Another big boost for the tournament and the fans is that it is being televised on Terrestrial TV in the UK on ITV4, who did a fantastic job with their coverage of the Haikou World Open in February, and if they can do as a good job on coverage of this tournament it will be a cracker. The reported commentary line-up is the "voice of snooker" Clive Everton and the equally brilliant Neal Foulds (who were both on the line-up for February's World Open) and Alan McManus who will be another good addition to the box from what I've heard of him on commentary previously for Eurosport.
So let's have a look at how the event should pan out:
Group 1
Draw:Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Mark Davis ( Friday 22nd November 2.30pm UK Time)
Ding Junhui Vs Barry Hawkins (Friday 22nd November 1pm UK Time)
Group Final (Friday 22nd November 7pm UK Time)
This group sees the World Champion and recent Antwerp Open finalist Ronnie O'Sullivan take on wildcard entry Mark Davis (who was the second highest ranked player not already qualified), while recent Shanghai Masters, Indian Open and International Champion Ding Junhui takes on World Championship runner-up Barry Hawkins. For me though this group is all about Ding and Ronnie, because looking at the form of Hawkins and Davis it would be hard for me to say that they could beat Ding and Ronnie on any day, never mind the form that they are in at the moment. So the best of 11 group final for me will be between Ding and Ronnie and it should be a great match the way that both players are playing at the moment, and it is a really close match to call. For me though Ding Junhui is one of the only players on tour right now who can beat O'Sullivan, and I think that Ding might just be able sneak a tight win, but with the form Ronnie showed at the PTC in Antwerp this weekend Ding will need a near flawless performance to have any chance of victory.
Group Winner: Ronnie O'Sullivan
Group 2
Draw:Shaun Murphy Vs Mark Selby (Tuesday 19th November 1pm UK Time)
John Higgins Vs Stephen Maguire (Tuesday 19th November 2.30pm UK Time)
Group Final (Tuesday 19th November 7pm UK Time)
This is one of the tightest groups in the overall draw, where realistically any of the four players could win the group. However, out of the four only one of them is really in any kind of form at the moment and that is UK, Masters and most recently Antwerp Open champion Mark Selby. Selby played superbly all weekend in Belgium and was particularly impressive in the final coming from 3-1 down to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 4-3. However he will still have a tough match against Shaun Murphy who, despite his poor form, has a point to prove in this event. This is mainly because as a wildcard inclusion (as the highest ranked player not already qualified) who hasn't actually won a ranking event for 2 and a half years, he has no formal right to be here as a "champion of champions". Therefore, Shaun will want to justify his place in the tournament, and the only way he can do this is by beating Mark Selby and going on to win the group. Meanwhile it is very hard to split the Scottish duo of Welsh Open champion Stephen Maguire and former World Champion John Higgins, with neither player being in great form. Stephen pulled out of the Antwerp Open at the weekend, while Higgins was knocked out in the Last 64, despite a very good performance in the Last 128. However, both players will be up for this all Scottish battle, and I think that if Higgins can reproduce some of the form he showed in the first round in Belgium he should come through. Although, I don't think either player would be able to progress any further than that.
Group Winner: Mark Selby
Group 3
Draw:Judd Trump Vs Marco Fu (Wednesday 20th November 1pm UK Time)
Stuart Bingham Vs Ricky Walden (Wednesday 20th November 2.30pm UK Time)
Group Final (Wednesday 20th November 7pm UK Time)
This is another tight group where all of the players are capable of winning the group, with former International and UK Champion Judd Trump, Australian Open Champion Marco Fu, Former Australian Open Champion Stuart Bingham and last seasons World semi-finalist Ricky Walden making up the group. Judd is probably in the best form at the moment making the final of the European Tour event 6 in Gloucester and making his first professional maximum break in the ET7 Antwerp Open event. Despite that it has been over a year since Judd last won an event, and Marco Fu has been one of the most consistent players on tour this season, winning the Australian Open, as well as making the final of both the International Championship and the 3rd European Tour event. That makes that particular match a very tight one to call, particularly over the best of 7 frames. The last time the 2 met was in the World Championship with Trump running out the victor, and I think he'll do the same on Wednesday. Meanwhile the other group semi-final between Stuart Bingham and Ricky Walden will be another tough one to call, with both players being quite inconsistent in the early stages of this season. I think Bingham has the best form out of the 2 though, and he should just edge out Walden, in a match that could well need all 7 frames. However, the winner of that match will probably be beaten over the best-of-11 frames by Fu or Trump in the group final.
Group Winner: Judd Trump
Group 4
Draw:Neil Robertson Vs Martin Gould (Thursday 21st November 1pm UK Time)
Mark Allen Vs Ali Carter (Thursday 21st November 2.30pm UK Time)
Group Final (Thursday 21st November 7pm UK Time)
This group boasts the World Number 1 Neil Robertson, Mark Allen who was winner of the recent ET5 and ET6 events as well as last seasons Haikou World Open, German Masters champion Ali Carter and champion of the short formats (Snooker Shoot-out, Power Snooker and Championship League) Martin Gould. Gould is one of only 2 players in this event outside of the top 16 in the rankings (the other being O'Sullivan who missed most of last season). However that doesn't mean that Gould doesn't pose a threat to Robertson, but I still think that Robertson should come through this one comfortably, especially after he took the Antwerp Open event off. As for the Allen/Carter encounter, I think that Allen is in really good form at the moment, and despite a little blip at the weekend, he should still beat Carter who's form has not been helped by his well documented health problems at the start of the season. One thing that Carter is though is a fighter, and there is certainly no ruling him out of this one. However I think that the best of 11 frames Group final should be between Allen and Robertson. This should be a really good contest and I would expect to be high scoring but also very close. Robertson (despite losing to Allen in the recent ET6 event) has a very good record against Mark, and I think that he will be fresh and raring to go after having a week off, which should be enough for him to see the Northern-Irishman off.
Group Winner: Neil Robertson
Tournament Runner-Up: Mark Selby
Tournament Winner: Neil Robertson
Whatever happens it should be a brilliant event, with lot's of high quality, entertaining snooker to fulfil are snooker needs ahead of the UK Championships. I'll be back for daily updates throughout the week, and I hope you all enjoy the tournament.
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