Defending champion John Higgins eases into Indian Open last 32

Defending Indian Open champion John Higgins has eased into the last 32 of this season's Indian Open after a 4-0 whitewash of Duane Jones in Kochi.

Higgins won the last staging of the event back in 2017, after this season's event was postponed from September 2018 to this week. The Scotsman came through his heldover last 128 tie against Ashley Hugill 4-1 on Wednesday, before the win over Jones, which featured breaks of 71 and 121 - with Jones only managing 11 points in the opening three frames and 49 points in the match overall as Higgins dominated things from start to finish.

The only other former winner that started the week in Kochi has been defeated however, as 2015 champion Michael White lost out 4-2 to James Cahill. An amateur top-up he may be, but Cahill can add this victory to wins over the likes of Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy in the 2018/2019 season.

Murphy is one of just four current members of the world's top 16 that are into the last 32. The 2005 world champion has been struggling for form for much of the season but has started the week with two victories, defeating Lucky Vatnani in his heldover last 128 tie, before a 4-2 win over Lee Walker which he finished off well with a break of 93 despite looking vulnerable in the first half of the match.

Two top 16 players have exited at the last 64 stage though, as David Gilbert and Jack Lisowski both crashed out in deciding frames having led by two frames at least once in their respective matches. Gilbert looked to be cruising against Elliot Slessor as he led 3-1 and was on a break of 48 in the fifth frame, before letting his opponent back into things. After winning that frame, Slessor would then add breaks of 64 and 69 in the final two frames to complete the turnaround.

As for Lisowski, he led Joe Swail 2-0 and 3-2 in a match that would eventually be decided on the final black. Lisowski made a match high break of 84 in that second frame but squandered opportunities in frames three and four as Swail levelled the match at 2-2. A break of 67 was enough for Lisowski to go back ahead 3-2 but again he missed chances in frame six, but much more crucially in the final frame he had the chance to clear the final colours, but failed to get on the black on the bottom cushion, after potting the pink into the middle. His safety shot was very poor, leaving the black close to the corner but not easy for Swail, but the Northern Irishman held his nerve for a crucial victory in terms of his tour survival hopes.

Joining Murphy and Higgins in the last 32 to represent the top 16 are Stuart Bingham and Luca Brecel. Bingham secured a 4-1 win over Peter Lines on Wednesday with two breaks of 83 in the final three frames of that clash. Brecel meanwhile completed a whitewash of Ian Burns with a high break of 60.

Zhou Yuelong became the latest player to make a 147 maximum break. He achieved the feat in frame four of his match against Lu Haotian, though he would eventually go on to lose the match in a deciding frame.

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh picked up from where he left off in Watford, by defeating Michael Holt for the second time in just a few days. Un-Nooh made breaks of 56, 83 and 95 while Holt made his own break of 102 in the process of levelling the match at 2-2 from 2-0 down, but ultimately the Shoot-Out winner would prevail against the runner-up in Watford by a 4-2 scoreline.

Last 64 results: 

John Higgins 4-0 Duane Jones
Hossein Vafei 4-3 Dominic Dale
James Cahill 4-2 Michael White
Elliot Slessor 4-3 David Gilbert
Joe Perry 4-1 Ashley Carty
Li Hang W/O Hamza Akbar
Peter Ebdon 4-3 Ben Woollaston
Sam Craigie 4-3 Liang Wenbo
Stuart Bingham 4-1 Peter Lines
John Astley 4-1 Gary Wilson
Lu Ning 4-1 Liam Highfield
Yan Bingtao 4-3 Gerard Greene
Joe Swail 4-3 Jack Lisowski
Matthew Selt 4-2 Tom Ford
Oliver Lines 4-1 Fergal O'Brien
Soheil Vahedi 4-3 Robin Hull
Andy Hicks 4-2 Li Yuan
Eden Sharav 4-3 Michael Georgiou
Luke Simmonds 4-0 Mei Xiwen
Lu Haotian 4-3 Zhou Yuelong
Graeme Dott W/O Alexander Ursenbacher
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4-2 Michael Holt
Mark Davis 4-0 Paul Davison
Yuan Sijun 4-1 Thor Chuan Leong
Luca Brecel 4-0 Ian Burns
Andrew Higginson 4-0 Digvijay Kadian
Scott Donaldson 4-0 Jimmy Robertson
Craig Steadman 4-3 Zhang Yong
Zhao Xintong 4-2 Sam Baird
Anthony Hamilton 4-2 Rory McLeod
Chris Wakelin 4-3 Stuart Carrington
Shaun Murphy 4-2 Lee Walker

Last 32 Draw: (Picks in bold)

John Higgins Vs Hossein Vafei
Elliot Slessor Vs James Cahill
Joe Perry Vs Li Hang
Peter Ebdon Vs Sam Craigie
Stuart Bingham Vs John Astley
Yan Bingtao Vs Lu Ning
Matthew Selt Vs Joe Swail
Oliver Lines Vs Soheil Vahedi
Andy Hicks Vs Eden Sharav
Lu Haotian Vs Luke Simmonds
Graeme Dott Vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Mark Davis Vs Yuan Sijun
Luca Brecel Vs Andrew Higginson
Scott Donaldson Vs Craig Steadman
Zhao Xintong Vs Anthony Hamilton
Shaun Murphy Vs Chris Wakelin


Despite the lack of really big name players the last 32 in Kochi still has plenty of big matches in store.

Starting with the defending champion John Higgins, who faces recent Welsh Open semi-finalist Hossein Vafei. The Iranian is clearly capable of defeating Higgins, especially over a best-of-7 frame format, the same format over which he defeated Mark Selby in Cardiff at the last 16 stage. Higgins though looks like he is coming back to some sort of form after a run to the quarter-finals in Wales himself, while starting this week with two easy victories. Hossein meanwhile netted a 4-3 win over Dominic Dale in round one so has already been tested this week and you would not expect him to give Higgins an easy ride here at all.

Peter Ebdon will face Sam Craigie in a very intriguing tie. Both came through deciding frames in round one, as Ebdon defeated Ben Woollaston while Craigie was victorious against Liang Wenbo. In recent times, Ebdon has reached the last 16 of the German Masters, while Craigie showed good form at the Welsh Open, coming within a frame of beating Jack Lisowski to reach the last 16 there. If Craigie scores as heavily as he can and looks as good as he has done of late, then he has an excellent chance of making it through to the last 16 of a ranking event for just the second time.

Stuart Bingham takes on John Astley for a place in the last 16. Bingham has also been in good form recently, making the Shoot-Out quarter-finals as well as the final of the Welsh Open and with that in mind he will not be outside of the top two favourites for the title as long as he remains in the event. Astley was a surprising 4-1 winner against Gary Wilson on Wednesday in round one. Astley has not pulled up any trees this season with his efforts and did not actually record a 50+ break against Wilson in that victory, so will need to score better if he is to get anything for his efforts against Bingham.

Yan Bingtao is very lucky to still be in the event, after surviving a big scare and eventually winning 4-3 on the final black against Gerard Greene. Now he faces an all-Chinese clash against Lu Ning, who defeated Liam Highfield 4-1 in round one and is eyeing yet another last 16 appearance, after making that round of the UK Championships and the Northern Ireland Open, having just regained his tour card at the start of the season. Yan has not showed the same form that he wowed the snooker world with in his first couple of seasons out on tour but has still played solidly this year, but he will be vulnerable in this one if Lu produces some of his heavy scoring.

One of the ties of the round is that of former world champion Graeme Dott and last week's Shoot Out winner Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. Dott has not actually had to play yet out in Kochi after Alexander Ursenbacher failed to show up for their last 64 tie on Thursday, while Thepchaiya won the repeat of Sunday's final in Watford 4-2 against Michael Holt and continuing to look in excellent form. This match is a big challenge for Dott who has not had as good a season as he enjoyed last season, but his quality is unquestionable. The worry for his fans is that, having not played yet out in the arena, he may take a frame or two to get used to conditions in Kochi, which judging by the scoring this week are not absolutely perfect. By that time, with the way Un-Nooh is playing, the Thai may have left Dott behind and gone well ahead in the match.

Yuan Sijun and Mark Davis is another great tie. Davis of course was a ranking finalist this season in Crawley, while Yuan has impressed with a series of wins against big name players, as well as reaching two ranking quarter-finals, most recently at the World Grand Prix. Both players had easy wins in round one, with Davis defeating Paul Davison 4-0, while Yuan ran out a 4-1 winner against Thor Chuan Leong. Interestingly, both players finished strongly as English Open runner-up Davis closed his match out with a break of 140, while Yuan sealed his win with an equally good 137. This one is another tight match to call, but the fearless Yuan may well prevail once again and continue his impressive 2018/2019 campaign.

Luca Brecel will be hoping for a much-needed big week, as he faces Andrew Higginson in the last 32. Both men were 4-0 winners in round one here as Brecel defeated Ian Burns, while Higginson finished with a century, but also had to win a couple of frames on the colours in his win over Digvijay Kadian. Higginson has been a very hit and miss player for some time now, producing excellent matches mixed in with unexpected defeats, making him one of the hardest players on tour to predict. Brecel meanwhile has been below par for much of the season and is still on a run of not having made a ranking event quarter-final since November 2017. With Higginson to play here before a tie with Craig Steadman or Scott Donaldson in the last 16 if he does go through, this is an opportunity for the Belgian to break that duck. By the same token though, the absence of top players is little consolation if it is not the top players that you have been slipping up against in the first place.

The same could be said for Shaun Murphy as he looks to reach the last 16 of a ranking event for just the third time this season. His previous runs were at the China Championship where he fell at that last 16 stage, while in Scotland he was a losing finalist. Aside from that week in Glasgow though there has been little to shout about for Murphy this season and despite his two victories already this week in Kochi, he still does not look comfortable out on the baize. After a loss in China Open qualifying and in the last 64 of the Welsh Open, he will be looking to put results together and try to gain some confidence back, in a similar way to how he did in Glasgow in December. His opponent in the last 32 is Chris Wakelin who defeated Stuart Carrington 4-3 in a match that ended almost on the dot of 1am on Friday in Kochi, which may give Murphy a slight advantage since his match was played in the opening half of the evening session. Wakelin though defeated Murphy 6-0 in the China Open just under a year ago now, so he is more than capable of inflicting another early exit on to to the former champion of the world.


The last 32 matches will be played over the best-of-7 frames on Friday, before a bumper day of snooker on Saturday when the last 16 and quarter-finals will take place, so there is plenty of action to come over the next three days in India.

Indian Open Preview

Following Thepchaiya Un-Nooh's victory over Michael Holt to win the fun-filled Snooker Shoot-Out on Sunday night, the more serious business on tour resumes this week as the players head out to Kochi for the Indian Open. 

This event was originally set to be played in September, but floods in the area led to a sensible decision which was to postpone the event. It all means that the line-up of players that are travelling to the event has been set since the qualifying round in mid-August, over six months before the actual final stages will now take place. 

A lot has happened in that time, with Jamie Jones (who had his last 128 match against an Indian wildcard held over to the venue) being suspended and now banned until October this year, while Mark Allen and Neil Robertson have both picked up plenty of ranking points and subsequently withdrawn from the event. 

Defending champion John Higgins will be in attendance though and his last 128 match was also heldover to the main venue. The next highest ranked player now in the draw is Shaun Murphy who will also kick off the week with a held over last 128 match against wildcard Lucky Vatnani, while Luca Brecel, Stuart Bingham, Jack Lisowski and David Gilbert are the only other top 16 players in the whole tournament. 

2016 champion and 2017 finalist Anthony McGill failed to qualify for the venue way back in August, but 2015 champion Michael White has qualified and is the only other former finalist from the four previous stagings joining Higgins in the tournament. 

Overall, the bottom half of the draw only features two top 16 players and three players that were originally in the top 16 seeds when the draw took place, so there is a massive opportunity for some lower ranked players to shine this week, with matches being played over the best-of-7 frames right up until a best-of-9 frame final. The winner will take home £50,000, with the runner-up receiving £25,000. 

Quarter 1

Last 64 draw: (Picks in bold)

John Higgins or Ashley Hugill Vs Duane Jones
Hossein Vafei Vs Dominic Dale or Asutosh Padhy
Michael White Vs James Cahill
David Gilbert Vs Elliot Slessor
Li Hang Vs Hamza Akbar
Joe Perry Vs Ashley Carty
Peter Ebdon Vs Ben Woollaston or Shrikrishna Suryanarayanan
Liang Wenbo Vs Sam Craigie

John Higgins is the defending champion here in India and after some tough times in recent weeks, the Scot looked brighter on his way to the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open. On the way to that quarter-final he overcame Graeme Dott and Jack Lisowski, in what was a great match, before eventually falling to Joe O'Connor as the youngster closed that match out superbly. With a number of top players missing last year, Higgins made the run look pretty easy at times but this year there are some tough opponents lying in his path. First off he could face a last 64 tie with Duane Jones who made the semi-finals in Berlin and overcame Judd Trump in Cardiff. Welsh Open semi-finalist Hossein Vafei could be his last 32 opponent while David Gilbert his potential last 16 opponent is ahead of him on the money list this season. If he can negotiate that path though he has a fantastic chance of going on and having a really good go at completing a title defence this week, if he shows more of the form that he did in Cardiff and not in the three months prior to that. 

Michael White is the other former champion in the field but apart from a recent run to the semi-finals of the Shoot-Out he is having a woeful season. In fact, prior to Watford he was £5,000 below his first round opponent James Cahill, who is a Q School top-up, on the one-year money list and had just lost 6-1 in China Open qualifying to Thor Chuan Leong. I am not sure if a run in a one-frame event can help you turn a corner but when he won this title in 2015 it came the week after he had won the Shoot-Out in Blackpool so that may be a good omen for his hopes this week. Cahill meanwhile will be looking for a victory to boost his chances of getting a tour card, currently sitting £2,600 behind Joe Swail on the one-year money list, with Swail being the last of the top eight on the list not already qualified for next season. Overall, that shapes up as a great match up. 

Sam Craigie is my dark horse choice in this opening quarter in what could be a week for players coming through to achieve a new best in ranking tournaments. Craigie certainly has the potential, something that has been said about him for a long time now. However, I watched Craigie recently in Cardiff against Mark King and he was exceptional in that match and played well again in the next round before losing a really tight game with Jack Lisowski. Off the back of that he has qualified for the China Open with a 6-2 win over Akani Songsermsawad and he really does look to be in decent form. His first round opponent Liang Wenbo has had a quiet season and it would be no surprise to anyone if Craigie took him out and looking at that particular half of this quarter, there is no reason why he could not go from strength to strength from there and potentially achieve his first ranking quarter-final. 

David Gilbert though is the man to beat for me in this section, making him my first quarter choice. A two-time ranking finalist this year, Gilbert has come close but fallen just short at the vital moments in the World Open and German Masters. He played exceptionally in Berlin and would have been a more than worthy winner had he have closed that out. Currently, Gilbert is eighth on this season's money list and 16th on the race to Crucible so he has a major opportunity to be a seed at the World Championships and will surely do so if he qualifies for the Tour Championship. With that in mind, this week is a great opportunity for Gilbert to get some vital ranking points with only a few other top players in the draw. Higgins is the big threat to him in this section, but given the Scots form this year and the best-of-7 frame format Gilbert would have an excellent chance of defeating him should both players get that far. For me, Gilbert is clearly now a major tournament contender and this week presents another good opportunity for him to win his maiden ranking title. 

Best of the rest: Sam Craigie
Quarter choice: David Gilbert

Quarter 2

Last 64 draw: (Picks in bold)

Stuart Bingham Vs Peter Lines
Gary Wilson Vs John Astley
Yan Bingtao Vs Gerard Greene
Liam Highfield Vs Lu Ning
Tom Ford Vs Matthew Selt
Jack Lisowski or Himanshu Dinesh Jain Vs Joe Swail
Fergal O'Brien Vs Oliver Lines
Robin Hull Vs Soheil Vahedi 

This second quarter is packed with players that could use victories in India this week to boost their tour survival hopes. Fergal O'Brien is the first to look at as he sits 64th on the provisional end-of-season list. His current lead to 65th placed Dominic Dale is £8,600 but that could be shortened by £2,000 before O'Brien plays his last 64 clash, if the Welshman wins his last 128 held over tie against Padhy. First round exits in Cardiff and Watford in the last couple of weeks, as well as defeat in the China Open qualifiers, have not helped the Irishman and in Oliver Lines he has a last 64 opponent here whom he lost to at the Welsh Open. Northern Ireland's Joe Swail is way back on the end-of season list but on the one-year list he is currently holding the final spot for those not already qualified for next season to get a new two-year card. However, the likelihood is he will face Jack Lisowski in the last 64 making it a tough task to build a greater safety net. 

Peter Lines and Gerard Greene are both outside of the top 64 on the EOS list and outside of the top 8 not already qualified for next season on the one-year list. Lines is just £1,100 behind Swail though so a first round exit for Swail and a win for Lines would see him move ahead, but the tough task for Lines is a match with in-form Stuart Bingham. Greene meanwhile £1,500 adrift of Swail on the same list so is in a similar situation to Lines this week and he too faces a tough ask against another quality player in Yan Bingtao. Struggles for Finland's Robin Hull this season mean he is way back on the end-of-season list and the one-year list. His deficit on the one-year list to Swail is £13,100 but he could cut that this week as he will go off favourite in his match with Soheil Vahedi in round one with the winner then facing O'Brien or Oli Lines. Hull is still more than capable of putting a good run together and boosting his cause here. 

Jack Lisowski is a player on the other end of the scale though as he looks for another big tournament run and even possibly win his first ranking title. Like Gilbert you feel he is too good not to eventually win a big title and he has been knocking on the door in the last year. As well as reaching the Riga Masters final and International Championship semi-finals he has had various other quarter-finals. Despite a quieter time in recent weeks, the lack of top players in the draw this week must make him feel like he is really one of the favourites for the title. Early exits at the World Grand Prix and German Masters were put to bed a little in Wales as he looked to be scoring for fun, but he was only winning matches narrowly that week. Three 4-3 victories against Niu Zhuang, Marco Fu and Sam Craigie put him into the last 16 where he once again went to a decider against Higgins. Despite two brilliant chances with the reds open it was Higgins that won that one, providing a bit of evidence that perhaps Lisowski is not quite ready to win a big ranking event. Top players and tournament winners should be winning big matches from the chances he had in the final frame against Higgins, but he is certainly getting closer. Looking at those around him in this section, he could easily make another quarter-final this week and then it will be crunch time again. 

Stuart Bingham though is my choice in this second quarter. The 2015 world champion looks in good touch again in the last couple of weeks after a couple of whitewash defeats at the last 16 stage of the German Masters and the World Grand Prix. His scoring in Cardiff was simply sensational, making centuries for fun and even in the final when he made a slow start and was 7-3 down he levelled at 7-7 but Neil Robertson was just too strong for him on that occasion. That run added to what has already been a pretty successful season for Bingham who has won the English Open and made it to the last four of the UK Championship in the first half of the season. With the nature of the field that has turned up this week Bingham is the second favourite for this event behind Higgins and ahead of Murphy, both of whom have struggled for form for large parts of this season. His draw may not be easy facing Peter Lines in round one, with Lines beating Bingham in Northern Ireland this season, and the very capable Gary Wilson a likely last 32 opponent, while Yan Bingtao is also lurking in the top half of that section but if he scores as he did in Cardiff then he will take some serious beating this week. 

Best of the rest: Jack Lisowski
Quarter choice: Stuart Bingham

Quarter 3

Last 64 draw: (Picks in bold)

Li Yuan Vs Andy Hicks
Michael Georgiou Vs Eden Sharav
Mei Xiwen Vs Luke Simmonds
Zhou Yuelong or Laxman Rawat Vs Lu Haotian
Michael Holt Vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Graeme Dott Vs Alexander Ursenbacher
Mark Davis Vs Paul Davison
Yuan Sijun Vs Thor Chuan Leong

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Michael Holt will meet in the last 64 here just a few days after contesting the Snooker Shoot-Out final. Both players played some excellent snooker over the course of that tournament and while the format may be short it should still give them a lot of confidence. Particularly for Thepchaiya who took the title, the confidence he took could now push him towards further ranking titles. When the Shoot-Out was non-ranking, previous winners Barry Hawkins and Michael White went on to win ranking titles soon after winning that title and with the potential that Thepchaiya has there is no reason why he cannot win multiple tournaments. At his best he makes the game look very easy and he has good memories of this tournament having previously reached the semi-finals back in 2015. As for Holt, the run could be the start of getting him back to a golden period in 2016 when he reached the Riga Masters final, overcame Ronnie O'Sullivan three times and reached three further quarter-finals in Chinese events. Looking at the draw, there is no reason why whoever does come out on top in this one could not go all the way, as they should both be feeling good and there is not a single player in this half of the draw that they should fear. 

Mei Xiwen is someone who has a great chance from the cluster of non-top 16 players in the top half of this section. Mei takes on amateur Luke Simmonds in round one in a game he should fancy himself to win. He is a very solid player and I watched him closely against Holt in the first round of the Welsh Open where he made a sublime century break to win the match. The tough test in the mini section would a potential last 32 tie against Zhou Yuelong or Lu Haotian but neither of those two players have set the world alight this season and he should certainly fancy himself against any of his four potential last 16 opponents if he makes it that far. Mei has made the last 16 on four separate occasions in ranking events and if he scores as heavily this week as we know he is capable of, then this has to be an opportunity for him to go a step further and complete a new personal best. 

Given the players making up this quarter, any one of my choices could be seen as an outside the box pick, but my overall choice is Yuan Sijun. The young Chinese player has impressed many people this year with the names he has beaten (including John Higgins, Mark Williams, Mark Allen, Ding Junhui, Kyren Wilson and Stephen Maguire) and the fact he reached quarter-finals in both the China Championship and the World Grand Prix and given the opportunity in this section it will be interesting to see if he is ready to take the next step in his career so early by making a semi-final or even better. There are plenty of players that are more than good enough to beat him in this section with the likes of Mark Davis, Graeme Dott, Un-Nooh and Holt all lurking but he seems to have no fear whatsoever and with the players he has beaten he should not fear anybody but the very best players in the game. Whether he will be able to hold his nerve from the quarter-final stage onwards at such a young age remains to be seen, but Yan Bingtao was younger than Yuan is now when he made it to the final in Northern Ireland and from what we have seen this season, Yuan is just as good. 

Best of the rest: Mei Xiwen
Quarter choice: Yuan Sijun

Quarter 4

Last 64 draw: (Picks in bold)

Luca Brecel Vs Ian Burns
Andrew Higginson Vs Digvijay Kadian
Zhang Yong Vs Craig Steadman
Jimmy Robertson Vs Scott Donaldson
Anthony Hamilton Vs Rory McLeod
Zhao Xintong Vs Sam Baird
Stuart Carrington Vs Chris Wakelin
Shaun Murphy or Lucky Vatnani Vs Lee Walker

Anthony Hamilton and Rory McLeod is a big match at this stage of the season in terms of tour survival prospects for both players. Hamilton is 66th on the provisional end-of-season list, £8,700 behind current 64th placed Fergal O'Brien, while McLeod is 67th on the EOS list and a further £4,000 behind. While the jump from last 64 money to last 32 money may only be £2,000, the potential to go further could make it a more lucrative week for whoever does come through. Both players are well placed on the one-season list to regain tour cards if they do drop off tour, though with McLeod in the seventh of the eight spots he is in a much more nervy situation than Hamilton, and you wonder if that will start playing a part in his performances towards the season's end. 

Shaun Murphy has dubbed this his 'worst ever season' after further early exits in the last couple of events. His form was nothing to write home about prior to the Welsh Open, where he would lose 4-2 to James Cahill in the last 64 and follow that with a 6-4 loss to Adam Stefanow in the China Open qualifiers. It is difficult to pin point what exactly is going wrong for Murphy at the moment as nothing seems to quite be happening for him. The run to the final in Glasgow could have been a turning point in the campaign, but it probably came at the wrong time just prior to a long Christmas break. Losing to Indian wildcard Lucky Vatnani in his heldover last 128 match in Kochi though would still be a massive surprise and a huge low for Murphy if that happened. Looking at the draw, at his best he would be a major tournament contender and if he can find some form this week it could turn his whole season around. After the season he has endured though, it would be very difficult to tip him for a big run, as the lower ranked players in this section would have to fancy their chances if they come up against him this week. 

Luca Brecel is well overdue a big run in an event. Even at the Shoot-Out he had a big opportunity and looked to be playing well but lost at the last 16 stage once again, continuing his run of not having made the last eight in a ranking event since November 2017. As such he missed out on the World Grand Prix and lost out in the first round of the Welsh Open in a tough tie against eventual quarter-finalist Kurt Maflin. Brecel looked much brighter at the Masters in January and was playing so freely in the Shoot-Out. If he could take that here to India then he would have a massive chance given the draw that is in front of him. At his fluent and high scoring best he should make at least the quarter-finals this week, but given the poor run he has been having whether he has the confidence to get over those hurdles and make the latter stages remains to be seen. 

