The Australian Open is hotting up as we head into the Last 16 stage in Bendigo. Still plenty of top players hanging around and some good matches are in prospect as we hit the business end of the week.
There were two 2nd round matches today, seeing home favourite Neil Robertson and Dominic Dale book their quarter final spots.
Neil Robertson 5-3 Jamie Cope - A fantastic performance from Neil Robertson saw him get through to the Last 8 with victory over Jamie Cope. The Aussie looks really good at the moment, and the tournament really needs him to do well. Neil made top breaks of 68, 76, 82, 83 and 91 on his way to a good win while Cope made a 74 of his own in the opening frame. This just showed everyone once again that he is the best in the world right now and that he will be a serious contender this week, making at least the Last 4 for my money.
Dominic Dale 5-2 Fergal O'Brien - A simple victory in the end really for Dale as he went through after losing the opener with highs of 54, 54, 69 and 84 as O'Brien failed to get a grip on the match in against a similar player to him, rather than frustrating Walden as in Round 1. Dale could be a surprise package this week if he continues to play similarly to this, interesting to see how things go for him.
Thursday's 2nd Round matches:
Barry Hawkins Vs Tom Ford - Will be a tricky game for the defending champion, and if Ford starts to score heavily this will be very close. I still think Hawkins will win if he can keep it tight but Ford could just as easily get through to the Last 8.
Robert Milkins Vs Rory McLeod - Robert is playing really well at the moment, and the only way I can see Rory winning is if he can frustrate Robert. However part of Robert's rise into the Top 16 provisionally (and well deserved) has also seen him mature quite a bit and become a little more patient so I shouldn't see it being a problem. No offence to Rory, but having not played this week so far either I fully expect a Milkins win.
Shaun Murphy Vs Marco Fu - I tipped Murphy up at the start of the week and he played well in the first round, making what could've been a close match a routine victory. As for Fu he is always a tough player to play and played ok against Ken today. I expect him to play a good tactical game and he will need to give Shaun as little as possible or Murphy will pounce. Could be a very close tussle but would go for a Murphy win.
Joe Perry Vs Stuart Bingham - Will be a close match and one that could well go the distance. Some places have Perry down as favourite and I would argue that to a certain extent. Both are quality players and Perry is in incredible form, while Bingham has won in Bendigo before and has come on masses in the last 2 years since winning. Personally I would still send Bingham off as favourite so there may be some value to be had if he is outsider with the bookies.
Mark Davis Vs Alfie Burden - Davis made heavy weather of his match against Paul Davison and I think that Burden has a chance if he can play like he did against Holt. Burden will need to score well when given the opportunity and need to be patient, while Mark will be after a big improvement on today's performance. A big problem in Australia is sleep and Burden appears to be one who is suffering, but if he is ready and fit for the match he'll be a handful for Davis. Still think Mark Davis will make it through to build on last year's semi-final.
Mark Selby Vs Zhang Anda - On paper this should be a simple Mark Selby win and it may turn out that way, but I think that Zhang will give Selby another tough match and the jester will need to improve big time. If Zhang can bring out the performance that saw off Higginson comfortably, he could easily pounce on Selby if he starts poorly again. Selby would win lots more tournaments for me, if he started matches better and made less hard work of matches early on in tournaments, rather than getting involved in unnecessary scraps which he may enjoy but ultimately waste energy. This is while someone like Neil Robertson makes easy work of matches early on in tournaments, and saves energy for the assault of the weekend semi-finals and finals. Therefore consistently getting to semi-finals and finals, and ultimately he will win more tournaments than Selby this season if this continues.
Hopefully it should unfold into an entertaining tournament as many hope that the Australian Open can remain on the calendar for future years and gain more support. More to come tomorrow hopefully ahead of the quarter-finals.
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