The first round of the UK Championship continues at the Barbican Centre in York on Sunday and it does so with four more matches taking place across two more sessions of play in the opening Triple Crown event of the season.
We saw one or two big names take to the baize on the first day of the tournament on Saturday and plenty more will grace the two tables over the course of what looks to be a particularly good Sunday of action.
Afternoon Session
Neil Robertson vs Joe Perry
The action on the main table will see two men who are very good friends battling it out when Neil Robertson takes on Joe Perry for a place in the last 16 of the biggest tournament of the campaign to date.
Robertson has had a quiet beginning to the season both in terms of results and number of outings but you would imagine he will have been putting in enough work to be able to peak for an event of this kind. Perry has been more active than his friend this season but hasn’t really had the results he would have wanted either so this one is hard to get involved in. I sense Perry could be a bit of value but I hate betting in matches between good friends so I’m happy to leave this one alone.
Luca Brecel vs Lyu Haotian
The match over on table two will see the player who was one win away from getting his hands on this title a year ago in action when Luca Brecel meets one of the better players in the early part of this season in the form of Lyu Haotian.
Brecel followed up his Scottish Open win of last season with a win at the Championship League to begin this campaign so he is becoming one of the better players in the world right now and will be looking to make hay in a competitive quarter this week. Haotian has reached a couple of quarter finals this season so he can play with freedom here knowing that his World Grand Prix place is pretty safe. He hasn’t really done it on the biggest of stages but there is no substitute for form and he carries a fair amount of that. Nothing really stands out in this one so I’m happy to leave this alone too.
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Evening Session
John Higgins vs Tom Ford
The main table will be occupied by the former champion John Higgins who will be looking to kick an ordinary start to the season into life when he goes up against a Tom Ford who has been quite quiet for the last year or so but who can be very good on his day.
It will be interesting to see how Higgins goes here. Usually the star names get inspired by the big venues and the better tournaments but the Scot has given off a couple of weird interviews in recent times and I’m not convinced he is enjoying his snooker or comfortable with his game right now. Ford has been quiet but he came through a couple of good matches in qualifying and is scoring well and you would imagine given that he only came through qualifying a few days ago will have been able to maintain his form. I think Higgins looks a little vulnerable at the minute and Ford won’t need reminding that their last meeting, which was earlier this year, saw him run out an emphatic 5-0 winner. I think he’s the value to come through this one.
Barry Hawkins vs Ding Junhui
The evening match on table two will see one of the ties of the opening round being played out when the European Masters finalist Barry Hawkins takes on the qualifier all the seeds wanted to avoid in the former champion Ding Junhui.
Hawkins started the season off well with that run in Germany but hasn’t really kicked on from there and he is one of few seeds who is actually the outsider for his match. Ding came through a couple of competitive qualifying matches to make it to this stage and scored well in them and you suspect he is going to be in position to really lay it down to Hawkins. These are the kind of occasions and matches which can bring the best out of Hawkins though and my gut feeling is that he might get the job done here but his record in this tournament isn’t great and that is all enough to allow me to leave this one alone.
Tips
Back T.Ford to beat J.Higgins for a 3/10 stake at 3.40 with Bet365
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