Zhao Xintong is my fourth and final quarter choice for this week in India. He has had an excellent season so far, baring in mind he dropped off the tour completely less than 12 months ago and had to go to Q School. Zhao made the semi-finals of the China Championship in September and recently made the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open before losing out to the heavy scoring Bingham. Zhao was in excellent scoring form that week, beating Zhou Yuelong with some of the best scoring of the week, as well as defeating Jimmy Robertson as well, all the while making the game look incredibly easy when he was in amongst the reds. He has so much talent and is quite similar in style to someone like Thepchaiya and I really hope that he does not have to wait as long in his career to make the breakthrough that the Thai did at the Shoot-Out at the weekend. He has a tough opening round draw against Sam Baird but if he can get through that one then the biggest threats are the likes of Murphy and Brecel who have not been at their best this season, which is why this tournament - particularly in the bottom half of the draw - provides a massive chance for someone and Zhao is a great candidate to stand up and be counted. 

Best of the rest: Luca Brecel
Quarter choice: Zhao Xintong
Tournament winner selection: David Gilbert

Bizarrely, this event does not count to next week's Players Championship, despite the fact that it obviously would have counted if it was played in it's original slot in the calendar. The likelihood of it making much difference is slim, though if any of Hossein Vafei, Shaun Murphy, Stuart Carrington, Yan Bingtao, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Yuan Sijun, Mark Davis, Tom Ford or Zhao Xintong win the event they can feel hard done by, as they would have made it into the Players at the expense of Stephen Maguire who is not playing in Kochi. 

 The tournament will be streamed in full on the Eurosport Player with play starting on Wednesday with the last 64 and held over last 128 matches, the last 32 will follow on Friday with both the last 16 and quarter-finals taking place on Saturday while the semi-finals and final are on Sunday. 

FANTASY SNOOKER: Points update and Indian Open info

After a busy few weeks on the snooker circuit with the Welsh Open, World Grand Prix and German Masters all taking place in the last four weeks it is time for an update on the standings in the Fantasy League.

The next event up is the Indian Open, with a number of top players not taking part over in Kochi so it is an opportunity to go further outside the box with selections, given that big tournaments like the Players Championship, China Open and the World Championships are all still to come before the fantasy season comes to an end.

Since the last update was published prior to the German Masters, 2017/2018 champion Kellie Barker has been overtaken at the top of the standings, falling back to 2nd place and 82 points now behind the new leader. The big mover is Munraj Pal who has climbed up to 6th place, but most of the chasing pack otherwise remain in similar positions and all still in with a chance of taking the title.

Here is how the standings look in full following the Welsh Open:

Matt Butler 947

Kellie Barker 865

Ryan Duckett 855

Rob Chipp 843

Daz Muckian 830

Munraj Pal 808

Phil Mudd 794

FAM147 781

Stephen McCabe 777

Tungsten Darts 769

LTD Syndicate 766

Anatole Compton 751

Kim Kristensen 750

Andy (APB147) 750

Rob Francis 749

Cluster of Reds 747

The Cue View 742

Daniel Gavin 740

Anthony (antow73) 710

Pete Tscherewik 709

Daniela Reich 708

Shaun Hunt 706

Dani M (esnukero) 701

Alex Abrahams 681

Chris Watts 675

Debbie Dymott 662

Voihelevettisua 658

Phil Robinson 652

Martin Pearlman 647

Steven Bunn 645

Markus 568

Andrew Devonshire 527

Kelvin Platten 517

A gap has certainly started to open up at the top then but that does not mean it cannot all change before the end of the season with plenty of events to go, including the double points Crucible finale.

Deadline for picks for the Indian Open is before the first matches start on Wednesday February 27. Do not get caught out by the time difference with the first set of matches starting at 5.30am UK time on the Wednesday. Also, do not forget that you can only pick any individual player a maximum of three times and any picks that need to be changed will be see the player notified via Twitter.

Following the Indian Open, is the Players Championship next Monday, for the top 16 on the one-year list and with the draw available on the World Snooker website you can already look ahead and start considering picks for that too. All the best of luck to all participants ahead of the upcoming tournaments.

The Shoot-Out: Introducing Watford's Wildcards

While the Snooker Shoot-Out may not be the most popular event on the calendar among fans, it is an event that can offer opportunity.

If you look at past winners like Barry Hawkins, Martin Gould and Michael White and how they have gone on to win ranking events after winning the Shoot-Out or players like Robin Hull and Michael Georgiou have come from lower down the rankings to achieve their biggest payday, then the tournament has a history of producing opportunities.

Two years ago when the tournament widened to 128 and a number of amateur top-ups completed the field, Steven Hallworth made the quarter-finals and lost out to Andy Hicks who would eventually fall at the semi-final stage, despite neither being on tour at the time.

This year, as well as the Q School top-up players there are eight players who have been invited to the tournament as wildcards. Two female players will play in the event for the first time and make their UK TV debuts, while young players from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Belgium have also been invited to compete in Watford.

Each player has a story of success, whatever the stage they are at in their respective careers, so lets meet the eight wildcard contenders for this week:


Liam Davies: The Welsh wildcard for the Shoot-Out is 12-year-old Liam Davies. The youngster is the Welsh under 14 champion, the Welsh under 16 champion, as well as being ranked the welsh under 14 number one and number three in this season's Welsh under 18 rankings. An excellent opportunity Davies to experience a ranking tournament and play on TV for the very first time he will face Ricky Walden on Thursday afternoon in the first match to start. As this is an afternoon match, as well as being broadcast on Eurosport, Terrestrial viewers will be able to see Davies' debut on Quest.

Ben Mertens: Next in the draw is 14-year-old Belgium player Ben Mertens. Amazingly given his age this will be the third time he has appeared in a ranking event this season. He came through amateur qualifying at the Paul Hunter Classic to qualify for the professional stages, before defeating Adam Stefanow 4-1 in the last 128 but ultimately lost out in the last 64 4-0 to Andrew Higginson. Mertens was also invited to play in the German Masters qualifiers, another good experience despite suffering a 5-0 loss to Yuan Sijun. He was a quarter-finalist in the 2018 European under 18 Championship and he is scheduled to face James Wattana in the sixth match on Thursday afternoon.

Liam Graham: Another 14-year-old invitee is Scottish wildcard Liam Graham. This young man is the current Scottish under 16 champion and could well be a future star to fill the shoes worn by past Scottish snooker greats. At the beginning of the month he won the second Scottish under 21 tour event. As well as making his debut in a ranking event with this appearance, he will make his TV debut like Davies on both Eurosport and Quest as his opening round match with Jak Jones is scheduled to be the third match on Friday afternoon.

Stephen Bateman: Also receiving an invite to compete as the wildcard for Ireland is 21-year-old Stephen Bateman. He may not be as young as his Welsh or Scottish counterparts but he certainly has the talent. Bateman is the current Irish under 21 champion and has previously competed at European level also. His ranking event and TV debut comes against English Open runner-up Mark Davis and the schedule has been kind to him too, as he will make his terrestrial TV debut, playing in match number six on Friday afternoon.

Emma Parker: The first of two female wildcards in this year's Snooker Shoot-Out is 19-year-old English player Emma Parker. Not only is Parker the number one in the women's under 21 world rankings but she is also number 10 in the overall women's world rankings. Previous success has seen Parker claim the women's under 21 World and UK Championships back in 2017 as well as winning the under 21 European Masters in 2018. Parker will be making her debut in a men's ranking event and her TV debut as she faces Q-School top-up Laxman Rawat in the third match scheduled on Friday evening.

Brandon Sargeant: The next wildcard to feature is that of Challenge Tour order of merit leader Brandon Sargeant. The Englishman has secured a two-year tour card for next season, despite one event on the Challenge Tour still remaining. Sargeant has led the Challenge Tour order of merit right from the off last summer when he won the very first event by defeating Mitchell Mann in the final. He followed that with successive semi-finals in events three and four, before making another final in event five. Two further semi-finals in events seven and nine, with a quarter-final appearance in event eight have done more than enough to secure his card and he will get a taste of tour action by playing here and making his TV debut. Sargeant will be one of the last matches to play in round one, as he faces John Astley in the tenth match scheduled for Friday evening.

