The final two matches in the second round of the World Championship get underway on Sunday as they play two of the sessions they need to get in line with the rest of the competition. The other two matches outstanding from Saturday play their second session by which at the end of the day we should be set up for an exciting Monday.
Saturday recap
The second Saturday of the tournament rarely lacks for drama and this one certainly didn’t either. The drama began right from the off as Alan McManus soared past a woeful Ali Carter to turn a 9-7 overnight deficit into a 13-11 win and become the second man into the quarter final. He awaits the winner of the Higgins vs Walden match in the last eight.
Mark Williams was the next man through when he saw off the challenge of Michael Holt 13-8 in what was a win every bit as comfortable as the scoreline suggests. Judd Trump or Ding Junhui will oppose the Welshman in the quarter final.
The drama kept on coming in the evening session as Sam Baird won four frames on the trot to come from 11-7 down to Mark Selby to draw level at 11-11 but the former champion showed all of his battling qualities to win two nervy and tense lengthy frames to seal a 13-11 win and progress to face either Mark Allen or Kyren Wilson.
Two matches began on Saturday. Ronnie O’Sullivan looked like he was going to surge clear of Barry Hawkins when a second century moved him 3-2 ahead of his rival but Hawkins wasn’t done and he snatched the last three to go into Sunday 5-3 up and sensing an upset.
Higgins and Walden got going in the evening session and their first stanza was a cracker. Both men made centuries and a raft of other breaks in a high quality session on the green baize. When they return on Sunday afternoon Higgins will lead 5-3.
The two outstanding matches are interestingly poised and I’m not actually sure which way I expect them to go from here so I’m going to sit back and enjoy them and hopefully get involved in their final sessions should the chance arise.
Judd Trump vs Ding Junhui
All eyes will be on this match between the two men dubbed world champions in waiting. If both play to their absolute best then this should be a cracking match. If they don’t it might be a damp squib but there were enough signs in the first round that they were playing well enough to give us a mini epic.
Trump overcame the serious challenge of Liang Wenbo in the first round with his safety looking as good as it has arguably ever looked. With the scoring power he has if his safety remains that good he is going to take some stopping this week.
Ding also had a tough first round draw to come through and he did that with plenty of quality. In all he banged in three centuries and a raft of other breaks and powered home after Martin Gould looked all over the winner at 8-6. That mental strength that has been instilled in him by Terry Griffiths could be vital long term.
I can’t wait for this match but I can’t really recommend a bet from the off. All the usual markets that I would target have all been priced on the higher side of fair but still not high enough that I want to oppose them so I’ll sit back and watch this one unfold and hope there is a chance to get involved at some point before its conclusion.
Mark Allen vs Kyren Wilson
This is another match I’m really looking forward to. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if these two both win world titles at some point in their careers. From a betting point of view I hope Allen does it this year but he has a serious hurdle to overcome here.
There is no weakness in Kyren Wilson’s game as Joe Perry found out in a high quality first round match. Wilson is a wonderful break builder when he’s in the balls but he can mix it in the tactical department and we saw when he won the Shanghai Masters how cool he is under pressure.
The same qualities sit within Mark Allen though too so this one should be a really tight match throughout and one which has the potential to be an absolute epic when they come back for their final session on Monday afternoon.
I was going to take over in frames but the price is a little cramped for me. Hopefully at some point we’ll be able to get involved in a market like that but to start off with I’m just going to take Kyren Wilson to make a century at a 5/6 price which is far too big.
I don’t know exactly how many frames Wilson will win in this match but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t take double figures in frames. If he does win that many then with his scoring power I’d be very shocked if he doesn’t nail a ton along the way, especially against an Allen who likes to play with the balls open too.
Tips
WON – Back K.Wilson – Over 0.5 centuries for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Back it here:
