The World Championship continues on Tuesday when three more sessions of play takes place inside the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield with two more spots in the second round being earned and four other games getting started.
We are seeing plenty of drama in this tournament while the quality has been high as well and with the likes of Masters champion Shaun Murphy and seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan on show on Tuesday that is unlikely to change.
Day 3 Recap
We saw three matches come to a close on Monday inside the Crucible Theatre with Zhao Xintong being the first man through from the day. He repelled a mini recovery from Jak Jones to take care of the 2024 finalist 10-4. The afternoon was all about Mark Allen when he converted his 5-4 overnight lead into a 10-6 win over Fan Zhengyi and then in the evening session John Higgins was a 10-7 winner against Joe O’Connor. Two matches are halfway through their matches with Ding Junhui leading Zak Surety 6-3 and Si Jiahui has the same advantage against Dave Gilbert.
We didn’t have any bets conclude on Monday but we’re needing fightbacks in the two matches that we have outstanding going into Tuesday but hopefully that can happen. Mark Allen did make it into the second round though in a quarter where he is now the only seed remaining so that bodes well for the quarter bet but that aside there wasn’t a whole lot to report on the betting front on the third day of the competition.
In Play Betting
Two matches are live going into Tuesday and usually I would be looking at getting involved in a bet but I already have money on both of them. I’m looking for Zak Surety to come out and win 4-3 in the second session against Ding Junhui but having been 4-0 at the interval on Monday only to win the last five 3-2 I’ve a little hope that he can do that, especially as he finished the session with a century which should have made him feel a lot better about himself.
The other outstanding match on Tuesday is the one between Dave Gilbert and Si Jiahui which is 6-3 to the Chinese player. I probably need snookers for Gilbert to turn that one around but a couple of eye catching shots aside the longer the session went on, Si didn’t play great in that one so it isn’t like Gilbert isn’t capable of turning that one around if he can make a fast start. Either way I’m already invested in that one and I don’t really need to be on again.
Zhang Anda vs Pang Junxu (Tuesday 10am & Wednesday 10am)
The morning shift for the next two days sees two Chinese players taking to the baize when Zhang Anda looks to justify his billing as a seed when he takes on his countryman Pang Junxu in what could very well be a tight tussle between two fairly evenly matched players.
It wouldn’t be a surprise were this one to be going on for a lengthy period on Wednesday morning but you would have to say that Zhang Anda could be a vulnerable seed here. He didn’t make the latter stages of the Players Series events and comes in here having not played for six weeks or so and having lost five of his last six matches in all competitions. Pang has won a couple of qualifying matches so he is active and probably has an advantage as a result of that. The odds probably reflect that though with Pang only 11/10 to win this match but I’d rather see the first session and if it is as tight as it could be on paper in reality then I’ll look to jump on the over in frames ahead of the second session.
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Shaun Murphy vs Daniel Wells (Tuesday 10am & Wednesday 10am)
While the all-Chinese battle gets up and running on table one, over on table two The Masters champion Shaun Murphy will get his campaign for a second world title underway when he goes up against the debutant Daniel Wells.
Wells has been a professional for a good while so finally reaching the Crucible Theatre will be a big deal for him and the question is obviously how quickly he will settle. If he does settle quickly then he has the form behind him to be a danger here but Murphy is playing pretty well and he is going to be a tough nut for anyone to crack. There is a case for Murphy to win this and win it well but the fact that the seeds haven’t played for a while and the qualifiers are match sharp puts me off taking the handicaps until we’ve seen some of the action. I’ll leave this one alone but will keep an eye on it in case there is a bet to be had ahead of the second session.
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ali Carter (Tuesday 2.30pm & Wednesday 2.30pm)
There is no doubt about which is the first round match which will draw the most attention and it is the one between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter which has the afternoon slot on table one for Tuesday and Wednesday.
There is no shortage of history between these two men both in their career and in this venue and that will be one part of the storyline here but the fact that O’Sullivan returns from a sabbatical that dates back to the middle of December will certainly add to the intrigue. I’m sure we’ll hear a lot about how Ronnie took a season out and won this tournament but the standard is much better now and I can’t see a repeat of that happening. That isn’t to say that he can’t beat Carter however. This is probably the best draw for both men as both will be bang up for this and I wouldn’t be surprised if this turns into a bit of a slugfest but the value has to be on Carter here. He is active, knows how to beat Ronnie and it was only seven weeks ago that he was a semi-finalist in the World Open having reached that stage of the Welsh Open too. I’m not convinced O’Sullivan is here for anything other than prize money so I’ll take Carter at the prices.
Judd Trump vs Zhou Yuelong (Tuesday 7pm & Wednesday 7pm)
The world number one Judd Trump gets his challenge for a second world title up and running on Tuesday evening in a match that will conclude on Wednesday evening when he faces the competent Chinese player Zhou Yuelong.
Yuelong would be a real test for the UK Championship title holder were he confident, in form and playing his best stuff, but there has been little signs of that this season. The Chinese player has been on the fringes of the top 16 for the past two seasons but now because of a quiet campaign he is teetering on the edge of falling out of the top 32. He hasn’t made a quarter final since the Shanghai Masters back in July and that paints a bit of a sorry picture. That makes me think that this is all about Trump. Trump has had a great season but he doesn’t always play his best stuff here. That might fire him up to deliver the goods in this tournament but I’d like to see how he goes before I get too involved in him so this is very much a first session watching brief to see how the land lies before maybe getting involved in the second session.
Tips
Back A.Carter to beat R.O’Sullivan for a 3/10 stake at 3.25 with Spreadex
