as John Higgins and Neil Robertson get their campaigns underway.
Higgins takes on Liang Wenbo in the afternoon session match. On the face of it you would say this should be a comfortable match for the Scot and if you looked at their head to head record you would be even more encouraged as Higgins has won all of their previous meetings and only once has Liang got close really.
Despite that Wenbo merits a little bit of respect going into this tournament. He did make the final of the UK Championship last month and saw off the likes of Judd Trump and Marco Fu along the way so he can play the game.
The problem for Wenbo would be this is the first time he will have appeared in this event and it is a big thing for anyone to qualify for let alone on the first occasion so I’m sure the Chinese player will have a few nerves and will be eager to prove he belongs here.
If I’m honest I don’t see Higgins losing this and if Wenbo starts slowly, which there is the potential for him to do, then I would expect the Scot to cruise past the man from China again but with one or two doubts over how Wenbo will go I can afford to sit on my outright punt of Higgins and not get involved in this one.
The second match of the day looks like it has the makings to be a cracker as the UK champion Neil Robertson takes on a former Masters finalist in Marco Fu.
Fu has been in excellent form this season having reached the quarter final of the UK Championship where he went out in a deciding frame and he then followed that up by winning the title in Gibraltar so he’s in good touch right now.
We know Robertson is going nicely having won the Champion of Champions and then followed that up by winning in York so his big match credentials need no questioning that’s for sure.
Given how well both men are going right now this looks a really close match especially when we factor in their head to head which has seen their last two meetings in proper tournaments both going to a deciding frame.
Fu certainly doesn’t appear to fear Robertson and with a tactical game like Fu has nor should he but we know Marco is scoring well and that’s when he’s a real danger so I’m expecting a great match to finish the first round with and like many of those which have gone before I fancy this one to go over 9.5 frames.
Back Over 9.5 frames for a 4/10 stake at 2.25 with Paddy Power
