Former World Champions John Higgins and Mark Williams and defending World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan were all knocked out in the 2nd round today. Meanwhile, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Ding Junhui all made it through to the last 16 in Chengdu.
So here's a round-up of today's action:
Liang Wenbo 6-4 Ronnie O'Sullivan - I for one thought that this was a really entertaining and tense match to watch, as Wenbo came from 3-0 and 4-1 down to beat O'Sullivan 6-4. Ronnie started really brightly with a break of 120 in the opener, to stamp some early authority, and after Ronnie doubled his lead after Wenbo failed to take his chances, things were already looking bleak for the Asian Tour 3 champion. It only got bleaker for Wenbo as another century from the Rocket, a 121, put him 3-0 ahead early on. Wenbo was able to take his chances in the next though, in what was an important frame, to pull it back to 3-1 at the interval. Ronnie punished Wenbo again in the next frame though, to lead 4-1, with many thinking at this stage that Wenbo was down and out. He needed a few chances in the next couple of frames, but poor safety from Ronnie kept providing them as the Chinaman pulled the score back to 4-3. Then Wenbo really began to believe and started playing well, a break of 118 allowing Liang to square the match at 4-4. Wenbo needed another 3 clear chances to kill off the next frame, and fully overturn the deficit to lead 5-4. Once again the 10th frame was very similar, but a break of 49 from Wenbo eventually finished it off, and gave him a 6-4 win that meant the world to him. Full credit to Liang for what is clearly a fantastic win.
Ding Junhui 6-3 James Wattana - Ding managed what turned out to be a fairly comfortable victory in the end, against Wattana 6-3. Wattana started well, taking the opening frame with a break of 67, before breaks of 89 and 96 from Ding put the in form man in front. Wattana dominated the next frame though to draw level at the interval. Ding was ahead once more after the break, taking the 5th frame, before a magnificent 131 break gave him a nice 4-2 advantage. A 92 from Wattana got him back into it, but his hopes were squashed as 110 from Ding, put him 1 away from victory at 5-3. Ding then dominated the ninth frame, to give him the frame he needed for a comfortable 6-3 win, outlining that he will certainly be tough to beat this week.
Neil Robertson 6-1 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh - Neil Robertson played fantastically once again, in thrashing That Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 6-1. Robertson started as he meant to go on, making the joint highest break of the tournament, a 143, to take the opening frame, before another century doubled his early advantage. A break of 69 from Un-Nook got him back into the match, but he was soon blown away again. Runs of 54 and 74 gave Robertson the last before the mid-session break, before he dominated the fifth frame and made another century to go 5-1 ahead. Robertson clinched his place in the Last 16, and took out a 6-1 victory with a break of 77, to end a fine performance from the Aussie, and one that reiterates why he is my favourite for the event.
Marco Fu 6-4 Xiao Guodong - Both players played very well in this contest, that was very close until at 4-4, Marco Fu was able to pull away and win it 6-4. The Australian open champion made top breaks of 59, 63, 66 and 103, to cancel out Guodong's highs of 58, 96 and 97. Fu now plays wildcard Zhao Xintong in the last 16.
Mark Selby 6-4 Peter Lines - Mark Selby had to use all of his battling qualities in this match, but played well when he needed to, to overcome Lines. Top breaks of 53, 54, 55, 65 and a 116 in the final frame, helped Selby to victory, and as we head into the Last 16, you get the feeling the best is yet to come from the Jester this week.
Matthew Stevens 6-2 John Higgins - It seemed like Higgins was just unable to take his chances in this match, as Stevens was able to dominate the Scot, with high breaks of 52, 56 and 75 helping Stevens to a good victory, particularly for his confidence ahead of the rest of the tournament.
Kurt Maflin 6-2 Mark Williams - Kurt Maflin secured another good victory today, after beating Robert Milkins in the opening round. The Norwegian played well once more and was helped along, in his usual fashion, with good breaks of 74, 76 and a 106 break to clinch the match.
Graeme Dott 6-1 Kyren Wilson - Graeme Dott played superbly well in beating Kyren Wilson 6-1, who only yesterday outplayed Stephen Maguire. Breaks of 60, 86, 93 and 121 helped support the view that the Scot is perhaps coming back into some form, and could be a contender to go far this week.
Today's Other Results:
Mark Davis 6-3 Stuart Carrington
Peter Ebdon 6-5 Mark Joyce
Mark Allen 6-4 Dave Harold
Ryan Day 6-4 Alan McManus
Fergal O'Brien 6-4 Rod Lawler
Zhao Xintong 6-1 Barry Hawkins
Stuart Bingham 6-4 Martin Gould
Joe Perry 6-3 David Gilbert
Last 16 Draw and Predictions:
Ryan Day Vs Fergal O'Brien - This should be a decent contest, but will also be tense with a ranking quarter-final at stake for 2 guys who rarely find themselves in this position as often as they used to. I think that Day has managed to play ok and go under the radar and should take a tight win here.
Mark Allen Vs Joe Perry - Mark played very well in the first round, but not so well today, and will need to improve if he is to beat Perry, who isn't playing great snooker, but is well capable of beating Allen. Still think the Northern Irishman will win though.
Marco Fu Vs Zhao Xintong - Difficult to know what to expect from this one, as Zhao has really upset the book so far in this tournament, making the last 16 as an unknown 16 year-old wildcard, but Fu is playing well this week, so this should be as far as his dream run takes him.
Mark Selby Vs Stuart Bingham - Before the start of the tournament, I predicted this particular last 16 tie, and said that I thought Bingham would beat an out of form Selby, however Selby has been playing slightly better this week, and has been able to grind out victories as well, which is a good sign for him. I think that Mark will probably grind out another win here.
Neil Robertson Vs Peter Ebdon - Robertson is playing excellent snooker this week, and while Peter has a good record against Neil and is playing decent snooker, he is not playing anywhere near the standard that will be required to topple Neil this week. Should be comfortable for the Aussie.
Ding Junhui Vs Matthew Stevens - Again Stevens played decent snooker in overcoming Higgins today, and there is no reason why he couldn't beat Ding, but I just think that Ding won't lose this one if he continues on his current good form.
Graeme Dott Vs Kurt Maflin - Kurt has already caused 2 upsets, and there is every chance that he could cause another here against Graeme, but the Scot played really well today, and he is overdue a good run in a ranking event. Dott to win for me.
Liang Wenbo Vs Mark Davis - Liang played very well today, but i'm not sure that he will be able to sustain the same level of performance against Davis tomorrow, after the mental exertions of his encounter with Ronnie. Mark has also been on a good run this season, and has already won 2 events in Asia this season, and I think that he should be able to beat Wenbo tomorrow, to keep his hopes alive for a 3rd Asian Title of the season.
So, as you can see, there has already been some top quality snooker this week, and some great matches, and the way that the draw has shaped up, there is plenty more of it to come. I'm really excited for what the rest of this event will provide us with.
No comments:
Post a Comment