The first round of the Tour Championship continues on Sunday and it does so with a repeat of the World Championship final of last year as the world number one Judd Trump takes on John Higgins in what should be a belter of a contest.
The winner knows they will meet Stephen Maguire in the semi-final after he produced an amazing performance to see off Neil Robertson on Saturday. Both these men will be eager to win an event as coveted as this one so we are in for a great day of snooker.
The Format
There are only seven matches in this tournament with the quarter finals and semi-finals being played over two sessions of action and the best-of-17 frames. The final was due to be the only match of the season outside of the World Championship to be the best-of-25 frames with the winner being crowned over three sessions, however the social distancing and health measures that are in place mean that the final on Friday will just be the best of 19 frames.
Judd Trump
This has already been a record breaking season for Judd Trump. He has won six ranking event titles and he’ll be looking to extend that to a seventh here. He is also closing in on the 100 centuries for the season too and it is only a matter of time before he becomes the second man to achieve that feat. These are the tournaments that the big guns crave so I expect Trump to be right up to speed and ready to rumble here.
Trump wasn’t himself at the Championship League earlier in the month but I think he was there more as a world champion promoting the sport as he was to win or anything like that. With the riches on offer this week I am sure we’ll see the number one in the world who has already dominated the European Series this term and now that Neil Robertson is out will surely go on and land the Coral Series too.
John Higgins
Whenever you preview anything involving a great in any sport you immediately know how to judge them based on what event they are entering. Low key events you can have your doubts but this is the crème de la crème in this tournament and long matches right from the off so nobody is turning up here for the guaranteed cheque for qualifying. They all want to win and it is these tournaments that generally get the competitive juices going for John Higgins these days.
It goes without saying that he will have revenge on his mind during this match after being taken to the cleaners by Trump in the world final last May. Higgins didn’t play in the Championship League earlier in the month. I thought that would be a negative this week but Maguire has already shown that will not be the case. Higgins has only been to the semi-final of ranking events this season, where Trump has beaten him on both occasions, so he’ll be itching to make a final here.
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Head to Head
This is a rivalry that has flipped in recent times. They have met on 25 occasions in the past and while Higgins still leads the battles 13-12, the fact that Trump is up by 21 frames in total highlights the twist recently. Trump has won their last four meetings, all of which have come since the world final last year so they are certainly still relevant. He has won them 18-9, 6-5, 6-3 and 6-3. Trump actually heads Higgins in the quarter final meetings in the past. Of their eight last eight clashes the Englishman has won five to the three of Higgins. Higgins leads 3-1 in two or more session matches though.
Betting
I was disappointed with myself on Saturday because going into this event I told myself this would be like practicing for these great stars and with that I expected plenty of centuries so I was annoyed that I got caught up in backing Neil Robertson on a handicap. I’m not making that mistake here. I’ll be on the centuries but when it comes to the match I’ve a feeling Higgins might have the bit between his teeth and could cause an upset here.
However it is the centuries I like in this one even with the line up at 3.5. Trump will be all out to make tons when the chance comes as he closes in on that magical 100 for the season mark but Higgins is no slouch in the break building department either. In that world final last year under the most intense Crucible pressure, Trump made seven tons and Higgins made four. The lack of fans and distractions here and absolutely perfect table conditions should see the big breaks flow in this one too. I’ll take the over on that 3.5 line.
Tips
Back Over 3.5 centuries for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Betfair
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