Since my last update, the 64 players starting out in round 2 have been whittled down to just 16, that will join the players seeded 17-32 to battle for the 16 qualifying places for the Last 32 of the World Championships at the Crucible Theatre, which is not too far down the road from Ponds Forge where the qualifiers are taking place, so for the players battling for qualification, the prize is literally within their sites.
But who will the 16 qualifiers? Well over Tuesday and Wednesday this week we'll find out, but if you want an idea of who they are likely to be, this is my preview of the final 16 qualifying matches:
Last 48 Preview: (Picks in bold)
Ken Doherty Vs Dechawat Poomjaeng - This should be a very interesting game between Ken Doherty, who's form hasn't been great all season, but he certainly would've been working hard to improve his form for this match. Meanwhile Dechawat has been playing some good snooker this week, and he qualified this year, so even though Ken has had enough time to work on his game before this, it's Dechawat who has the form behind him.
David Gilbert Vs Jimmy Robertson - Jimmy Robertson hasn't really been scoring that well this week, and that is the clear strength of his game, and the strength of Gilberts game as well. David has played really well this season, and his form was particularly good at the start of the season. Meanwhile, I was surprised to see Jimmy Robertson beat Anthony McGill in the last round and his form has hardy been sparkling this season so I certainly fancy David to qualify, especially after his run in the Championships 2 years ago.
Graeme Dott Vs Kyren Wilson - This is probably the match of the entire round here between an in form Kyren Wilson and a former World Champion. Dott has played some great snooker in the weeks leading up to these qualifiers, so he will be full of confidence. Wilson though has also played some great snooker, especially in the last 2 rounds with 2 very easy wins and he will be full of confidence that he can beat Graeme and qualify for the Crucible for the first time. This one will go down to the wire, so I have to side with Dott because of his incredible experience, particularly in the World Championships.
Dominic Dale Vs Andrew Higginson - This will be another very good match between 2 guys that haven't always been in great form ahead over the season. In fact, Higginson wasn't in very good form at al coming into the qualifiers, yet he's pulled out some brilliant results particularly to beat Kurt Maflin by such a big margin. Higginson has also played some great snooker along the way, while Dale's form has slightly dipped in the last couple of events leading up to the event, so I think Andrew will be confident and he should have the slight edge here.
Mark Williams Vs Alan McManus - This one could very well be a non-event because, despite the experience of McManus and 2 very good wins he's had so far, he's not scored heavily enough and will have to rely on a lot of frames to go tactical to have any chance, and that probably wouldn't be anywhere near enough given Williams still brilliant all round game, and results leading into these qualifiers haven't been too bad for Mark so this should be a routine win for him.
Michael Holt Vs Jamie Jones - A week ago I would've said that this wouldn't have been a very close match, but things seemed to have turned around a touch for Jones, coming from 9-4 down to beat Walker in round 2, while he the came out and played well to beat Aditya Mehta in round 3, and he'd hardly been playing badly this year. He still has been far from his best, and Michael Holt has been improving well over the last few years and now I wouldn't expect him to lose this match, even if Jones was close to his best, just because of his certain ability and greater experience.
Mark King Vs Jamie Cope - This is a tough little match to call, because it seems that Cope's game has slightly improved in these qualifiers than his dire showings across the rest of the season, where he'd do well to have taken 5 frames off of someone like King in a match like this. King though is a player that's always consistent and has plenty of experience and coming into this having some good results in China he'll be confident of making the Crucible.
Matthew Stevens Vs Tom Ford - This should be a very interesting game because, even though these 2 are obviously very good players on their day and have high capabilities, they can also be incredibly inconsistent and very erratic at times so anything can happen here. Stevens has struggled at times this season for a number of reasons, but if he's up for this match he'll be the clear favourite. Ford though didn't always seem at his best against James Cahill, though he had a nice win in round 3 against Brecel, though it seemed as though Luca wasn't really switched on and continued to give Ford chances. The problem here is, you wouldn't expect Ford to get as many chances here.
Robert Milkins Vs Michael Wasley - Onto Wednesday's games now, and Robert will be the stand out favourite on paper for this match, but don't be fooled. The pair should know plenty about each others games, and Wasley has played very well in his 3 wins so far, so he should provide a good test for Milkins here. The Milkman (couldn't resist) hasn't been at his best in 2014, seeming to slip from one bad result to another, so a Wasley win here isn't out of the question here, though this would be the worst loss of Milkins season given the circumstances you'd feel, and after his results last season he should bring his best out for this one.
Fergal O'Brien Vs Robbie Williams - Fergal O'Brien will be another good favourite here to beat Robbie Williams as the Irishman is always consistent it seems and always seems to pull off the wins whilst not being noticed that much, which is how in many ways he ended up in the Gdynia Open final in February, but make no mistake Fergal shouldn't slip under the radar when it comes to Crucible qualifiers. Williams however, has had some good wins so far, but I'm not sure how he will respond to the much different pressure of actually being a game away from World Championship qualification.
Peter Ebdon Vs Robin Hull - They don't get more experienced than the brilliant Peter Ebdon. Some people hate his slow play, but many can look past that and love what Ebdon adds to the World Championship, and I for one think the World Championships would be far worse without his presence. Hull has played very well in these qualifiers and he will certainly put Peter under a lot of pressure with some of his high scoring that he's produced in the qualifiers so far, but Ebdon just doesn't go away and you fancy him to hang on and qualify.
Liang Wenbo Vs Martin Gould - This encounter is a certain contender for a deciding frame finish on Wednesday night between 2 incredibly good players on their day. For much of the season, it hasn't been Martin Gould's day, but his form has greatly improved in the last couple of matches, only dropping 2 frames against Travis and Figueredo put together, if that isn't the form of a man who can qualify for the Crucible (with improvements to his scoring form added in) I don't know what is. Wenbo meanwhile has played very well this season also, and will provide Gould with a brilliant contest with his confidence very high after a season including some brilliant results. Think Gould is too good for some of the results he's produced this season and Crucible qualification will be a good boost for him.
Ben Woollaston Vs Jamie Burnett - This tie will be interesting, simply because neither of these players have had very good seasons at all, Woollaston qualified last year for the first time, but has suffered the same curse as many by not doing much since. Burnett meanwhile has also had some poor results this season, probably even worse than Woollaston at times, I don't think Burnett has even played that well to get this far, and with Ben having ample time to build up some confidence in practice, I just have to favour him for the job.
Ryan Day Vs Stuart Carrington - Ryan has played well in this back half of the season and it was very hard to see him losing out on Crucible qualification even before the qualifiers started, and with the results and confidence boosters he's had of late, it's as hard to see him losing to Carrington. Stuart has had 3 very good wins though, playing some decent snooker even though I think he's been aided by an easier draw, but I think Stuart can still offer Day a bit of a challenge here.
Michael White Vs Matt Selt - Before the qualifiers began, given White's season to date, I just couldn't see the young Welshman qualifying for the Crucible and repeating his success of last year. This year he has no results of note to call upon for any confidence or momentum coming into this, and I think the only thing this season has offered for White is a learning curve, and it's all about whether he can come out the other side, working harder and a better player. A similar thing has happened to Selt, but evidence both this week (in a crushing win against Un-Nooh where the Thai man barely had a chance) and in Gdynia in February, suggest he has come out stronger and working harder (probably because he has better people around him), and I think it will pay off for him with Crucible qualification.
Xiao Guodong Vs Li Yan - Here we have a guaranteed Chinese qualifier, and Xiao will be the enormous favourite to be that man in this match. Li Yan has had some good results so far with 3 nice wins, but he certainly hasn't had 3 brilliant performances to go with them, and he is probably the worst player left in the qualifiers. On the other hand, Xiao Guodong has been brilliant at times this season and this should be a very comfortable win for him.
No matter what the result, it will be a tense 2 days of snooker, and we will certainly have 16 qualifiers that deserve to make the Crucible. With only 5 days to go, excitement is reaching new highs in my household, and I hope it is in yours as well.
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