Reanne Evans: The second of the two women's wildcards is reserved for someone who is quite simply a legend of the game and someone who has done so much for women's snooker. Reanne Evans is an 11-time women's World Champion, an 8-time women's UK Champion, a long standing number one in the rankings and current women's world number two. This is far from Evans' first appearance in a men's event, having previously played on the main tour for one season, as well as receiving various invites to play. As well as making the final stages of the Wuxi Classic previously by beating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Evans also made the second qualifying round of the World Championships in 2017 after beating Finland's Robin Hull in an outstanding victory. Her reward is to play another legend of the game in the final match to play on Thursday evening in front of what will surely be a boisterous crowd as Evans faces the Whirlwind Jimmy White.

Ryan Davies: Last but by no means least is 16-year-old English wildcard Ryan Davies. Much like Bertens, this will not be his first appearance in the final stages of a ranking event though as he came through the amateur qualifying to make the professional stages of the Paul Hunter Classic earlier this season. Davies then went on to whitewash fellow amateur Kilian Baur-Pantoulier in the last 128 before falling in the last 64 4-1 against Liam Highfield. Davies is currently cleaning up the titles in the English junior game. He is currently the English under 16 and under 18 snooker champion as well as holding the English under 16 and under 21 Billiards Championship titles. His TV debut like the young Scottish, Irish and Welsh wildcards will also be on terrestrial TV as well, as he takes on Robbie Williams in the seventh match on Friday afternoon.


A further 15 amateur players will be competing in the Shoot-Out having been drafted in from the Q-School top-up list. Some of these are ex-tour professionals like James Cahill, Andy Hicks, Barry Pinches and Micthell Mann while others like Laxman Rawat and Peter Devlin have got a fantastic opportunity to appear in a ranking event and on TV in the UK and across Europe.

In a tournament that is such a lottery,maybe one of these wildcards or indeed a non-tour player could be right there in the very final stages on Sunday evening, which would be an amazing story for the sport.

Shoot Out Trends - Find me a winner

The Shoot-Out is the biggest lottery in snooker. 1 frame matches over 10 minutes with a shot clock, ball in hand for any fouls and 128 contenders most of which will fancy their chances of victory. After all, any of the players on the tour can win a frame against any of the other players.

Last year, Michael Georgiou won the title to claim his first ranking event win despite being outside of the top 64 when he stormed to glory in dramatic fashion in the final over Graeme Dott.

Past winners include Nigel Bond, Barry Hawkins, Martin Gould, Dominic Dale, Michael White, Robin Hull and Anthony McGill as well as defending champion Georgiou. Incidentally, Hull has withdrawn from the competition this year.

The other aspect that makes this tournament such a lottery is the lack of high ranked players that enter. Only 6 of the provisional top 17 in the world rankings have entered this year's competition, so many of the 'usual suspects' will not be in attendance this weekend in Watford.

So with winners so tough to pick, in the last two years I have attempted to pick out some trends of past winners and see which players in this year's competition fit the bill based on those trends:


1. No-one has ever won the Shoot-Out whilst being ranked inside the top 16

Anthony McGill was just outside of the top 16 when he won two years ago, while last year's winner Michael Georgiou was well outside of that mark when he won so this trend is still standing. Inside the top 16 in the up to date world rankings and entered for this tournament are: Kyren Wilson, Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy, Stuart Bingham, Luca Brecel and David Gilbert - ruling them out based on this trend. 

2. No Shoot Out winner has ever won it before. 

This additionally takes out the likes of Nigel Bond, Martin Gould, Dominic Dale, Michael White, Anthony McGill and Michael Georgiou. 

3. The furthest a Shoot Out winner has ever gone in the competition prior to the year they won is the Quarter-Finals.

Both 2014 winner Dominic Dale and 2013 winner Martin Gould made the quarter-finals in 2012 but no Shoot Out winner has ever been further than that point in any year prior to victory. 

So, I have removed from the list all former runners-up and anyone that's ever been in a Shoot-Out semi-final. The players that has taken out are: Graeme Dott, Martin O'Donnell, Mark Davis, Xiao Guodong, Andy Hicks, Joe Swail, Michael Holt, Tom Ford and Robert Milkins. 

4. Since the inaugural event in 2011, only Robin Hull though in 2016 won the tournament on his debut.

So while too much prior success in the event does not bode well, neither does being a Shoot-Out novice. Previous experience to the difference in format and of course the shot clock is desireable. So the debutants for this season that are taken out of the equation are: Liam James Davies, Chen Feilong, Michael Judge, Joe O'Connor, Lu Ning, Harvey Chandler, Jamie Clarke, Jordan Brown, Luke Simmonds, Zhang Jiankang, Jamie O'Neill, Ben Mertens, Andy Lee, Fan Zhengyi, Simon Lichtenberg, Luo Honghao and various other amateur invites. 

5. Prior to Georgiou winning last year, each previous Shoot Out winner had made 100 career centuries (According to CueTracker) 

Shoot Out winners then generally appear to be people either to have the experience of playing long enough to make 100 centuries, or that they are heavy scorers. On this occasion we lose the likes of: Mark Joyce, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Paul Davison, Rory McLeod, Sam Baird, Li Hang, Daniel Wells, Zhang Anda, Liam Highfield, Stuart Carrington, Mike Dunn, Zhou Yuelong,  Noppon Saengkham, Peter Lines, Zhao Xintong, Sam Craigie, Yan Bingtao and many more


6. While only Nigel Bond, Dominic Dale and Anthony McGill out of the six previous Shoot-Out winners had won a ranking event, each of the last five winners prior to Georgiou in 2018, had made at least the quarter-finals of a full ranking event within the two years prior to victory. 2012 winner Hawkins had made semi-finals in PTC events. 


This is an interesting one, and may surprise a few with some of the previous winners there have been in the Shoot Out. However, they all certainly know how to get towards the latter stages of events. This actually eliminates James Wattana, Gerard Greene, Matthew Selt, Jimmy White, Rod Lawler
and Alan McManus. 17 players are left on the list. 

7. Despite no player ever being in the top 16 at the precise time of their win, only Robin Hull and Michael Georgiou were lower than 39 in the world rankings at the start of the season in which they won the Shoot Out, and lower than 40 at the end of that season. 

Based on this trend, I have removed all players that started the 2017/2018 ranked lower than 40. This takes out Mark Davis, Kurt Maflin, Matthew Stevens, Fergal O'Brien, Andrew Higginson, Peter Ebdon, Ken Doherty, Tian Pengfei and Alfie Burden. 

*Mark Davis is currently 35th in the rankings, while Matthew Stevens is 41st in the current rankings after performances this season so would both be on course to finish inside the top 40 at the end of the season.  


That leaves the following players on the list of potential winners based on the above trends: 

- Ricky Walden
- Gary Wilson
- Jimmy Robertson
- Joe Perry 
- Mark King
- Ali Carter
- Ben Woollaston
- Anthony Hamilton 

LIVE BLOG: Zhao Xintong Vs Alexander Ursenbacher

Zhao Xintong 4-2 Alexander Ursenbacher - That was another very special break from Zhao Xintong. He just pots them from everywhere when he's on it. A fine cut on the penultimate red is followed by a cannon on the last red from the black but it leaves him in no man's land. Nevertheless he takes it on into the green pocket, another absolutely stunning shot and from there the rest was like shelling peas. A clearance of 86 to book a quarter-final with Stuart Bingham tomorrow. He was by far the better player on the night and while he is still a little rough around the edges, he did not miss the balls by the volume Ursenbacher did and is simply a joy to watch. A deserving 4-2 win for Zhao.

Frame 6 - Ursenbacher gets in first again in the sixth as he hopes to force a decider and it's going well so far. It has not been plain sailing for him again but nonetheless he is building a good lead together until missing on 34, 40 ahead but with plenty left for Zhao who is in now.

Frame Ursenbacher - Ursenbacher gets his chance on the final three reds potting two and playing safe on the last, leading by 35. Zhao gets a snooker and then wins the battle on the final red, and looks to be clearing up until he misses the blue into the corner. Ursenbacher pots it and could make Zhao regret that mistake. He still trails though 2-3.

Ursenbacher does not tighten his game up and cannot keep good control of the cue ball, eventually losing position with five reds left. A good long pot now for Zhao has given him a counter chance but this time he fails to make the most of it. Ursenbacher 24 ahead then with three reds left now. A nice lead with the baulk colours in awkward spots.

Frame 5 - It's been a rare slow start to a frame with both players missing early half chances but not doing much damage. Zhao misses an overly ambitious blue though to leave Ursenbacher in with a nice opportunity but he needs to tighten up and stop missing simple shots.

Frame Zhao - On 56 and just as he only needed a red and colour for the frame Zhao runs out of position slightly and misses a red into the yellow pocket. Another miss from ranges gives Ursenbacher a chance but he misses the black and leaves the final red for Zhao who comes back to finish the frame off on this occasion and he's now one away from victory at 3-1.

Frame 4 - Another missed long red leaves Ursenbacher in but this time the Swiss player is looking like taking advantage when he opens the reds up confidently and gets an excellent split. The next red though leaves a tough black which he misses and now Zhao is left in with a decent chance to pick up the pieces once again.

Frame Zhao - Well that was quick once again. Once he was passed the first two or three shots in the break Zhao was comfortable and never looked like missing while the frame was live. He does miss a red down the cushion with the rest to deny him a chance for his second century of the match but a 73 break is more than enough for a 2-1 lead.

Frame 3 - With reds spread all over, Zhao misses a long red to leave Ursenbacher seemingly perfect in amongst them, but he fails on the opening red to middle and now you would fancy Zhao to deliver some heavy punishment.

Frame Ursenbacher - Zhao misses a rare black in the twenties allowing Ursenbacher off the hook. The Swiss potter clears the remaining four reds and that is more than enough to secure this second frame and level the natch up at 1-1

Ursenbacher misses on 33 trying to power a red in along the bottom cushion. Another poor shot soon after leaves Zhao in and after a stunning blue when most players would play safe he's flying again now.

Frame 2 - Time to see what Ursenbacher can respond with. He's in first this time with reds again in nice positions for a sizeable contribution. Very early stages here but if they play like this all evening it will be a very entertaining game.

Frame Zhao - Well that's a sensational start for Zhao. Some great recovery pots in there and a break that contained 13 reds and blacks before he just ran out of position on the final two reds, which were on cushions safe. Nonetheless it's a sixth century of the week as he goes 1-0 up with a run of 104.

Frame 1 - Zhao is in first here after Ursenbacher leaves him in from close range and this is an excellent chance with reds nicely placed to make another big break, as he has been all week. He loses the cue ball in the thirties a little but pots an excellent recovery black to keep the break going.

My live blog from the last 16 and my final live blog before heading home tomorrow will be Zhao Xintong Vs Alexander Ursenbacher.

Zhao is in fine form having beaten Jackson Page, Zhou Yuelong and Jimmy Robertson this week so far, making five centuries in the process. Victory here will see him reach his second quarter-final of the season, having made the semi-final of the China Championship back in September.

Alexander Ursenbacher this week meanwhile has overcome Yan Bingtao, Zhang Jiankang and produced a stunning victory this afternoon on the TV table against Ronnie O'Sullivan. That was a big win as he is also battling for his tour place, and is now up into the top 8 on the one-season money list that are not already qualified for next season.

This should be an exciting contest between two young and aggressive players and hopefully Ursenbacher does not suffer a hangover from his performance over O'Sullivan earlier as this could go all the way.

LIVE BLOG: Neil Robertson Vs Paul Davison, Stuart Bingham Vs Martin O'Donnell and Barry Hawkins Vs Michael Georgiou

Robertson wins 4-3 - Davison had the first chance of the frame but missed on just 13 to leave Robertson in. Robertson unexpectedly missed the pink on 36 only for Davison to take on a tricky red and allow the Australian straight back to the table. From there Robertson was able to do enough to leave Davison needing snookers. He was not at his best but that was a very good fightback from Robertson and the main thing is that he is still in there. After the shocks of today every player left in the draw will fancy their chances and Robertson certainly should.

Robertson forces the decider - Davison cannot complain about chances but Robertson in the end was the stronger player in the safety battle on the final two reds and then again in the battle on the yellow. An excellent screw shot on the yellow to get on the green the highlight of what was a 67 minute long frame as Robertson makes it 3-3.

Georgiou beats Hawkins - After initially missing a simple red to the middle though on the stretch and then another red with the rest, Georgiou is over the line after potting a good long red before fluking the green after missing that at pace before landing perfect on frame ball red. Hawkins needs 1 snooker now. Davison meanwhile has now missed a couple of chances in frame six and Robertson is back at the table, though with reds on cushions this won't be an easy frame for Robertson to win and he plays safe after failing to land nicely on the black. Georgiou now pots the final red and is over the line. Decent stuff from Georgiou while Hawkins just was not as good as last night.

Georgiou in to win - Georgiou has a massive chance now with reds everywhere after a miss from Hawkins leaves him in. You have to think he should be clinching the match at this visit. Davison meanwhile is in first again in the sixth after Robertson misses a thin red with the rest.

Robertson still in it, while Bingham looks to close - From Davison's miss Robertson makes a very easy looking 81 to stay in that match at 2-3 adrift. Bingham meanwhile is about to close out his win. He's really woken up after O'Donnell stole the second frame and the left-hander has barely had a chance after that. Bingham a certain contender this week and a break of 112 sees him finish off that 4-1 win in style.

Davison in to win - Davison is in first yet again in frame five against Robertson after a thumping long red. He goes into the bunch from the blue taking him to 39 but lands on nothing easy, misses and leaves everything on now for Robertson. Georgiou meanwhile has the first chance on table 5 in frame 6 but there's still plenty of work to do over there.

Davison moves 3-1 up - Davison may be slow but there's nothing wrong with what he is producing. He's backed up the break of 61 in the last by making 68 from his excellent chance in this frame which proves enough to lead 3-1. A break of 60 for Bingham has him nearing a 3-1 cushion too against O'Donnell while Hawkins has a good lead in frame five with Georgiou after an early 59 break but he too will need a second chance. Both players now have their second chances though and those two frames are in the books.

Georgiou moves one away - Michael Georgiou is looking to cause an upset on table 5. When his second chance comes in the fourth frame with Hawkins after an earlier let off he makes a break of 64 to clinch the frame and go 3-1 up. Meanwhile, Robertson is equally as in trouble with Davison getting in first on table 3 with the balls well placed for a sizeable contribution.

Davison and Bingham lead 2-1 - A break of 61 is enough for Davison to move 2-1 in front of Robertson after the Australian fails in his short attempts for a snooker, Bingham meanwhile is taking frame three against O'Donnell in one visit, with a run of 73 doing enough in that frame.

Davison and Georgiou looking to upset the odds - Davison is looking good on table three. After falling just short in the opener he now has a golden opportunity to win the third and lead 2-1. Georgiou meanwhile was in first in the fourth against Hawkins but has missed on 25 and left Hawkins right in as he looks to draw level at 2-2. Bingham is also in amongst them on table four with a decent opening there as he looks to go back in front.

O'Donnell clears to level - Martin O'Donnell took his counter chance to level the match 1-1 with Bingham. All the balls were there but it was still excellent work with a clearance of 77 on table four. Hawkins meanwhile is looking like drawing a frame back, having built an early 50 point lead and getting back in again now.

Bingham surges, while Robertson is pegged back - After winning that long opener, Stuart Bingham is flying now after getting in with a great long red at the start of the second and is now closing in on a two frame lead with the reds open. Davison meanwhile won the safety battle on the final two reds against Robertson potting a great final red in the middle and leaving Robertson needing a snooker on the colours. Georgiou meanwhile leads 2-0 after Hawkins missed the brown to clear. Bingham though has just missed and O'Donnell has a counter chance here and it's a good one with nothing safe.

Robertson and Hawkins looking to counter - Davison made a decent 44 before playing safe in his second frame with Robertson who played safe on 8 in his first counter chance but he has another opportunity now. Hawkins meanwhile is also countering against Georgiou and has played good shots to bring the final red and the yellow into play but still has work to do on the brown. Bingham meanwhile has just potted green, brown and blue to take a 45 minute opener against O'Donnell.

Robertson clinches frame one, Georgiou leads in his second - Eventually Robertson was the one to pot the yellow despite conceding a series of foul points. He cleared down to the black but didn't land on it, but was left an easy shot to the middle after Davison missed it from range. Georgiou was in first in his second frame before missing a thin black on 40. Hawkins has since had a half chance but made little progress.

Georgiou wins the opener - He needed a second chance after missing the earlier red to middle but Georgiou quickly wraps up the first frame, not letting Hawkins have much of a chance. The other two matches are on yellow ball battles in frame one. Davison made a break of 57 before missing the final red, and though Robertson potted it he missed the yellow and left it safe. Bingham meanwhile made 50 before failing to get on the safe yellow and playing safe.

Robertson and O'Donnell build early leads - Robertson and O'Donnell have built early leads in their respective openers. Robertson built a lead of 45 before laying a snooker though Davison is in now with a good chance to erode that advantage. O'Donnell meanwhile made a break of 52 before playing safe, and Georgiou is in early on against Hawkins but has just missed a red to the middle.

Looking forward to this afternoon with some top players playing on tables 3, 4 and 5.

Table 3 has a former champion and this week's maximum man Neil Robertson against Paul Davison. Davison this week has had wins over Lu Haotian and Thor Chuan Leong.

Then on table 4 is another former winner Stuart Bingham taking on three time quarter-finalist this season Martin O'Donnell in what looks the closest of these three contests. O'Donnell has beaten Hamza Akbar and Ricky Walden this week while Bingham has seen off Ali Carter and Matthew Selt.

Finally on table 5 last year's runner-up Barry Hawkins faces Shoot-Out winner Michael Georgiou. Hawkins won well last night against Ben Woollaston, after a first round win over Akani. Georgiou meanwhile has lost just one frame in his victories so far over David Lilley and Jimmy White, but this is a much tougher test.

I'll be providing updates throughout the three matches as they unfold.

LIVE BLOG: Hossein Vafei Vs Lukas Kleckers

Hossein Vafei 4-2 Lukas Kleckers - Once that chance came for Hossein he swiftly seized it and put this match to bed. He never looked like giving Kleckers another chance and would finish in style with a fine break of 106 to clinch victory. From 2-2 he really took control of the match tactically and did not look like letting Kleckers back in. Positive signs this week for the German though with the two victories and he started the match really well with a cracking 131 so has no reason to feel too down. Hossein though is the worthy winner.

After a long period of safety Hossein gets back in with a good long pot and now has the chance to kill this match off. He's very well in control of this match whether he wins at this visit or not.

Frame 6 - You sense now that Hossein as the higher ranked player was starting to control this match after winning the last and then keeping his safety tight and getting the first chance in frame six here. He misses a red unexpectedly though but again leaves nothing for his opponent.

Frame Hossein - Kleckers then has a half chance but is unable to bring out the two safe reds from the side cushion and has to play safe still trailing by 32 with three reds left. Hossein pots a good red from distance soon after, potting the pink and the penultimate red to leave Kleckers needing two snookers. Kleckers is forced to pot the red soon after and opts to play for snookers on the yellow. The German ends up getting one on the brown before playing for one snooker on the pink to tie, but the position of the black made it unlikely. 3-2 now to Hossein.

This frame has gone quite scrappy now with reds lining up on the right side cushion. Hossein leads by 32 with the seven reds near the side cushion remaining. He's able to pot one though and release some more and is now in real control of the frame.

Frame 5 - It has been quite a tactical start to the frame but with Hossein having the upper hand on the safety and it has now earned him the first real chance of the frame. That is until he misses a red on the bottom cushion but again he leaves nothing and Kleckers has to play safe.

Frame Hossein - That missed blue does indeed end up costing Kleckers this frame and he'll be really disappointed with that. Hossein clears to the final two reds to leave Kleckers needing a snooker, but Hossein was in control of the tactical play thereafter and soon clinched the frame. We are all square again here at 2-2.

Kleckers is now in for his first chance of the frame, but he misses an easy blue on just five and hangs his head in disappointment. Hossein is in now and with the frame slightly more open now he has a good chance to level the match at this visit.

Frame 4 - A slow start to frame four so far. Hossein has potted a couple of good reds but been unable to get on colours from them. With blue, pink and black not on their spots and a few reds on cushions this could be quite a scrappy frame.

Frame Kleckers - Kleckers won the safety battle on the last two reds but could only pot one and lay a snooker on the last red. The snooker yielded 16 points though and after a long battle he then fluked the last red. Attempting to roll it in from distance he missed but double kissed the red which sent it in. With the black over the corner he was always going to be on a colour and he has cleared the remaining colours to take full advantage of his fortune and regain the lead at 2-1.

Hossein initially broke down after missing the awkward pink to the middle, but Kleckers missed his half chance and allowed Hossein back. It looked a straight forward run to the line but he snookered himself on the penultimate red behind the black on the bottom cushion, when he could have played anywhere on the right side of the table between the black and blue to have a shot on what was frame ball. Important safety battle now for the players.

Kleckers plays safe on just 9 after losing red ball position. Soon after he leaves a long red near the corner for Hossein who is in now with reds spread all over but pink and black are both awkward. Playing for the blue should not be an issue with the spread of the reds though, so this is certainly a good opportunity

For every piece of bad luck some good will follow and Kleckers has certainly made that true here. His safety plants a red into the left corner and his instant apology shows it was not intentional though he does land on the yellow and is now in with a very nice opportunity.

Frame 3 - Really unfortunate at the start of frame three for Kleckers as he gets the first chance and aggressively goes into the pack from the blue after the opening red, splitting reds far and wide but he did not have a path to pot anything so had to play safe. A better rub here or there could have left him with a great opening.

Frame Hossein - Not an especially clear cut frame as he had to rely on mistakes from his opponent, but Hossein adds another 26 to his earlier contributions and it proves more than enough to take this second frame and level up this match at 1-1. No reason for Kleckers to be disheartened though.

Hossein initially broke down on 28 after losing position. Kleckers then potted a red and was able to put Hossein in enough trouble that he has now earned a full scoring opportunity. He misses a very thin black on 9 though and Hossein should be able to finish off this frame now.

Frame 2 - A poor safety for Kleckers at the start of frame two leaves Hossein in at the business end of the table. There are a few reds open but they will need developing as the Iranian hopes to respond in kind to Kleckers opening frame century.

Frame Kleckers - The perfect start for Kleckers and this break is much better than anything he managed yesterday against Thepchaiya. He had the cue ball under much better control and made the whole break look easy with no trouble at any stage. That should give him a huge confidence boost with a wonderful 131 total clearance to start this match off and lead 1-0.

The break is now up to 40 and Kleckers has played an excellent shot to open up the pack of remaining reds. If he can keep the cue ball under control there's no reason why he should not win the frame at this visit now.

Frame 1 - First chance to Kleckers in the opening frame here as Hossein leaves him a red to the middle. It's a decent early chance and will be an indicator of his scoring early on, as it was probably the weakest part of his game yesterday.

More for the German fans this morning as Lukas Kleckers is in last 32 action against Hossein Vafei.

Both players were 4-3 winners yesterday with Hossein defeating Ross Muir while Kleckers overcame Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in a match I brought to you yesterday. Hossein also had a lucky escape winning 4-3 against Ashley Hugill and he is usually a dangerous player so Kleckers could have his work cut out for him here as he looks to achieve his best ranking run.

LIVE BLOG: Barry Hawkins Vs Ben Woollaston

Barry Hawkins 4-2 Ben Woollaston - Hawkins goes on to pot two further reds with no colours, but laying a snooker from the second of them. Woollaston hits the black with his escape which left him needing a snooker but he left a red too and would not return to the table. A very good night's work from Hawkins, while Woollaston put up a good fight but just could not match the quality of Hawkins in all departments.

Hawkins makes a very healthy contribution of 41, taking his lead to 53 with six reds left, but the break ends after he fails to bring out the four reds on the bottom cushion and is forced to play safe.

Frame 6 - After a very tactical start to this frame Woollaston had a half chance after fluking a red but his miss on the green leaves Hawkins in now with a great opportunity to build a sizeable lead as he looks to finish this match off.

Frame Woollaston - Hawkins has a chance to clear and win potting the final two reds, but coming unstuck on the safe green on the side cushion. He opts to play for a double but jaws it and leaves it on for Woollaston who does enough to stay in the match. Now only 3-2 behind.

Woollaston was going nicely until coming to the final three reds. Two were on the side cushion and the other directly behind the pink and he fails to cannon the one behind the pink and land on it so has to play safe, leading though by 22.

Hawkins unexpectedly missed the black on 28 in his early effort but left nothing on. Good safety from Woollaston sees him earn the next chance with plenty of open reds as he looks to keep fighting in this match, but the break ends before he can take the lead in the frame. He does put in a good safety though and it allows him back to the table immediately.

