The World Championship has reached the quarter final stage with all four matches beginning on Tuesday ahead of them all finishing on Wednesday as the tournament continues to rattle on at a brisk pace.
Big names have tumbled throughout the competition which gives us a really wide open feel to the remainder of the event but in its own way that makes it all the more fascinating.
Monday recap
‘Middle Monday’ is always full of drama and this Monday had it in droves. It really was one of the best days of snooker for quite a while. It began in the afternoon as Mark Allen came roaring back at Kyren Wilson. Just like on Sunday night, Allen won the first four frames to come from 11-5 down to 11-9 and it looked like he had his opponent but when the challenge was laid down Wilson grew stronger and won 13-11.
On the other table Judd Trump also came roaring back in his match against Ding Junhui. Having lost two of the first three Trump trailed 12-7 at one point but his attacking snooker reeled off three in a row to get back to 12-10 but he couldn’t keep the run going as Ding fell over the line 13-10.
That was only the beginning of an amazing day. In the evening session Barry Hawkins and Ronnie O’Sullivan played out a tussle only this tournament can provide. It looked like being a damp squib when Hawkins went 12-9 in front but a lightning quick century and an 88 break with all reds and blacks had the Rocket back to 12-11 in no time.
That soon became 12-12 but it was Hawkins who came through a fascinating decider. He held his nerve under severe pressure to dump out the overwhelming favourite going into the tournament and open the draw right up.
On the other table John Higgins capitalised on some ragged play by Ricky Walden to win 13-8 and move into the quarter final where he has set up an all-Scottish clash with Alan McManus.
Ding Junhui vs Mark Williams
The opening quarter final was expected to be Judd Trump vs Neil Robertson but we are left to settle with Ding vs Williams for a place in the last four.
Ding held his nerve to see off Trump in the previous round and by and large has looked good in this tournament although I sense there is a lack of confidence in him deep down. I’ve a hunch the Chinese star will be fine if he gets in front here but I wonder how strong he’ll be if he falls behind.
Williams had a slow start against Michael Holt in the second round but he eventually came powering through to win comfortably and while he has talked his chances down in this tournament I don’t think he is daft. He’ll have seen who has gone out and secretly he’ll fancy his chances here.
Both men are scoring well and I’ve a gut feeling for Williams in this match but it isn’t a strong enough one to get involved. All the other prices look about right so I’m going to sit this one out.
Kyren Wilson vs Mark Selby
I’m not going to sit the other match in the morning session out though. This looks like being the match of the round to me but I’m firmly in the camp of the outsider here.
I’ve been a big fan of Kyren Wilson for a while and I’ve a feeling he might be about to catapult himself right into the big time in a huge way. I think he’s a big player in this tournament from here on in. The way he saw off Mark Allen in the previous round spoke volumes of how good he is.
He surged clear of Allen in the first session and each time that the Northern Irishman came back at him he pushed on again which shows he is strong mentally. His long potting has been insane in this tournament, shades of when Shaun Murphy won the tournament.
Mark Selby has come through a couple of battles in this tournament but you would be kidding yourself if you tried to make out he has looked good at any point. We know Selby can come through matches without playing his best but the way Wilson is playing you’ve got to think he is going to struggle to come through this one unless he’s in top form.
2/1 on Wilson is too big for me to ignore given how well he’s playing. Selby’s poor form so far hasn’t been a form thing it is a rust issue and I’m not sure he’s suddenly going to get that back. I’m with Wilson in this match.
I’m also going to have a punt on the centuries in this match. Both men can score well. Wilson has already made three tons in the tournament and a raft of other big breaks while Selby has four centuries and plenty more decent runs. I expect the scoring to continue here so I’m on over 2.5 centuries.
John Higgins vs Alan McManus
All eyes will be on John Higgins going into this match. He’s now the favourite for the title and given the way he is playing that is absolutely correct but he’s yet to have a bad session and the one thing you can guarantee in this tournament is one will come along at some point. He’ll hope it isn’t here.
Higgins is playing well enough to win this tournament but there were times that Ricky Walden had him under pressure in the previous round so if McManus can keep close early on the door might just open. Time will tell if he can come through it.
In terms of the match prices and the handicaps there’s nothing I feel comfortable with taking but the way Higgins is scoring right now I can’t avoid taking him to notch another couple of centuries. Higgins scored four centuries against Day in the first round and added another century against Walden along with runs of 90, 92 and 99. He’s scoring brilliantly so the even money on the four time champion to replicate Ali Carter and bag two tons against McManus looks too good to refuse.
Marco Fu vs Barry Hawkins
I guess the big question here is can Barry Hawkins follow up his exploits of the night before? It wasn’t just beating O’Sullivan, it was the emotional rollercoaster that he went through that could be the bigger thing to have to overcome.
Marco Fu hasn’t had it simple this week. He had a neck injury prior to his match with Anthony McGill but he still came through. I’m expecting him to be much fitter now after three days to get everything sorted and if he is we only have to look back a round to his win over Ebdon to see the form he’s in.
Both these men are playing some great stuff and this one is hard to call. I’m going to watch a session and assess things in terms of the match bets and things but once again I’m finding the centuries hard to ignore here.
Hawkins has crashed in a century in each match he has played so far while Fu has banged in two in each match so I’m expecting the big breaks to roll in this one. It is rare that matches between these two aren’t open and high scoring so I’ll take this one to be as well.
Tips
Back K.Wilson to beat M.Selby for a 3/10 stake at 3.00 with Betfred
Back him here:
Back K.Wilson vs M.Selby – Over 2.5 centuries for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Paddy Power
Back it here:
Back J.Higgins Over 1.5 centuries for a 4/10 stake at 2.00 with Bet365
Back M.Fu vs B.Hawkins – Over 2.5 centuries for a 4/10 stake at 2.00 with Bet365
Back them here:
