After a high quality day of quarter final action at the Welsh Open we have been left with our four semi-finalists, each of which will battle it out on Saturday for a place in Sunday’s final and the potential extras that come with it.
Quarter final day saw a 147 break, the world number one destroyed and a Welsh capitulation in a really good day on the green baize and Saturday promises just as much if not more.
The opening semi-final should be a cracker as Mark Allen takes on Neil Robertson in a battle of two form men in a repeat of the Champion of Champions final.
This pair have met four times over the best of 11 frame distance that they will play here and three of those matches have been very close so we look all set for another titanic tussle.
Mark Allen couldn’t have had an easier night in the quarter finals. Michael White self-destructed and Allen came through without dropping a frame. He wasn’t overly fantastic but he took advantage of every opportunity, something he will need to do here to be competitive. His form earlier in the tournament was very good and you get the feeling he is right up for the job here.
Neil Robertson sat and watched Ding hit a 147 break in his quarter final but either side of that he played some really lovely stuff and like a dog with a bone he’s often hard to shake off at this stage of a tournament and beyond so the Australian is likely to go well too.
I’m really looking forward to this match. Both are in good touch and generally when these two collide they play out close matches and I’m seeing another one of those sort of matches here. I’m surprised given how well both are playing that you can get over 9.5 frames as big as 5/4 and I’m priced in given three of their previous four best of 11 encounters finished 6-4 or 6-5.
The second semi sees Ronnie O’Sullivan playing Joe Perry and the question everyone is asking is who can stop the Rocket?
The world number one Mark Selby barely landed a blow on him in the quarter final and you would have to think this semi-final is all about O’Sullivan. If he plays to the standard he has played this week he wins. It really is that simple. He doesn’t just win either he’ll win with plenty in hand.
While all the TV bods and pundits and experts dissect his every word in interviews it seems to have gone unnoticed that Ronnie is playing snooker from the absolute gods on the table. He’s basically mugging everyone off with all the cobblers he comes out with. This is a guy on top of his game and he looks unstoppable right now.
To be fair to Joe Perry he’s come through the draw without any fuss and even beat Judd Trump in the last 16 but he needs a career best and Ronnie to be only 50% to even be competitive here. He’s bang up against it but he’ll know that and he can relax, give it a go and see what happens.
If we take out their World Championship meeting where Ronnie’s head is always in a weird place with the time he has to kill, these two have met four times and Perry has won just one frame in 19. That highlights the size of the task in hand here and leads me to think that Ronnie can win this and win it no worse than 6-2.
WON – Back M.Allen vs N.Robertson – Over 9.5 frames for a 4/10 stake at 2.25 with Paddy Power
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Back R.O’Sullivan (-3.5 frames) to beat J.Perry for a 4/10 stake at 2.20 with Titanbet
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