The semi-finals of the World Open take place out in Yushan in China on Friday as we find out which two men will compete in the final on Saturday and battle it out for the trophy and all the other benefits that come from winning a tournament of this magnitude.
We have a couple of top 16 players through to the semi-final and they both face an outsider starting the week so this could be a massive day at the office for one of those if they can pull off an upset and take their place in the final.
Afternoon Session
Zak Surety vs John Higgins
The opening semi-final looks like it could be a mismatch on paper as John Higgins gets set to compete in a 86th ranking event semi-final against a player in Zak Surety who has made it through to the last four in an event like this for the first time.
You would imagine that there will be some nerves from Surety but at the same time he must be playing with a bit of freedom because he has already doubled his earnings for the season and is shooting up the rankings. Of course a win here would further elevate him but regardless of what happens in this semi-final he is sitting pretty for a while. Higgins is the one under pressure here because he will know he has a massive opportunity to get back in the winners’ enclosure over the weekend but at the same time he will need to stay in the moment because he has crumbled in big matches with a lead in the past. You have to expect Higgins to win this match but his record in front isn’t really inspiring me to taking him on a handicap but there is no guarantee that Surety performs like he has all week so I’ll give this one a miss from a betting point of view.
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Evening Session
Joe O’Connor vs Ali Carter
The second semi-final sees two men meeting for the second time in as many ranking events when Joe O’Connor goes up against Ali Carter a fortnight after they clashed in the quarter final of the Welsh Open in Llandudno.
Carter won that clash in Wales and he is a marginal favourite to win here, probably as a result of that match, however O’Connor has played some stunning snooker at times and if he performs to anything close to the level he was at when he saw off Shaun Murphy in the quarter final he is going to be very tough to beat. We all know how hard it is to back up a performance like that with another one the next day and that will give Carter added confidence off the back of the win over O’Connor earlier in the month. He won that 5-3 and I suspect that this one could be equally as close. I think this will be a high quality semi-final between two men who are going really well. Carter probably has a point to prove after getting in his own way when losing to Stephen Maguire at this stage of the Welsh Open. O’Connor might also have something to prove by underperforming against Carter in that event so I fancy over 9.5 frames to land in what has all the makings of a very close last four clash.
Tips
Back J.O’Connor vs A.Carter – Over 9.5 frames for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Sky Bet
