The last 16 of the Xi’an Grand Prix takes place on Friday when all eight matches will be played out across two sessions of action over in China on a day where come the end of it we will have the confirmed quarter-final line up.
We have seen some shocks over the course of the earlier rounds, if such a thing exists with the strength of the tour these days, but plenty of big names have made it to the last 16 so we should be in for a decent day of snooker.
Afternoon Session
There is no doubt what the pick of the matches are in the afternoon session. It is the one between the defending champion Kyren Wilson and the winner of the British Open recently in Shaun Murphy. Both men look in fantastic order and are sure to deliver a strong battle. Gary Wilson is the only other top 16 player on show in this session. The Wuhan Open finalist will face one of the three remaining home players left in the tournament in He Guoqiang. Aaron Hill is beginning to kick on in his career and he will look to make a second quarter final in three tournaments when he faces Liam Pullen, who himself is playing the best snooker of his life. The other match sees Daniel Wells meeting Robert Milkins.
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Evening Session
Ronnie O’Sullivan will look to continue his march towards a first ranking title of 2025 in the evening session when he is on one of the main tables when he faces the former World Championship finalist Jak Jones who recently made it to the last four of the English Open. That match will get plenty of attention but the standout fixture in the evening is the one between the former world champion Mark Williams and the extremely competent Barry Hawkins. If that wasn’t enough the Chinese number one Ding Junhui is also on show in this session when he takes on Oliver Lines while there is a big chance for both Lyu Haotian and Stuart Bingham as they battle for what could be a valuable quarter final spot.
Betting
There are a couple of bets that tempt me over the course of the day but maybe not quite enough to pull the trigger. I’m tempted by Robert Milkins to beat Daniel Wells at the prices but at a similar price it is Barry Hawkins to get the better of Mark Williams which is going to be my bet. Williams has been solid enough in the two matches that he has played this week but he has given his opposition some chances which haven’t been taken but we’re getting to the stage where he is likely to be punished should that continue.
Going back to the qualifying competition for this event, Hawkins has won 15 frames in the tournament and he has won every one with a 50 break or more so he is in good scoring touch and that bodes very well for him not just in this match but the remainder of the event as we build towards the business end of the calendar. When you consider that the tactical side of the Hawkins game can earn him chances without Williams necessarily handing them to him, I think given what we have seen from both men this week Hawkins is the one to be on here, especially at odds against.
Tips
Back B.Hawkins to beat M.Williams for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with William Hill
Back him here:
