LIVE BLOG: John Higgins vs Stephen Maguire

John Higgins 4-1 Stephen Maguire - A solid performance from Higgins tonight. Maguire gave him too many chances in some of the frames tonight, but there were also periods of Higgins brilliance such as the 136 in the fourth and the 64 in the second. Bit of a blow for Maguire after good recent form but with top players choosing not to play, it would not surprise me if he went to Gibraltar and took home the trophy.

Frame 5 - It's been a slightly more scrappy start to frame five with Maguire having a few half chances and missing a couple. His demeanour does not suggest signs of a fightback either. Higgins is in now but cannot make the most of his opening. He's quickly back in though after cutting a red in from distance. Another chance to close out the win.

Frame Higgins - When I said I thought Higgins would surge ahead here I was not saying it lightly. A trademark Higgins break from start to finish and it all culminates in a 136 total clearance. There seems to be something about Wales that gets him going. 3-1 Higgins.

Frame 4 - Rather naively earlier on Twitter I commented that I thought Maguire would win tonight. He may still do but Higgins is in control right now. A miss from Maguire on a tricky mid distance red allows Higgins in first in frame four, and this is the point in the match where Higgins will look to really surge ahead. He's into the reds on 33 and now has the balls set nicely for a frame winning contribution.

Frame Higgins - Higgins leads by 37 with 43 left on when a cannon on one of the final two reds pushes it to the cushion. He misses it playing with safety in mind and actually gets a snooker in the process. Maguire misses twice and therefore needs snookers himself. Maguire gets a snooker but shortly after Higgins pots a good red from mid distance which keeps Maguire in his seat. 2-1 Higgins.

Frame 3 - Been a few errors at the start of this frame with both players having chances and missing when they're in. Higgins though is the man at the table now and looks good again to get his second frame on the board.

Frame Higgins - A very entertaining start to this game. As expected Higgins took his second opportunity and a comfortable contribution of 64 was more than enough to level the match up in the early stages. 1-1

Frame 2 - First chance fell to Higgins in the second frame but a missed black on 16 soon has Maguire back to the table. There was a red close to the corner but another blocking it's path, but Maguire's attempted plant ends up not being that close. Higgins then is straight back in and uses the black over the corner as security to get the reds open from the one over the pocket. Should level the scores now.

Frame Maguire - A fluke on the third to last red for Maguire keeps Higgins firmly in his seat. A good start for the man who needs wins to get to the Crucible automatically. 1-0 Maguire

An excellent long pot and handy nudge from the middle pocket jaw gets Maguire back in scoring once again. The three reds on the bottom cushion looked awkward, but the furthest left was potable, and a delicate black down the cushion to follow should see Maguire clinch frame one.

Frame 1 - An early chance for Higgins breaks down early after a missed red with the rest and extensions. That's left Maguire in and with reds well placed he'll be looking to continue his good recent form and capture the opening frame. Surprisingly though he's run out of position on 23 and been forced to play safe.

Some questionable TV scheduling means that the best match of the entire round in my opinion on paper is going out on table 4. Last week's Grand Prix semi finalist and 2013 champion Stephen Maguire meets multiple Welsh Open winners John Higgins. This all Scottish clash has just got underway.

LIVE BLOG: Lu Haotian vs Jack Lisowski, Kyren Wilson vs Rory McLeod and Yan Bingtao vs Kurt Dunham

Yan Bingtao 4-2 Kurt Dunham - From the chance previously mentioned Yan does indeed close the door on Dunham tonight. A break of 64 to the pink is more than enough to secure victory and set up a last 32 meeting with Peter Ebdon. Both players played their part in that though and I hope Dunham can show some more of that in the remainder of the season or at least try to get back on tour for next year via Q School. On the night Yan continues to show his strength though and wins 4-2. 

Yan Bingtao completing a tough 4-2 win over Dunham.

Jack Lisowski 4-2 Lu Haotian - Once more the scoring supremo that is Jack Lisowski only needs one chance to shut the door on Lu. A fine clearance of 104 completes another fine win against a good opponent. It could be another good week for the left hander here in Cardiff. Table 8 now is the focus and particularly Kurt Dunham. The Australian is in the balls but misses on 27, after a great shot from his first colour (the yellow) to get the bunch open. Yan now will be looking to close the door on this like Lisowski did on Lu.

Lisowski on the way to his second century of the night and a 4-2 win over Lu.

Yan raises his game - Having to sit and watch in the last frame as Dunham cleared up, Yan knew he needed to up his game and play well to win this. First chance he gets in frame five and he seizes control of the contest again. A break of 92 makes it 3-2 there. On table 6, Lu was in first but potted a red splitting the bunch from the blue and now Lisowski has a nice opening to get this match finished.

Haotian stays in it - Some good potting from Lu Haotian on the final colours in frame five has kept him in the hunt against Lisowski who had some half chances there to kill the match off. On table 8, Yan Bingtao is in first and after a good split of the reds he has the balls at his mercy and should move 3-2 in front.

A new Dunham - You have to ask yourself where this Kurt Dunham has been for the last year and a half. All of a sudden he looks like a different player and has just produced a very nice, well controlled clearance of 86 to draw level at 2-2 with Yan Bingtao and he looks much more comfortable. Lisowski meanwhile now has a chance to finish off Lu.

Australian Dunham looks like a different player on the way to levelling his match with Yan Bingtao

Lu Haotian hanging on - Lu isn't going anywhere just yet. He's got the first good chance in frame five with Lisowski and will be looking to make it count. He cannot however and breaks down on 35 but leaves everything safe. Lots of balls on cushions so could be a scrappy end to that frame. Dunham meanwhile is in the early stages of a break against Yan in frame four and there's work to do if he wants to level the match at this visit.

Lisowski and Yan out in front - Now that the Kyren Wilson show has finished it's time to focus back more on the other two matches. Another speedy and well controlled break of 91 puts Lisowski one away at 3-1 against Lu while Yan controls the third to edge ahead 2-1 against Dunham.

Kyren Wilson 4-0 Rory McLeod - McLeod can feel a little hard done by there but only because he didn't really have a clear cut chance in the whole match. Wilson finishes up with another excellent break of 136 completing a pretty much perfect evening and if he stays any where near this standard he'll be here at the weekend. Performance of the week so far from the outside tables.

Wilson sizes up frame and match ball on the way to a match clinching century. 

Wilson nearing the winning line - Kyren Wilson take a bow. This has been a truly superb example of taking a game by the scruff of the neck and not giving your opponent any way in. Another great long red gets him going and he provides a textbook pack splitting demonstration. Now with the break in the sixties he looks set for a 4-0 win.

Wilson gets in early in frame four and looks to whitewash Rory McLeod

Wilson continues fine scoring - After the long red and frame winning chance I mentioned previously, Wilson again just moved through the gears and looks absolutely faultless tonight. This time the break is 85 and he is already a frame away from round three. Dunham meanwhile did indeed level, and Lu won the battle on the final red to stay in things with Lisowski but still trailing 2-1.

Dunham looking to level - With a couple of quite superb shots Dunham has taken a scrappy table in his second frame with Yan and grabbed it by the scruff of the neck. First he pots a red and splits all the others and then powers a black into the green pocket to keep it going. Now it's a great chance for 1-1. Lu meanwhile broke down on 57 and he and Lisowski are locked in an important battle on the final red. Wilson continues to squeeze the life out of McLeod, powering a long red in and he has another excellent frame winning opening.

Super confident Lisowski - I'd barely finished the last update when Lisowski pumped in another long red and got going again. This time he got to 41 before losing control of the cue ball and going fir an outrageous red in the middle. Haotian is in now and needs to pounce having opened all the reds up.

Lisowski goes 2-0 up on Lu Haotian with a run of 114. 

1 minute, 2 tons - Centuries on tables 6 and 7 here in quick succession. First Lisowski who clears up in sublime fashion with a 114 putting him 2-0 up and almost adding double punishment for Lu's crucial first frame miss. Then Wilson, who plays a nice double on the final red to make it all possible clears the black for a straight 100 and leads McLeod 2-0. Both players are looking comfortable and confident tonight.

Lisowski, Wilson and Yan march on - Lisowski is flying again early in frame two, his speedy style is incredibly difficult to blog live because you need to be about three steps ahead to keep up. However, in the blink of an eye he looks like doubling his lead as his heavy scoring continues. Wilson is also in on table 7 and looking set to double his lead with all remaining reds open, and Yan is back in in the early stages of his second frame. Though things are less straightforward for him but he's knocked in a good blue to keep things going.

1-0 to Wilson, Yan and Lisowski - When Lu misses the yellow on table 6 Lisowski gets the upper hand on the safety and eventually forges the chance to clear and does so comfortably to win the opener. Wilson was always in control of the first frame and if that first frame is a marker he could have a comfortable evening. Yan meanwhile was let in by a Dunham safety error and made 57 to leave the Australian needing snookers on the colours.

Chances go begging - Lisowski misses a straightforward black and Lu is in now hoping to steal that opening frame, Wilson meanwhile missed a tough one on 48 but left nothing. Dunham missed a red to middle on 34 but Yan misses the black on just 9 to let him off. Nervy start all around.

Here comes Jack - First good chance of the night goes to Lisowski on table 6. He's wasting no time at all and is into the thirties on his break already. Kurt Dunham is in first on table 6 and Wilson is in on table 7 after a bad miss on the blue from McLeod

Going for a mixture of three matches tonight. Each set to be a good watch. On table 6 we have Jack Lisowski vs Lu Haotian. Jack was a 4-3 winner yesterday against Mark Joyce while Lu overcame Paul Davison 4-2. Both have had good seasons and been ranking event semi finalists.

Then on table 7 it's the Masters runner up Kyren Wilson, who was excellent in beating Robert Milkins yesterday, taking on Rory McLeod who beat Adam Duffy 4-2. Looking forward to seeing how Wilson plays there.

Finally on table 8 we have Northern Ireland Open Runner-up Yan Bingtao, who overturned a 3-1 deficit on Monday to beat Jimmy White, and he takes on Australian Kurt Dunham who scored the best win of his career beating Ryan Day 4-2 on Monday on the TV table, finishing with a ton.

It's going to be a Soccer Saturday style blog dipping in to action from all three tables so stick with me and enjoy.

LIVE BLOG: Ricky Walden vs Martin Gould

Martin Gould 4-3 Ricky Walden - An absolutely superb deciding frame break there for Martin Gould. Never looked in any trouble or under any pressure keeping good cue ball control throughout. A finishing contribution of 93 was made in a similar way to the earlier 141 and you have to say he was the better player on the day. If he can keep up that scoring level then he will go far this week having beaten Ricky Walden and Michael White to reach the last 32.

Deciding Frame - With a Walden safety shot leaving a red over the corner for Gould, it's he who has the first chance in decider. The black is in open play and plenty of reds are too so this is already a fantastic chance.

Frame Walden - Once again Walden will be somewhat relieved to be taking this to a decider. Gould battled hard for snookers and at one point he was able to tie the frame but in the end, Walden pots the yellow and Gould was unable to make further inroads. 3-3 here on table 4.

Walden misses a simple enough pink on 44 but it goes pretty much unpunished as Gould only makes 13 before a miss of his own. That allows Walden back and he leaves Gould needing snookers before wobbling the penultimate red. Could be a similar battle to frame four ahead now.

Frame 6 - This match has been very even throughout and that remains the case here. Walden is currently amongst the balls with the best chance of the frame so far. Plenty of reds to play for and colours nice so no reason why this cannot go all the way to a deciding frame.

Frame Gould - What a fine break by Gould. He opened up the balls as and when needed, played a very good plant once the frame was over and the end result is a magnificent 141 break that puts him one away from victory. Exemplary break building. 3-2 Gould

Frame 5 - A long fourth frame does not look to have impacted on Martin Gould. Given an easy starter he is still in and going nicely but will soon need to open up the bunch if he's to take this break any further.

Frame Walden - Relief for Ricky who looked home and dry at one stage in this frame long before it was over. Eventually, he's left an easy yellow and green but still has to endure a shorter battle for snookers on the brown before rolling it home. 2-2 on table 4.

After plenty of energy invested, Gould has gotten the rewards of perseverance. After extracting three misses from Walden he can now win this fourth frame that has gone past the 45 minute mark.

Walden turned the screw from there and despite a couple of half chances for Gould he has left him needing snookers on the final red. Gould hasn't given up though and has been playing on for a while now though is yet to make any headway.

Walden does well to get to 54 but misses a simple enough pink and leaves a half chance for Gould. He only makes 6 though before taking on a tricky red and leaving it in the jaws for Walden who has now built a lead of 56 with just 59 left on, before playing safe.

Frame 4 - After a long safety battle to start this frame Walden is now and has opened things up nicely, giving himself an opportunity to build up a healthy advantage.

Frame Gould - Gould mops up the reds in the middle of the table with no issues making a break of 59 to leave Walden needing a few snookers with two reds left. As much as anything Walden may be playing on to make sure his tip is OK after inspecting it throughout the Gould contribution. 2-1 Gould.

Just as I publish the last update Walden tries a deep screw on the blue on just 8 but mis cues and chips the cue ball straight off the table. That leaves Gould in with the chance that in many ways he'd opened up earlier.

Frame 3 - Walden potted the first red of the frame but missed the blue straight after leaving Gould a chance at a thin red. He misses too though, and in the process spreads the pack of reds everywhere and leaving an absolutely golden chance for Walden.

Frame Walden - Always enjoyable watching Walden build breaks in and around the pink and black, on this occasion he works mainly from the pink and takes full advantage of the earlier let off with a run of 53 to level the contest at 1-1.

Walden gets to 16 before running out of position and taking on a tricky red to the yellow pocket and leaving the same red for Gould but he misses a blue early in the break to let Walden off the hook.

Frame 2 - Gould pots a red after Waldens break off leaves one from distance. However, he takes on a very tough yellow, misses and lets Walden straight in. He's quickly into the reds and this looks a decent opening.

Frame 1 - Martin Gould - After a scrappy start to the frame, the best chance falls to Gould and he puts together a nice break to take the lead. 1-0 Gould

One of the highlight matches of the day coming up next on table 4 as Martin Gould takes on Ricky Walden. Gould overcame Michael White in the first round so won't be too popular with the Welsh fans, while Walden had a comfortable win over Li Yuan. Two players chasing a top 16 return so this should be a tight match.

LIVE BLOG: Michael Holt Vs James Wattana

James Wattana 4-2 Michael Holt - In the end Wattana just kept turning the screw and putting Holt in trouble on the final red. Eventually he gets a snooker that Holt could not escape from at the first attempt and leaving the red that was all the Thai needed for victory. Caught up with Holt on the way to the players lounge, said it was the best he'd hit the ball for a while but was full of credit for his opponent.

A nice contribution there from Wattana nudging the safe reds out and when he plays safe he forces an in off from Holt. Although, from that he misses an easy red to the middle. Holt then makes a cool long pot on the penultimate red but doesn't finish nice on a colour, but lays a snooker behind the green. Wattana gets out of it and leaves the red safe.

This has become a bit of an awkward frame with the safety pushing reds to the bottom cushion. Holt is in again now and looking to build a good lead before tackling those safe reds but he misses a simple enough one and goes back to his chair disappointed. Chance for Wattana now.

Frame 6 - For fear of sounding like a broken record Holt is in first again in this frame. This time a brilliant long red gets him in but he loses position and plays safe on 19.

Frame Wattana - Holt managed to get Wattana requiring a snooker but could not kill the frame off. The Thai then got his snooker and won the safety battle on the final red but could only pot red and black. However, an in off from Holt left the yellow on from range and Wattana knocked it in, clearing the colours with a particularly good shot on the pink and it is he that takes the 3-2 lead.

Wattana rolls a fantastic red in from distance to give himself the chance to reduce his deficit in this frame but is still ten adrift when he misses a fairly simple black and lets Holt back in. Cracking chance now for Holt to turn this game right around.

Frame 5 - Holt is starting to look the more confident of the two now after the breaks of the last two frames. He's in first yet again in frame five and is into the reds nicely before potting a great pink into the middle to keep the break going. This is now another excellent frame winning opportunity. However, he runs out of position following a second cannon to the cluster and then calls a foul on himself for falling short as he rolled up to the green. Break ended at 37.

Frame Holt - It was a long old battle for snookers on the colours there for Wattana. He initially had the one he required but then Holt got a snooker back and after plenty of play on the brown - Holt knocks it in confidently and squares the match at 2-2.

Holt went about his business quickly and confidently there. A run of 75 is enough to leave James Wattana requiring a snooker in this fourth frame. The Thai clears four of the five remaining reds and needs a snooker to tie.

Frame 4 - There's a bit more of a spring in Holt's step now after that break in the last. Once more he's earned the first opportunity of the frame and will be looking to build on his efforts from frame three.

Frame Holt - Much better from Holt there. Really knuckled down there and made the most of that opening. Made it look easy which it wasn't given his frame deficit. He misses the black for the century clearance but a run of 98 is more than enough for him to get his first frame on the board. 2-1 Wattana

Holt plays an excellent safety and gets Wattana snookered well behind the brown. From it Wattana misses three times and from the third miss leaves something for Holt who is now with an opportunity he has to take at this stage.

Frame 3 - Not happening for Holt so far. The Hitman misses a long attempt at the start of frame three and leaves Wattana in. The Thai makes 27 before missing with the rest but leaves nothing for Holt. Safety now.

Frame Wattana - After missing the green attempting to clear earlier, Wattana clips a very thin green in from range, landing perfectly on the brown and clearing to double his lead. 2-0 Wattana.

Wattana gets down to the final red but again cannot get on it and the pair are locked in safety on it now, Holt with the advantage this time around in terms of score leading by 22.

A missed long pot from Wattana and decent mid range effort by Holt give him his second opening of the frame. It's all looking good until he pots a red, contacts another on the screw back and goes in off in the middle. From the ball in hand Wattana cuts a good red in and now has an opportunity to take advantage of his good fortune.

Holt's break ends on 40 after he fails to contact the bunch from the green. Not much happening since. Black is now on the bottom cushion and pink on the side cushion so a long pot for Wattana brings no more than the single point.

Frame 2 - A nice opening red gives Holt the first chance again in frame two. He's mopping up the reds nicely but needs to get in the pack soon.

Frame Wattana - Holt pots the final red and gets down to the green before things run awkward. He'd missed the ideal cannon on the brown and left the green thin, still potting the green but couldn't play on the brown. A few shots later Wattana hits a great long brown into the green pocket and does enough to clinch the opener. 1-0 Wattana

The Thai gets to 54 but misses a black cueing from the side cushion. Was never going to be on the final red the way he played so the pair are now locked in an important safety battle.

Wattana now has driven in a long red and soon has the black spot open too making this a really good chance to get the first frame, despite his deficit.

Break ends for Holt on 38 as he plays down from the pink but does not finish ideally on a red and misses. Nothing left for Wattana though so he has to play safe.

Frame 1 - First chance for Holt here after a bit of a wide one from range for Wattana. Plenty of reds open but black is awkward and the pink's on the brown spot so good cue ball control needed.

Last 64 action begins this morning and lasts throughout the day here in Cardiff and I'm starting the day watching Michael Holt once more, this time taking on James Wattana.

Holt came through 4-2 against Elliott Slessor in round one despite back to back centuries from his opponent. Wattana meanwhile was a comfortable winner against Zhang Yong, and after making the last 16 in the English Open earlier this season he'll be looking for more of the same in Cardiff this week. Could well be a close one here.

LIVE BLOG: Jack Lisowski vs Mark Joyce

Jack Lisowski 4-3 Mark Joyce - The final frame of this match kind of sums it up for both players. Joyce needed too many chances and couldn't make the most of things. Lisowski meanwhile was much more clinical and with the balls nicely placed in the decider he didn't hesitate or waste any time, completing a superb 103 clearance to advance to the last 64. The way he's playing another big week could be in store for the left hander.

The answer to the earlier question regarding Joyce was a no. He breaks down just 35 ahead and then from a later snooker escape he gives Lisowski his opportunity. He looks far more likely to make it count, particularly with the reds all in the middle of the table and sitting nicely.

Deciding Frame - It's Mark Joyce who has the first chance in the final frame with Lisowski again playing too openly. The question though is whether Joyce can do what Lisowski has done more of in this match and win the frame in one visit.

Frame Lisowski - After earning the opportunity to counter, no second invitation was needed for Lisowski. A clever shot to bring the only difficult red from the cushion is the highlight of a 73 clearance that means we're going all the way here on table 3. 3-3

Joyce gets to 40 before finding himself on a red of medium difficulty and missing. Lisowski misses a half chance but then pots a good red in the middle shortly after to earn a counter chance.

Frame 6 - Lisowski in first in frame six and from the fourth shot of the break he hammers into the reds from the black, spreading them everywhere only to watch one fall in the middle pocket. That's gifted Joyce an excellent chance to close out the match.

Frame Joyce - At the third time of asking Joyce takes his opportunity and makes a nice break of 65 on this occasion to regain the lead. Lisowski chasing again now and needs to tighten up here. 3-2 Joyce

Joyce lost position early in the last break but has his third chance of the frame now. Needs to make one of these count given Lisowski's response in the last two frames.

Frame 5 - Joyce needs to calm things down here after watching his 2-0 lead disappear. He has an early opening in frame five but needs to get the pack open soon.

Frame Lisowski - It certainly didn't take long at all for Lisowski. A run of 68 swiftly pulls him level against Mark Joyce and it's game on on table 3. 2-2

Frame 4 - An early half chance for Joyce is missed and Lisowski is now right in among the reds. The reds are all waiting and this the kind of chance you expect him to win the frame from in no time.

Frame Lisowski - Jack has indeed got himself on the board. A clearance of 71 is enough to halve the deficit. 2-1 Joyce.

Joyce has had a couple of opportunities but things ran awkward and he had to play safe. Lisowski then thunders a long red in and looks like taking the frame.

Frame 3 - Lisowski in first in the third frame and one he badly needs if he's going to win this match. He's missed on 37 though, overhitting a red that the pocket would never accept.

Frame Joyce - A run of 64 from Joyce is enough to leave Lisowski needing a snooker with five reds remaining. Lisowski never looks like getting the chance to lay one before allowing Joyce back in to put the frame beyond doubt. Not Jack's afternoon so far.

It didn't take long for Joyce's second chance to come courtesy of an excellent long red. He's been in ever since and looks comfortable as he aims to double his advantage.

Frame 2 - First chance to Joyce after Lisowski misses a red to middle. Not many open reds at all though and he can't do any better than two reds with two yellows.

Frame Joyce - A second chance came for Joyce and he's grabbed it, clearing easily to take the opening frame. 1-0 Joyce

Lisowski's chance went astray and Joyce potted the last red and got to the green before missing what was a difficult frame ball shot. Safety on the green now.

Frame 1 - Finally made it back in and Joyce and Lisowski are still in the opening frame. Joyce has the slight upper hand but Lisowski is in with a half chance. Final red on the side cushion but near the middle pocket. Green close to cushion also.

Think this one is set to come out on table 3 after Mei Xiwen and Jak Jones overran slightly. Expecting this one to be a good contest between Shanghai Masters semi finalist Jack Lisowski and UK Championship quarter finalist Mark Joyce. Both were in the Grand Prix last week and beat higher ranked opposition to make the last 16.

LIVE BLOG: Jimmy Robertson vs Kurt Maflin

Kurt Maflin 4-0 Jimmy Robertson - Really didn't expect this to be so one sided this morning. All done inside the hour here after a run of 61 from Maflin is enough to leave Robertson needing snookers. He looked comfortable all morning, scored well and didn't allow Robertson too many chances to get going at all throughout the match. The result is a very impressive win for last year's quarter finalist who could go just as far this week if he carries on this morning's form.

Frame 4 - After safety at the bottom end of the table, pushing a few reds towards baulk and generally opening things up, Maflin pots a nice red in the middle and is back in full flow again. Wouldn't be surprised if he won the match at this visit.

Frame Maflin - Full punishment is exactly what the Robertson error receives. An excellent 95 clearance where the Norwegian never really looked in trouble puts him very quickly to within one of the second round.

It felt like Robertson had the safety advantage but a real poor shot has left Maflin in amongst them and you expect the error will be fully punished.

Frame 3 - Maflin in first again here with a solid long pot and once more chooses to get the reds open early. Unfortunately for him he can only watch as a red falls in from the blue ball split, handing the chance over to Robertson but he can't punish, only making 7 from it.

Frame Maflin - Robertson could not quite get tight cue ball control and it cost him in the end. He pots a decent red but goes in off in the middle and with the ball in hand Maflin knocks a long one and kills the frame off. 2-0 Maflin.

Maflin was going nicely but a cannon into a pack of four reds leaves him on nothing and he plays safe on 56. Robertson then attempts a tricky one to middle and it just stays out. He doesn't leave much besides a tough rest shot though and Robertson was left a red. His cannon to the black on the bottom cushion does not work out though, but he lays a snooker behind it.

Frame 2 - Robertson had the first chance in this frame knocking a good long red in but was unfortunate not to land on the black nicely. Still required a decent pot from Maflin to get in and he's looking very good again here with the balls in good positions again.

Frame Maflin - After just 7 minutes of the frame Maflin has frame ball in the bag. Great break here in the opening frame with some good positional play in and around the pink spot. Unfortunately a cannon to the final red does not work out so they'll be no century, but a good 79 nonetheless. Robertson continues for a bit of potting practice but it's Maflin's frame. 1-0 Maflin.

Frame 1 - It's not taken long for the first chance to fall after a good long pot for Maflin. He's into the reds early and has potted a good green to keep the break going. Fantastic chance now with reds open and the pink available.

First up on an incredibly cold Cardiff morning I'm going to be covering German Masters quarter finalist Jimmy Robertson against Norwegian Kurt Maflin who made it to the last eight of this competition last year. Two heavy scorers who don't hang around so this should be an entertaining one. Whoever wins could well have a very good week in Wales.

LIVE BLOG: Michael Holt Vs Elliott Slessor

Michael Holt 4-2 Elliot Slessor - A fine finish there for Holt. He pots the penultimate red from distance but with green and brown tied up near each other he couldn't complete the clearance but did leave Slessor partly snookered. His swerve went wrong and left the green on and Holt did rest. An impressive display in the tactical frames is what has gotten Holt through there. Three scrappy frames all going to him rendering Slessor's two centuries in the middle of the match meaningless.

Slessor was given a half chance by Holt after he wobbled a red from range. Slessor didn't take advantage or even take the lead though missing early, a miss that resulted in a violent swipe of the cue. Holt only made 1 from his chances missing a risky brown which in turn gave Slessor another opening. Going around the table from the pink though he knocks the yellow straight in but has not left anything on for Holt. A tense end to this frame is coming up.

Holt is able to make 21 before a cannon goes wrong leaving a red over the corner but only an incredibly difficult pink to go for. He misses the pink but in the process snookers Slessor on the waiting red behind the green. Slessor though plays a decent return leaving Holt attempting to swerve and pot the red, failing to do so on two occasions, but he doesn't leave Slessor a pot either.

Frame 6 - After a long safety battle that's pushed a lot of reds safe on the bottom cushion and the black on to the side cushion, Slessor gave himself a chance but only made eight before missing a tough pink in the middle. That's left Holt in but it will be difficult to build a big lead here where the balls are.

Frame Holt - Slessor gave himself another chance but missed a double with three reds left. It didn't look like there was too much damage but Holt made a nice cut, finished on the green and cleared the last three reds including a nice one along the cushion. He leads the match again. 3-2 Holt.

Slessor does not make too many before missing along the cushion and opening a couple of reds for Holt. The Nottingham man pots two reds with blacks but can't get anywhere near any of the safe reds from the second red, has a giggle to himself and plays safe.

Holt breaks down early in the contribution after failing to get in and out of baulk as intended from the blue. A few reds are being knocked towards the back cushion as well, but a long pot attempt from Holt soon shifts a few of them. Then Slessor knocks in a nice cut back red to give himself an opening. So many safe reds will make it almost impossible to win the frame at this visit.

Frame 5 - Slessor has won the safety battle at the start of frame five here and this again looks like a good scoring chance, but he's missed a thin pink with the rest and opened it up to Holt.

Frame Holt - In the end Holt only needed one of the four reds lying on the bottom cushion and he got it. Slessor plays on but needs four snookers and misses the black so quickly concedes. Timely break of 57 for Holt there to level up this match after the two tons of Slessor. Great contest this. 2-2

Frame 4 - Chances on either side to start frame four but a good pot to middle gets Holt in with a fantastic chance. Has to build a big lead. Few reds on the bottom cushion could cause trouble later but will only need 1 or 2 of them.

Frame Slessor - When I said it could be a similar outcome to frame two I meant every word. Slessor looks in sublime form now and follows up the brilliant 115 with an even better clearance of 129. 2-1 Slessor.

Frame 3 - A good long red from Holt had him in first but then on a black with the rest it looked like he had the line, but left it short of the pocket. That's let Slessor straight back in fresh from his ton and there could well be a similar dosage here.

Frame Slessor - Losing the long opener hasn't done Slessor any harm. When his chance came in the second he was certainly up to it. A magnificent century of 115 levels things up here on table 8. 1-1

Frame 2 - Took a while for the first chance to come in this second frame, but after a missed long range effort from Holt, Slessor has a good opportunity here. Plenty of reds open and he looks comfortable so far, making me think this will be a frame winning effort.

Frame Holt - 30 seconds short of the 50 minute mark and Holt has the first frame in the bag. A great snooker on the final red cost Slessor a stack of points, and eventually an in off after missing the red in the middle from Slessor, Holt pots the red to leave Slessor needing snookers. He played on for a while but it never looked too likely. 1-0 Holt.

After the decider with Jimmy White and Yan Bingtao I'm a bit late on this one between former Riga Masters finalist Michael Holt and Northern Ireland Open semi finalist Elliott Slessor. Should be a close contest and I join them still in the opener with Slessor in a horrific snooker on the final red. Looks like a frame winning snooker for Holt.

LIVE BLOG: Jimmy White vs Yan Bingtao

Yan Bingtao 4-3 Jimmy White - How do you answer the best player in the world saying you have no bottle? Come back from 3-1 down and make a century in the decider. A magnificent 110 break gets Yan Bingtao over the line for a deserved victory. Looked the best of the two among the balls and goes on to the last 64 where he'll face Kurt Dunham.

This is an excellent chance now and should be a match winner. Yan deserves all he gets after opening the reds in the twenties and smashing in a good blue to follow.

Deciding Frame - White attempts red into the middle and leaves it for Yan who has the first chance in this final frame. He'll be looking to build a good lead here at the very least.

Frame Yan - Yan made 58 before playing safe after not landing on the two awkward reds. A long range miss from White though leaves him straight back in to finish off the frame and force a decider here on table 3. 3-3

White broke down on 31 and a little while after Yan earns a chance to counter. The balls are in good positions largely though two reds on the side cushion will need some work.

Frame 6 - First chance in the sixth falls to White after Yan rattles a red along the bottom rail. A difficult black for Jimmy keeps the break going and this is now a decent chance.

Frame Yan - Swift work from Yan as expected closes this frame out comfortably in one visit. When he's been given the chances early in frames he's looked good. A run of 69 closes the gap. 3-2 White

Frame 5 - White was in first but missed the blue with the rest, going into the reds and has now left a good opening for Yan to stay in the match.

Frame White - Not been sparkling from White but he's getting the job done. Yan's frustrations beginning to show after the missed chance and the Whirlwind is one away. 3-1 White.

A missed long pot from White has given Yan an excellent chance to come back and steal this frame to level the match, but he misses an easy black, slumps onto and then punches the table.

From the snooker Yan leaves what was still a difficult rest shot along the side cushion, but White gets it and has another opportunity but cannot get over the line yet in this frame.

Another chance comes following a fluke but he loses position only to play an exceptional snooker. He's definitely using his experience so far.

Frame 4 - White in first but his cannon into the pack doesn't go as planned and his break ends on 13. A couple of shots later he plays an excellent safety and looks to have the upper hand on that front this evening.

Frame Yan - He's really played himself into the game now and has looked much more solid in this break. It ends on 80 with a missed green but importantly he's on the board. 2-1 White

Yan has put the hard work in now in this break and should get the reward for it. He's going to have his first frame of the day by the end of this break.

Frame 3 - Yan needs to get a foothold here and quickly. He's had a couple of half chances but things have not fallen. He's staying patient though, and now has a much better opening.

Frame White - An additional 29 is more than enough for Jimmy to win a frame he had control of throughout. Yan goes off to the toilet scratching his head. Plenty to think about for him, nothings working so far. 2-0 White.

This should be Jimmy's frame now, a good long pot followed by a difficult snooker escape for Yan to negotiate give him another great chance and he already had a 33 point lead coming to the table.

Yan still struggling. More poor safety from him has given White a second chance but he just couldn't land on a red from yellow.

Frame 2 - It's a poor safety from Yan this time that leaves White in first in the second frame. However, things go astray on 18 but Yan can't take advantage. The young Chinese player hasn't got going at all yet.

Frame White - An initial break of 64 from White left Yan needing snookers but he only got one further shot before White was back in to clinch the frame. Looking good so far for the Whirlwind. 1-0 White

A few balls have wobbled on their way in for White in this break but he is still going nicely and split the reds well from the pink. This is certainly a golden chance to take the frame.

Frame 1 - First chance to Yan here, who's having a little stretch between pots. A good long red is followed by an equally good green with the rest, both in the heart of the pocket. However, he only gets to 13 before the referee judges him to have fouled a red, most likely with his clothing. Both players then miss but White is in now.

An unexpected third live blog of the day. Think the broadcasters were hoping to get this on the TV table but it hasn't happened for them in terms of time so the two find themselves on table 3.

Jimmy has had some more good wins this season. Most notably defeating Ali Carter in the UK Championship and Anthony McGill in the German Masters qualifiers. Yan Bingtao has been a different animal though this season. Already a finalist in Belfast you would not be surprised to see him lifting a trophy soon, maybe even this week in Cardiff.

LIVE BLOG: Ricky Walden vs Li Yuan

Ricky Walden 4-1 Li Yuan - Walden closes things out with another good break in the 60's. A run of 69 this time is enough to complete an impressive victory and put himself into the last 64. He can expect a tougher contest there though, facing either Michael White or Martin Gould.

Frame 5 - The frame kicked off with a half chance for Li, but he failed to make anything significant. Walden has earned an opening now and with the balls nicely placed he'll be hoping to win the match as soon as possible.

Frame Walden - In no time at all Walden does take control again in this match and regain his two frames lead. A swift and well made break of 67 is enough to take the fourth frame. 3-1 Walden

Frame 4 - After a bit of a sloppy start with misses from both players, Walden earns a good chance here as he looks to take charge again in this contest.

Frame Li - When Li missed a cut on the penultimate red it looked like he'd blown his chance. Walden potted the red that was left over the corner and brought the final red into play in the process. He got down to the yellow and missed a straight forward shot, leaving Li open for the clearance of 20 to win the frame. 2-1 Walden

Walden was looking good there and I'd even given an early maximum call before a missed black on 41 halted that thought. It's left Li with a good opportunity and one he has to take to stay in this match.

Frame 3 - A nice red up into the yellow pocket gets Walden straight back in here. He really has found his rhythm today, making this a joy to watch.

Frame Walden - Li played on for snookers but eventually left the final red over the corner from one of his safety shots and Walden finished the frame off. 2-0 Walden

After just seven minutes playing time in the frame Ricky Walden pots frame ball black to leave Li Yuan needing snookers, but the break ends there at 69 for Walden, to give Li the chance.

Frame 2 - Having got his eye in nicely with the clearance in frame one, Walden is in straight away in frame two and going along nicely.

Frame Walden - Superb stuff from Walden making the clearance of 64 look easy. A very promising start for him, while that's an early blow for Li. 1-0 Walden

Frame 1 - Bizzare events on table 6 and lateness of Wang Yuchen on table 8 have somewhat diverted my attention. However, Walden potted the first red in this frame but wobbled a tricky brown. Li then played a good red along the cushion, went straight into reds and made 52 before missing. Walden is back in now.

Today's second live blog features multiple ranking winner Ricky Walden up against Northern Ireland Open quarter finalist Li Yuan. Find it incredibly bizarre that this match is on table 7. With Walden coming back to form he could go well this week.

LIVE BLOG: Zhou Yuelong vs Chen Zifan

Chen Zifan 4-1 Zhou Yuelong - After a snooker escape from Zhou, Chen knocked an excellent red and pink to follow up into the green pocket. A clearance to the final red left Zhou requiring a snooker but Chen eventually got over the line. Overall it was a solid display from Chen while Zhou just didn't look to have his best form.

Zhou only made 26 before finding himself out of position so has to play safe. Chen now leads by 14 but there are still four reds remaining.

Frame 5 - A good pot from Chen Zifan has him in first again at the start of the frame and he's going along pretty nicely again here. However, he's just gone into the reds from a red and not landed on a colour nicely. It means he has to attempt a tricky yellow and misses, so Zhou has a chance to counter.

Frame Zhou - This is much more like it from Zhou who swiftly gets his first frame on the board. A run of 94 is more than enough, but can he now get on a run of frames and put the pressure on Chen? It's still Chen Zifan that leads 3-1.

A rare miss from Chen Zifan has opened the door for his opponent to put the wheels of a comeback in motion. Zhou's break is up to 39 and it's a good chance to get his first frame on the board.

Frame 4 - Chen was in first with 28 at the very start of the frame and even after he plays safe, Zhou Yuelong is looking angry with himself and is not enjoying this match at all.

Frame Chen - A long end to the frame that lasted a total of 40 minutes. In the end Zhou potted a red but missed a brown on the stretch meaning he needed a snooker and as soon as Chen potted the resulting red Zhou had left on, Zhou conceded and now has a mountain to climb. 3-0 Chen

A break of 46 from Chen has put him 53 ahead with four reds left. Not looking good for Zhou with the black safe if he does get a chance to make the clearance.

Chen has been solid here thus far. Another good safety and a good pot to middle give him the first good chance of the frame. Pink and black are safe but he's working nicely from the blue and baulk colours and is building a nice lead here.

Frame 3 - Plenty of safety play to start frame three here. Chen has the upper hand you'd have to say. Been a couple of signs of frustration from Zhou already.

Frame Chen - A great start here for Chen now as a break of 90 doubles his lead. He'll be slightly disappointed not to have made a century break there but can't complain about the score. 2-0 Chen.

With reds in good positions and high value colours in open play this should now be heading towards a 2-0 lead for Chen.

Frame 2 - A missed long red from Chen left Zhou a half chance of a red but it was difficult with the spider. Zhou missed and left the red over the corner and Chen is now in on 25 and going along nicely.

Frame Chen - When Zhou escapes from the snooker on attempt 3 he also leaves the red over the middle pocket. From there Chen clears the final three reds and leaves Zhou needing snookers. 1-0 Chen Zifan.

It's gone a little scrappy in this opener now in the last couple of minutes but Chen is back in and with the upper hand. Last 3 reds not all in easy positions though and with a bad angle on a colour, he chooses to play safe and lays a brilliant snooker behind the yellow.

From Zhou's safety though, Chen Zifan knocks a good red into the middle. It's a decent chance with reds open but pink is safe and the black doesn't look like it's available either. Hard work ahead to make it a frame winning opportunity.

Frame 1 - Zhou Yuelong in first but doesn't land on a red from his split and plays safe on 17.

It's table 7 first up for me today to watch Zhou Yuelong take on Chen Zifan. Zhou was a quarter-finalist here in Cardiff last year, while Chen Zifan has had good wins of his own in his rookie year. In Belfast he overcame Shaun Murphy and also saw off Barry Hawkins at the English Open so it should be a good contest.

I'll also have updates from table 6 where one of my players to watch this season Yuan Sijun faces Fang Xiongman.

INTERVIEW: Stuart Bingham returns to defend Welsh Open title

Stuart Bingham celebrates winning the Welsh Open in 2017

2015 World Champion Stuart Bingham is ready to return to Cardiff and defend the Welsh Open title that he won last year beating Judd Trump 9-8 in the final. The title was his first major title since winning the world title in May 2015, giving it even greater meaning for him.

On the way to glory he opened up with 4-2 victories against one of the home favourites Matthew Stevens as well as Rory McLeod. Following that were whitewash wins over Ian Burns and Robbie Williams, before clinging on to beat Stuart Carrington 5-3 having been 4-0 up.

Arguably, his best performance of the week came at the semi-final stage when he took down Robert Milkins 6-0 with century breaks at the start and end of the contest, and Bingham has fond memories of the entire week.

"I felt like I was playing alright in the early stages of the event. I felt comfortable. It didn't feel like I had a match until the final that I felt like I could lose. I fluked a red early in the semi-final against Milkins and made a ton off it. That really settled me down" Bingham says.

It shows his confidence going into that tournament that he felt like he was not going to lose against any of his lower ranked opponents, but against Trump things were a much different story.

"I remember nicking the first couple of frames against Judd. Then when I got to 4-0 up the pressure changed and switched on to me. In the evening I didn't know where to put the white. I didn't know what to do. He only missed 1 long ball out of 20".

Despite leading 4-0, Trump came back strongly and had things level at 6-6 at the mid-session interval when the tension really went up a gear in the arena, and Bingham would have felt that more than anyone given the balls Trump was knocking in.

"He went 8-7 up and I made a great clearance to make it 8-8. I remember punching the air on the pink before it was in because the black was over the corner. I felt relieved when I went on and won it. It meant so much to get my first title after the worlds and getting the trophy from Ray Reardon".

Bingham clearing the colours having won the title

That was not Bingham's first final at the Welsh Open or indeed his first decider in a Welsh Open final, losing out to Stephen Maguire back in 2013 and it all shows that the man nicknamed "Ballrun" has a great record in Wales.

"It might be the Welsh water. I've got lots of good memories of playing in Wales, at the holiday camp in Prestatyn. The Welsh people are so warm and friendly. 2013 was a brilliant final against Maguire. We had a 50+ break in almost every frame. It's a special tournament because it was the first big title for a lot of good players like Paul Hunter and Mark Selby".

Bingham is among some good company as a Welsh Open champion and certainly has a lot of good memories of Wales. However, the 41-year-old will not have too many happy memories of this campaign after being suspended for three months from late October, making his return at the end of January in the China Open qualifiers.

"I owned up and did my time, and now I'm back. I just had some time off away from it all. Whenever I put the snooker on TV the missus said 'no you're not watching that'. I played a couple of pro-am events to keep my arm going but I also had the odd week or two off from playing".

One thing the time did allow the 2011 Australian Open champion to do though was spend some extra time with his family, a part of life players are not always able to enjoy given the time spent on the road.

"You don't get any time with the family on tour being away so much. It was nice taking my boy to football and waking up to next to my wife every day".

When the time did arrive for Bingham's comeback, the pressure had been added to by an announced prize money increase for the China Open, as he now fights for an automatic spot at the Crucible.

"The prize money increase definitely added pressure, though the announcement is great for the tour and the event. (The qualifying match against Jimmy White) was a big big match and I had an even record in matches against Jimmy. As soon as I got there I enjoyed it".

The 6-2 victory against White means Bingham will be heading to Beijing in April, and he impressed in Barnsley making a 50+ break in every frame he won in the match.

"It could have gone 1 of 2 ways and I could have felt the pressure and crumbled. Someone said to me at 2-2 that I should have been 4-0 up but I didn't care. I was just glad to be playing. I felt like I was playing well before my ban and that I had a tournament win in me within the next two months, but that's the way it goes. I said to my manager at 2-2 that I'd win 6-2 or 6-3, I felt that good".

Bingham ready to enter the arena for last year's final

Bingham's defence in Cardiff begins with a last 128 tie against China's Chen Zhe on Monday afternoon, someone he knows a fair bit about.

"I practiced with him a couple of times when he used to be at Romford. Maybe he's found it tough to get back on tour in the past. He has a good cue action, goes for his shots and is a dangerous player like all Chinese players are so it will be a tough game. I have never done well as defending champion".

Looking slightly further ahead, Bingham will also be in action in Gibraltar ahead of the Players Championship with his qualification for neither that or the World Championships a certainty.

"My first goal when I came back was to get in the Grand Prix, now my big target is the Players Championships. If not my focus will be on keeping in the top 16 for the worlds. I feel like I can win any tournament I play in".

With that belief on top of the quality he showed in last year's Welsh Open and on the way to the European Masters final before his suspension in October, do not be surprised to see another trophy in the hands of Stuart Bingham before this season is finished.

Welsh Open Preview

The Home Nations series for the 2017/2018 season draws to a close this week as the Welsh Open kicks off in Cardiff on Monday.

All of the world's top players will be in action, though as expected none have a chance of lining their pockets with the million pound bonus that was on offer for winning all three events. However, will we see a first Welsh winner of this event in this century? Mark Williams has taken the title twice in 1996 and 1999 while also making the final in 2003, the last Welshman to do so. Williams has seen a resurgence this season winning two ranking titles including the second home nations event in Belfast.

Meanwhile, Ryan Day and Michael White were both tournament winners early in the season and will be looking to have a big run again in their home event. The furthest any of the home players got in the event last year though was the last 16, before Lee Walker lost out to Zhou Yuelong. 15 Welsh representatives are in the 129 man field this week, including invites Rhydian Richards and Darren Morgan, hoping to get their hands on the Ray Reardon trophy next Sunday.

Quarter 1

Last 128 Draw: (Picks in bold) 

Stuart Bingham Vs Chen Zhe 

Sean O'Sullivan Vs Jackson Page 

Fergal O'Brien Vs Scott Donaldson

Matthew Stevens Vs Ken Doherty

Ryan Day Vs Kurt Dunham 

Yan Bingtao Vs Jimmy White

Peter Ebdon Vs Wang Yuchen 

David Gilbert Vs Anthony Hamilton

Fang Xiongman Vs Yuan Sijun

Zhou Yuelong Vs Chen Zifan

Tom Ford Vs Rod Lawler

Barry Hawkins Vs Niu Zhuang

Ricky Walden Vs Li Yuan

Martin Gould Vs Michael White

Aditya Mehta Vs Martin O'Donnell

Mark Williams Vs Mark King

Quarter number one is where we find not only the defending champion Stuart Bingham but also the three highest ranked Welsh players in the field. Bingham won the title with a 9-8 defeat of Judd Trump in the final, and now that his suspension is over and he has a few games under his belt he will be looking to make the most of his defence. His draw for the first couple of rounds looks negotiable for a player of his standing and then with a bit of confidence behind him who knows how far the defence could go.

This is a particularly strong quarter though and a Welsh heavy quarter also. Matthew Stevens faces a tough opening tie against Ken Doherty. It has to be said that Doherty has been in the better form of those two this season and may well upset the home fans in round one. Michael White also has a tough draw against Martin Gould. White was a quarter-finalist in this event two years ago and comes into it this year off the back of a quarter-final in the World Grand Prix. Gould meanwhile lost in the first round in Preston and out in Berlin and will be looking to return to the strong form he was showing before Christmas.

Ryan Day needs a big run this week to keep up any chances he has of being seeded through to the Crucible again this year. However, he has a possible last 64 draw with Yan Bingtao who overcame him in the Northern Ireland Open so that could be a big obstacle for him again this week as he chases down the top 16. Leading Welshman Mark Williams may not have things all his own way despite his good form this season. He does come here off the back of a first round exit in Preston, though I don't think that will play too heavily on his mind. Mark King will offer stiff opposition though and Williams did lose in round one in Cardiff last year, which again is a good sign for King.

Elsewhere, there is plenty more quality in this section of the draw. Barry Hawkins lost out in the quarter-finals in a classic encounter with Judd Trump that went right to the wire. This year though, Hawkins comes in with very different form after missing out on the chance to defend his Grand Prix title, and he is long overdue a good week this season to turn his fortunes around. Hawkins may face Tom Ford in round two who I think could be a sleeper in the draw with a lot of attention going elsewhere. The same could apply to Ricky Walden who will be looking to crush some home hopes with possible meetings with White in the last 64 and Williams in the last 32. 

After all of that though, my first quarter winner pick here is Yan Bingtao. Yan will have good memories of Cardiff from last year when he overcame World Champion Mark Selby in the last 32 on his birthday and there have been plenty of signs this year that he could get his name on a trophy before the year is out. At the Grand Prix he came very close to defeating an in-form Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 16. He was a semi-finalist at the International Championship and a finalist at the Northern Ireland Open so is no stranger to reaching the latter stages of events and in a section of the draw that is away from some of the bigger guns like Williams, Walden, White and Gould he just might again in Cardiff. 

Best of the rest: Ricky Walden, Tom Ford

Quarter winner: Yan Bingtao

Quarter 2

Last 128 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ding Junhui Vs Hammad Miah

Li Hang Vs Liam Highfield 

Xiao Guodong Vs Chris Wakelin

Andrew Higginson Vs Ashley Hugill

Neil Robertson Vs Mark Davis 

Ian Burns Vs Jamie Barrett

Jamie Jones Vs Alexander Ursenbacher

Tian Pengfei Vs Akani Songsermsawad

James Wattana Vs Zhang Yong

Michael Holt Vs Elliot Slessor 

Rory McLeod Vs Adam Duffy

Kyren Wilson Vs Robert Milkins

Craig Steadman Vs David John

Hossein Vafei Vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh

Noppon Saengkham Vs Ross Muir

Judd Trump Vs Duane Jones

The second quarter is where we find last year's runner-up Judd Trump who could do with a similar run this year after a frustrating start to the year. Semi-final exits at the Masters and German Masters will have been disappointing for different reasons and in between times he has lost in the qualifiers for the China Open and in the first round of the World Grand Prix. His draw does not look too bad this week, but he did not look at all at his best in Preston and could fall to an early round banana skin this week.

Kyren Wilson has been handed a tricky draw against last year's semi-finalist Robert Milkins. Wilson will have been disappointed to lose in the first round of the Grand Prix this week after taking a 3-1 lead against Mark Joyce and he will want to forget that and show the form that has gotten him to three finals this season. Milkins though will provide tough opposition and could inflict consecutive first round exits on the Warrior. If Trump and Wilson were to suffer early exits, the man in that half of this quarter that could pounce is Michael Holt. Holt has not been able to match up his form this season with that of the 2016/2017 campaign when he reached the Riga Masters final among other big runs throughout that season.

Players have come from the woodwork in this tournaments past. Woollaston did exactly that to make the final in 2015, while Brecel reached his maiden semi-final in the same year. While last year of course Scott Donaldson reached his maiden semi-final while Milkins matched his best run with another ranking semi-final. With the event being best-of-7 in the early stages and following another big tournament so closely, do not be surprised if the same themes occur in 2018.

Another player that has potential to do that is Xiao Guodong. Xiao has been making ranking quarter-finals for fun this season, doing so in Glasgow, Berlin and last week in Preston with wins over Mark Allen and John Higgins. His big obstacle though could be Chinese number one Ding Junhui who has a good record in this event. Ding has hit form again in Preston and at the time of writing he is set to face Mark Selby in the Grand Prix semi-finals. Depending on how much further he goes up in Lancashire, the short turnaround may be a good or bad thing as he looks to continue that form, while he could also run out of steam given the hectic schedule.

My selection in this quarter of the draw is former champion Neil Robertson. Robertson was also a finalist in Cardiff in 2016 losing out to Ronnie O'Sullivan, and was back to winning ways this season in Scotland so he should have plenty of confidence returning to an event that he has very fond memories of. A last 16 exit to Mark Selby in the World Grand Prix could help him come to Wales fresh and his draw in the early stages is one that I think he could negotiate easily enough, with Mark Davis in round one probably his biggest potential obstacle in the first three rounds. For me, him and Ding are the stand out names form wise in this section and with Ding still in Preston it could be the Australian that is able to pounce. There is no doubt for me that a second ranking win of the season is easily within his reach, and this could be the week where it comes. 

Best of the rest: Michael Holt

Quarter winner: Neil Robertson

Quarter 3

Last 128 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Robin Hull

Graeme Dott Vs Sanderson Lam

David Grace Vs Darren Morgan or Rhydian Richards

Mei Xiwen Vs Jak Jones

Luca Brecel Vs Josh Boileau

Mike Dunn Vs Hamza Akbar

Alan McManus Vs Xu Si

Michael Georgiou Vs Mitchell Mann

Lu Haotian Vs Paul Davison 

Jack Lisowski Vs Mark Joyce

Nigel Bond Vs Lukas Kleckers

Ali Carter Vs Rhys Clark

Sam Craigie Vs Leo Fernandez

Jimmy Robertson Vs Kurt Maflin

Stephen Maguire Vs Joe Perry

John Higgins Vs Matthew Selt

Plenty of former Welsh Open champions can be found in the third quarter of the draw. Stephen Maguire won a final frame decider to capture the crown in 2013 in Newport, and he comes to Cardiff from another good week where he made the semi-finals. For me, Maguire is the most likely of the players currently outside of the top 16 to force their way in, in time for Sheffield. After a final in Riga to start the season as well as a semi-final in York to match that of Preston, Maguire is showing that more major titles are possible despite the Welsh victory five years ago being his last full ranking title. However, the draw has not been kind to Maguire or Joe Perry as they have been paired together in the last 128 for a repeat of their UK Championship quarter-final in December. Perry will be hoping for some revenge there as he chases an outside chance of returning to the top 16 for the World Championships.

Ronnie O'Sullivan was most recently champion here in 2016 and could well come back to Cardiff with another trophy under his belt. At the time of writing, O'Sullivan has just made it into the final of the World Grand Prix and is aiming to add it to his UK Championship, Shanghai Masters and English Open titles from this season. If he remains hungry when he arrives in Cardiff, Graeme Dott could provide the main obstacle that he would have to get over in the early rounds. Dott made back to back finals earlier this month making it to the final two in Berlin with defeats of Hawkins, Xiao Guodong and Shaun Murphy, before also finishing runner-up in the one frame Shoot Out. His improvement in form has been rapid and he certainly looks a different animal this season to that of recent years.

John Higgins was the first champion at the Motorpoint Arena back in 2015 and the multiple Welsh winner will be gunning for glory again this week. He faces Matthew Selt in round one who defeated Mark Allen in the German Masters, and if he can get over that hurdle Perry or Maguire will be waiting in an incredibly difficult last 64 tie. You never write off Higgins, but if the Scot is to get his name on the trophy once more he will have a to do it that hard way. Ali Carter could have beaten Higgins in the first round of the World Grand Prix and he needs a good week here in Cardiff to have any chance of reaching the Players Championships in a couple of weeks. It has not been a good last few months for Carter though, but his draw for the first two rounds is one I expect him to come through with comfort and that could build some confidence for the rest of the week.

In another notable clash, Jack Lisowski will take on Mark Joyce in a tie between two players who have had very good seasons and climbed up the rankings in recent months. Both qualified for, and then completed victory in the first round of the World Grand Prix against higher ranked opposition. Joyce was a quarter-finalist at the UK Championships as well as August's Paul Hunter Classic, while Lisowski made the quarter-finals of the first home nations event in Barnsley and the semi-finals in Shanghai so this should be a quality encounter. The winner could well be a dark horse for the rest of the week. 

My quarter pick here is someone who will have good memories of this venue and has been reunited with his cue in the week leading up to this event. That man is 2015 Welsh Open semi-finalist Luca Brecel. His form in recent tournaments has dipped as he has tried different cues, though an announcement on Instagram this week that he will now be playing with his recently fixed cue in Cardiff is a good sign for fans of the Belgian. As well as making the semi's in 2015 he backed it up with another decent display in 2016 where he reached the last 16 defeating Shaun Murphy before losing to Ding Junhui. His form in the early part of the season was exceptional until cue troubles were joined with a slight shoulder problem that did not help in an early UK Championship exit. His draw for the early rounds is one I expect him to negotiate, especially if his down turn in form recently was not only due to cue trouble but a lack of practice as he waited for his cue to be fixed. 

Best of the rest: Stephen Maguire

Quarter winner: Luca Brecel

Quarter 4

Last 128 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Shaun Murphy Vs Gerard Greene 

Stuart Carrington Vs Peter Lines

Dominic Dale Vs Chris Totten

John Astley Vs Zhang Anda

Mark Allen Vs Cao Yupeng

Alex Borg Vs Soheil Vahedi 

Gary Wilson Vs Sam Baird

Daniel Wells Vs Lee Walker

Oliver Lines Vs Eden Sharav

Yu De Lu Vs Billy Castle 

Ben Woollaston Vs Thor Chuan Leong

Anthony McGill Vs Basem Eltahhan 

Robbie Williams Vs Allan Taylor

Zhao Xintong Vs Ian Preece

Liang Wenbo Vs Alfie Burden

Mark Selby Vs Christopher Keogan 

The final quarter is another that has thrown up some interesting draws. First off, Masters champion Mark Allen faces Scottish Open runner-up Cao Yupeng. The pair have a bit of history dating back to the 2012 World Championships when Cao beat Allen in round one which caused some controversial comments from the Northern Irishman. Following his Masters win, Allen has been a little quiet losing in the first round at the Tempodrome and in Preston, where he was 3-0 up on Xiao Guodong before falling to defeat. He'll need to get his foot back on the gas here to avoid falling early again and damaging his hopes of being a seed at the World Championships, for which he is currently 16th on the provisional seeding list.

World Champion Mark Selby may well have a shorter turnaround coming into this tournament. He has showed some slightly better form this week to recent events and is currently awaiting a Grand Prix semi-final with Ding Junhui at the time of writing. Interestingly Liang Wenbo, who is chasing a return to the top 16 to avoid going to World Championship qualifying, could face Selby in the last 64 which would be a blockbuster tie so early in the competition. If they do meet as expected, the winner could have a very deep run in this competition, and Liang certainly needs one with time running out in his Crucible qualification quest.

Shaun Murphy has been a player to watch out for in the draw all season long. As well as making it to four finals so far, in recent times he has made the German Masters semi-finals and World Grand Prix quarter-finals. However, his record in this tournament is quite poor by his standards. Murphy has not gone beyond the last 32 at this event since making the semi-finals in 2012, a massive contrast given that he made the quarter-finals in each of his first four Welsh Opens. If he puts this record to the back of his mind though and continues playing as well as he has been all season, then there is no reason why he cannot make it through to the latter stages in Cardiff. 

My fourth and final quarter choice for this week though is Anthony McGill. McGill showed good form to defeat Cao Yupeng and Stuart Bingham before narrowly losing to Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals of this week's Grand Prix. It has been a quiet time for McGill since making the English Open semi-finals after a very impressive start to the season. If he can get that form going again a run of quarter and semi-finals could be on the way again and potentially another ranking title. His draw does have a potentially big obstacle at the last 64 as he may face Ben Woollaston who was finalist here in 2015, before backing that up in 2016 by making the quarter-finals. As well as having good memories of the event, Woollaston also looked good in the German Masters despite defeat in the last 32 and he could easily have gone on a run there but for Trump's equally excellent display. Get beyond Woollaston and McGill could well progress much further and become a big threat in this event. 

Best of the rest: Shaun Murphy

Quarter winner: Anthony McGill

Tournament Winner Selection: Neil Robertson


The format for the Welsh Open is the same as each of the other home nations events this year. The first round will be played on Monday and Tuesday over the best-of-7 frames, round two on Wednesday before the last 32 and last 16 on Thursday. The format then moves up to best-of-9 frames for Friday's quarter-finals, with Saturday's semi-finals the best-of-11 and Sunday's final a best-of-17 frame affair.

The tournament will be covered on both the BBC in Wales and all around the UK and Europe on Eurosport. Those of you that follow me on Twitter on @CueActionBlog will also be aware that I am in Cardiff for the first four rounds from Monday to Thursday and will be providing plenty of live blogs from the outside tables that you cannot watch on TV. 

World Grand Prix Preview

This week the 32 best players of 2017/2018 season so far will head to the Preston Guildhall to contest the 2018 World Grand Prix.

From Monday evening through to Sunday's finale players including top seed Ronnie O'Sullivan, world champion Mark Selby, Masters champion Mark Allen and many more will compete for the £100,000 top prize.

However, not present for the tournament in Preston this week will be defending champion Barry Hawkins. Such is the nature of the qualifying criteria, no player has a right to be in the line-up and everyone has to earn their place by making it into the top 32 on the one season money list.

Marco Fu is the next highest ranked player not involved in the tournament. Fu is currently taking time out after eye surgery but was not part of the 32 before taking time out. Liang Wenbo also fell short of qualification, while Michael Holt, Anthony Hamilton, Alan McManus and Zhou Yuelong are the remaining members of the current top 32 in the full world rankings who did not earn a place in Preston.

Shoot Out champion Michael Georgiou and Scottish Open runner-up Cao Yupeng are the two lowest ranked players in the field of 32 but are more than capable of a run through the field.

Quarter 1

Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Robert Milkins 

Martin Gould Vs Yan Bingtao 

Mark Allen Vs Xiao Guodong

John Higgins Vs Ali Carter

The top quarter of the draw this week is packed with top stars and guys in good form. Robert Milkins was the final man into the field this week, and as such faces the toughest opponent of all. Martin Gould and Yan Bingtao is a great match up between two players who have had some great results this year. Gould was a semi-finalist at the International Championships as well as making quarter-finals at the Shanghai Masters and the UK Championship in a fine pre-Christmas run of form. Yan was also a semi-finalist at the International Championship and of course made the final of the Northern Ireland open in November. The Chinese youngster has had a bit of a quiet time since otherwise he would have surely been well inside the top 16, rather than seed number 17.

Masters champion Mark Allen faces a tough assignment against Xiao Guodong. The Masters does not count to the Grand Prix listings of course, but a final at the International Championship has helped Allen greatly in securing a high seeding this week. He has been in great form all season, though in the two tournaments since securing the Masters he has fallen at the first hurdle, and over the best-of-7 frames he faces another incredibly task. Xiao recently made the quarter-finals of the German Masters and should have gone further. He overcame Mark Selby for the second time this season on the way as well as ending Liang Wenbo's hopes of being in this tournament. Leading Graeme Dott 4-0 in the quarter-finals, it looked very much like he would make it into the last 4 but an incredible comeback from Dott thwarted him. It may take him a bit of time to get over that, though the confidence from beating several top players this season should help him continue moving forward.

John Higgins and Ali Carter is another tough match to call over 7 frames. Carter has not had a good season, and finds himself as a lower seed in this tournament, hence why he's drawn Higgins in round one. Despite a semi-final in August's China Championship, it has been a quiet time since that has seen a number of early exits, including at the last 128 stage of the UK Championships. Higgins has not set the world alight, but instead consistently picked up results. A win at the Indian Open in September came without having to beat many top players, and since he has picked up decent results making the semi-finals in Shanghai in November and the Scottish Open a month later. I can certainly see a route for Higgins through the first two rounds, but then it may be an old foe who ends his run.

Top seed Ronnie O'Sullivan has to be my first quarter choice this week. He has been incredible this season and has earned his top seeding with big money wins in the UK Championship and Shanghai Masters as well as taking home the English Open crown. There certainly have not been too many early exits for the Rocket in this campaign and Milkins will have to be on top form to see him exit in round one. On paper his draw looks nice enough but with the first two rounds being best-of-7 frames that does bring a sense than anything can happen. O'Sullivan has also had a while to get over his Masters quarter-final exit where he looked to have run out of steam, so he should come in here fresh which is always when he's most dangerous. He may be the obvious choice to win this quarter and to possibly go on and win title number four of this season, but I also believe that he is a clear choice for this section. 

Best of the Rest: Xiao Guodong

Quarter Winner: Ronnie O'Sullivan

Quarter 2

Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Shaun Murphy Vs Ricky Walden

Ryan Day Vs Jack Lisowski

Stephen Maguire Vs Li Hang

Luca Brecel Vs Michael Goergiou

Quarter number two is where we find last year's runner-up Ryan Day. It was making the final last year that seems to have brought him back to top form. He followed that final by winning the Riga Masters in the summer to secure his first ranking title, and since then he has added a UK Championship semi-final that saw him return to the Masters in January. His form has still been very hit and miss at times, as he displayed by losing in China Open qualifiers recently, but he followed that the very same week by making the German Masters quarter-finals. Jack Lisowski's resurgence is the reason for him making it to the Grand Prix this season. A quarter-final in Barnsley and a career best semi-final in Shanghai are his clear highlights, though since that Shanghai semi he has not gone beyond the last 32 in four events. The early rounds of this tournament being best-of-7 frames presents a big opportunity for him in my opinion. He seems to play best over the shorter format and that may well show against Day and spark a big run in Preston.

Shaun Murphy has been no stranger to big runs this season, having made four finals already in this campaign. Finals at the China and UK Championships are the reason he is the fifth seed and the 2016 Grand Prix champion should be full of confidence ahead of this week. Despite not being quite at his best, he made the semi-finals again recently in Germany and fell agonisingly short of a fifth final this season, showing just how good his form is right now. Ricky Walden will pose a threat to Murphy, though when they met at the last 16 stage in York, the eventual finalist was a comfortable winner. Walden is showing signs of a return to form and this week could well prove another step forward if he can find top gear. However, I think Murphy is going to be a very tough man to beat on current form.

Luca Brecel has been a familiar opponent for Shaun Murphy, if the pair were to meet in the quarter-finals it would be their fourth match of the season having already played in the China Championship final and Champion of Champions semi-finals. It was the win at the China Championship that catapulted Brecel up the world rankings and makes him the fourth seed for this event. He has followed it since with a semi-final at the World Open as well as that Champion of Champions semi-final. Recently though things have not gone according to plan as much for the Belgian. Cue trouble and shoulder trouble hampered him either side of Christmas. His shoulder problems not helping his last 32 exit in the UK Championships, causing withdrawals from Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as an early exit in German Masters qualifying. His first round Masters exit to Mark Allen saw him come out with two cues so there appears to be some uncertainty with him on that front. If he comes to Preston fully fit and happy with his equipment then we could see the form that was so exciting to watch early on in the season. 

My quarter choice here though is someone who looks to be slowly getting back to top form over the last year, and now targeting a return to the world's top 16. Stephen Maguire was a semi-finalist at the UK Championships in December and that along with a final appearance at the Riga Masters have helped him into the top 16 on this season's money list. A quarter-final appearance in the Scottish Open was another positive sign as he backed up the display in York, and I still think he is more than capable of returning to the winners circle. First round opposition in the shape of Li Hang will keep him on his toes, though again his early season results are the main reason he is here. For me, Maguire is a big threat in the draw this week and certainly someone to keep an eye on over the next month or so. 

Best of the Rest: Shaun Murphy

Quarter Winner: Stephen Maguire

Quarter 3

Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold)

Judd Trump Vs Michael White 

Graeme Dott Vs Joe Perry

Neil Robertson Vs David Gilbert

Mark Selby Vs Jimmy Robertson 

As we head into the bottom half of the draw, quarter 3 is certainly the quarter of death and incredibly tough to call. Graeme Dott will be looking to continue his fine recent form after reaching the final of the German Masters and playing incredibly well to get there. He then made the final of the Shoot Out last weekend to keep things ticking over nicely coming into this week. Joe Perry has looked good at times this season, particularly in making the UK Championship quarter-finals but he has a tough task here to end Dott's form as the Scot looks back to his best this season, and is a dark horse for this tournament too.

Judd Trump and Michael White's contest is certainly not one you would put down as a potentially long match with two fast and aggressive players. White's win at the Paul Hunter Classic is the main reason he is in the field this week in Preston, while Trump has won the European Masters, reached the Shanghai Masters final and had multiple semi-finals. However, Trump will be looking to bounce back after a tough recent spell. His Masters semi-final loss to Kyren Wilson from way ahead would have hurt greatly, while losing in China Open qualifying would have also been a big blow. It looked like he may bounce back when he was in the German Masters semi-finals but he did not turn up and was thrashed by Mark Williams 6-1. The 2015 Grand Prix champion certainly needs to put recent disappointment behind him, but has a very tough draw if he wants to put his name on the trophy again.

Mark Selby is someone else looking to pick his form up after a disappointing couple of months. Early exits at the UK Championship, Masters and German Masters are not what you would expect from the reigning World Champion, but he has another opportunity on the big stage this week to start building his form up for another Crucible defence. He starts with an opponent in Jimmy Robertson has never beaten Selby, though he is probably playing as well now as he ever has and that will provide a challenge for Selby. Robertson recently had a career best showing in Berlin making the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champion Mark Williams. However, it is tough to keep a top player like Selby down for long and the strength of the draw he faces this week may be the motivation to spark him into life. 

For me though, Neil Robertson is the man to beat in this quarter as he looks to continue his return to form. He was back to his very best at the Scottish Open where he lifted the title with some incredible heavy scoring after showing signs of a return to form for a while. It was not quite enough for him to make the Masters though (coming a week too late on that front), and he failed to qualify for the German Masters, so should come into this week very fresh. All we've seen from Robertson's cue in 2018 so far is a brief trip to the Championship League and a successful China Open qualifier against tough opposition in Robin Hull. Robertson's first round opponent David Gilbert is not in the greatest of form recently, and his head to head stats are good against potential second round opponent Selby. For me, there is no reason why Robertson cannot continue from where he left off in Glasgow and make himself a big contender for this title too. 

Best of the Rest: Graeme Dott

Quarter Winner: Neil Robertson

Quarter 4

Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ding Junhui Vs Mark King

Kyren Wilson Vs Mark Joyce

Anthony McGill Vs Cao Yupeng

Mark Williams Vs Stuart Bingham 

The fourth and final quarter is another very competitive one featuring a three time finalist this season, a twice ranking winner, a top four player and three other runners-up in the 2017/2018 season. Ding Junhui is the highest ranked player in this quarter and was a winner back in September at the World Open in China. Since then he has been quiet suffering from an eye issue for the final part of 2017 that saw a couple of withdrawals as well as an early exit in the UK Championship. In 2018 so far he fell in the first round of the Masters yet again despite leading 3-0 at one stage, though was unfortunate to lose in the quarter-finals recently in Berlin. In round one he faces Mark King, an opponent you would expect Ding to overcome though he has had a decent season also. King made the quarter-finals in York as well as the semi-finals in India helping him into this tournament. For me though, Ding is the man to keep an eye on for a big run in Preston.

Masters runner-up Kyren Wilson has been in great form this season while also being one of the tour's nearly men. As well as coming up short in January, he also fell at the final hurdle in the English Open and World Open but it shows how much Wilson is moving forward. In between times there has been the odd early exit but that is to be expected at times. His round one opponent Mark Joyce has been one of the underdogs of the campaign, defeating Neil Robertson on the way to the UK Championship quarter-finals. On top of that have been early season quarter-finals in Riga and Furth as well as last 16's in the International Championship and the recent German Masters to show more of what he is capable of.

Anthony McGill and Cao Yupeng do not stand out as big title contenders. Cao is largely here thanks to his run to the Scottish Open final where he was agonisingly close to the title, and this came after a semi-final at the European Masters and a last 16 at the World Open earlier in the season, while the Northern Ireland Open is the only event where he has not passed the first round. McGill started the season very well making the Indian Open final, English Open semi-finals and three other last eight appearances. Since the English Open though he has failed to pass the last 32 in ranking competition, as well as losing in the first round of the Champion of Champions and Masters to John Higgins. 

The quarter winner for me will come from the winner of the match between Mark Williams and Stuart Bingham. Williams is in fantastic form after winning the German Masters to add his second title of the season after his triumph in Belfast. Right now he is proving very tough to beat but given his seeding of number two he has landed an incredibly tough first round draw. Bingham comes into this event fresh after his suspension ended at the end of January. That allowed him to play in the China Open qualifiers where he very impressively dispatched of Jimmy White in his first competitive match for over three months. Prior to suspension he was in good form making the European Masters final, which is the reason he was able to make the Grand Prix despite a long lay off. The advantage for Bingham coming into this tournament and the next few tournaments he plays in will be that he is fresher than anyone else on the circuit. The lay off will have no doubt made him incredibly hungry to be back on the stage and motivated to recoup the loss in earnings that his suspension caused. He is more than capable of beating Williams over any format, but the best-of-7 frames makes defeat slightly more likely for the in-form man. Looking at the rest of the draw I certainly fancy the chances of Bingham's continued progress if he can see off the Welshman. 

Best of the Rest: Mark Joyce

Quarter Winner: Stuart Bingham

Tournament Winner Selection: Stuart Bingham 

The event will be covered throughout the week once again by ITV4 and all matches in the first two rounds will be played over the best-of-7 frames, on a roll-on roll-off basis in both afternoon and evening sessions.