Frame 5 - Hawkins is in first this time and he's just pulled out an exceptional recovery red to the yellow pocket and with a few reds open this is a good looking chance as he looks to edge towards the last 32 here.

Frame Hawkins - It always looked a fantastic chance and Hawkins quickly took full advantage. He made it look easy from start to finish and as Woollaston looked like he could get close to him in this match he stretches away again like top players often do. A break of 77 in the end is more than enough to give him a 3-1 lead.

Hawkins wins the safety battle after potting a red to middle. The table is still very open with all the reds in play as well as the pink and black so this is a golden chance now for him to regain his two frame advantage.

Frame 4 - Woollaston gets in first once again in the fourth but his positional play lets him down again this time. He leaves himself a thin black, potting it but failing to get on the next red and playing safe on 22. All the reds are open now so whoever gets in next will fancy winning the frame.

Frame Woollaston - That was much more like it from Woollaston. Albeit the reds were open but he visibly seemed to relax once the frame was over and started potting them from everywhere in nonchalant fashion. A great clearance of 77 on the eye and he keeps himself in the match only trailing 2-1 now.

Woollaston breaks down on 36 initially after playing a third cannon to the reds and landing on nothing. After a small safety battle, Hawkins misses a red to the middle and Woollaston is now back in to build on his earlier lead and potentially take this frame.

Frame 3 - Woollaston gets the first good scoring chsnce in the third as he looks to stay in this contest. He gets into the reds twice very early in the break and has now developed this nicely into a frame winning opening.

Frame Hawkins - When Woollaston finally leaves the green on from distance for Hawkins, he seizes the chance with a thundering pot, landing perfectly on the brown on the baulk cushion and clearing the colours to double his lead. 2-0 now to the Hawk.

Hawkins adds 11 before breaking down with two reds left. Woollaston later gets in and pots the final two reds and the pair are now battling on the green, with Hawkins leading by eight.

Hawkins breaks down initially after failing to break into the three reds bunched in the middle of the table but he's back in now after a cracking long pot to try and put this frame to bed.

Woollaston takes on quite a low percentage shot into the middle overall and in the process leaves the same red into the opposite middle to give Hawkins the next scoring opportunity. He's worked into the bunch nicely and looks to be cueing really nicely so this is a great chance to double his lead.

Frame 2 - Woollaston gets his first scoring chance of the match after Hawkins makes a poor effort at a mid range red. Woollaston only makes 18 though before losing position.

Frame Hawkins - Hawkins is really starting to come into form. After all this always seems to be that two or three month period in the season where he produces his best. A very well crafted break of 69 gets him up and running here and is enough to leave Woollaston needing snookers. 1-0 Hawkins.

Frame 1 - Woollaston attempts a thin safety but misses the reds altogether and the cue ball comes down the table just far enough to leave a red in the middle for Hawkins. A good first chance this for Hawkins to set his stall out fir the contest.

Barry Hawkins and Ben Woollaston it is for my final match of the day over on table four.

Hawkins was a finalist here last year losing out to John Higgins and narrowly missed out on making last week's World Grand Prix final losing to Judd Trump 6-5 in the semi-final.

Woollaston though is also a former Welsh Open finalist back in 2015 when he too lost to John Higgins. Plenty in common then between these two players but only one can come out on top tonight.

LIVE BLOG: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Vs Lukas Kleckers

Lukas Kleckers 4-3 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh - Kleckers clears down to the final four reds which is enough to leave Thepchaiya needing a snooker. After some safety play, Thepchaiya gets his chance to clear the reds choosing to pot them all but missing the final black meaning he needed three snookers on the yellow instead of one. Kleckers then eventually pots the green and later the brown after Un-Nooh continued for several snookers and that completes a good win. The German may not have scored heavily or taken his chances to finish the match sooner, but Thepchaiya was simply not at the races today and not his usual heavy scoring self, missing plenty of shots you would expect him to get. A much needed win for Kleckers in the end.

Kleckers lead rises to 43 but having given himself the chance to win he will be livid to miss the red he did in the middle needing just two or three more reds for victory. Thepchaiya plays safe though and Kleckers has just gotten back in and could now finally be about to cross the winning line.

Both players have now had further opportunities but Kleckers is back at the table again after making an excellent plant into the middle. Now he'll at least be looking to build a lead and some pressure on the shoulders of Thepchaiya again.

Frame 7 - The first chance of this decider has come to Kleckers and now would be a perfect tine to find his scoring boots. He cannot though as his positional play costs him again, covering the black on 14 and playing safe.

Frame Thepchaiya - Rather than play on the last red down the cushion, Kleckers tried to bring it off the cushion, did so but snookered himself. The escape left a pot for Thepchaiya who then completes a simple colour clearance to take us all the way now at 3-3.

How Thepchaiya has not won this frame in one visit there is beyond me. He misses the black though and leaves the whole table on for Kleckers. The question now is whether he can hold himself together. One of the remaining reds may be tricky but everything else just comes down to holding his nerve.

Frame 6 - First real good chance of this frame has come to Thepchaiya after a decent long pot and with the reds lining up like cherries ready for picking there is no reason why this match won't now go to a decider.

Frame Thepchaiya - Thepchaiya wins the battle on the green after Kleckers misses a thin cut on it from range and with the remaining colours nicely in the open, the Thai somehow manages to stay in the match. Kleckers will be kicking himself not to have finished this match off yet but he still can. 3-2 he leads now.

An in-off for Kleckers nearly cost him the frame. Thepchaiya pots a good red from distance but eventually lands too straight on the yellow on the baulk cushion, failing to get on the green. Kleckers is snookered though and there's very little between the scores now as the German falls to escape with his first two attempts.

Kleckers pots the next red and colour but fails to land on either of the two remaining reds on the bottom cushion but does get a snooker, earning a further seven points to advance his lead to 26 with just 43 remaining.

This time Kleckers misses with three reds left as he just could not gain ideal position. They're battling now on the final three reds with Kleckers ahead by 14.

Kleckers narrowly misses a black in the middle to end his first chance but he's now back in yet again after Thepchaiya misses another fairly straightforward red. The balls are all there for Kleckers but he too is struggling with his positional play. A good recovery on the green keeps him going and this is now a golden chance to win.

Frame 5 - Interesting start to the fifth frame. Thepchaiya goes in-off on a pack split from the blue but Kleckers then misses from the ball in hand at distance. That allows the Thai back in but his cue ball control has deserted him and he has just missed a tricky green, allowing Kleckers a chance to score.

Frame Kleckers - Thepchaiya is all over the place at the moment. Kleckers pots a good red and snookers Thepchaiya behind the black. His first attempt sees him come round and hit the black, Kleckers makes him play from where it finished and Un-Nooh misses his attempt to play a thin safety and Kleckers comfortably polishes off the frame. He's not doing anything fancy here but nor does he need to at the moment. 3-1 to Kleckers now.

Thepchaiya misses the black early and Kleckers gets his lead back to 42 but is still unable to clinch the frame. Eventually he has to be more clinical but for now he's getting away with it. Four reds left and Kleckers in control for now.

Kleckers misses his second chance on 28, 48 clear but with plenty left as he leaves Thepchaiya in. Now can the Thai knuckle down and finally punish his opponent?

Frame 4 - An in off from Un-Nooh leaves Kleckers a long red from the ball in hand. He gets it and now has the first scoring opportunity in the fourth frame. He misses the brown on 16 trying to split the pack open but only leaves a tough red to middle for Thepchaiya who misses again to allow Kleckers immediately back to the table.

Frame Kleckers - After missing a difficult red into the middle, Thepchaiya can only sit and watch as Kleckers clears the final three reds and by the time he fails to pot the blue the frame is well and truly over. Looks like he's the one in most control with Thepchaiya making quite a few errors. 2-1 now to Kleckers.

Kleckers breaks down with three reds remaining and after giving away some foul points he currently leads by 13 so there's not much in this frame at all, making this an important safety battle.

Kleckers runs out of position on 14 and misses a tough black to the middle. Thepchaiya pots a red from that leave but misses the black also trying to delicately roll it into the same pocket as Kleckers. That allowed the German back but he now misses a red to that same middle, only for Thepchaiya to do the same and Kleckers is back in once more.

Frame 3 - Thepchaiya has the first chance in frame three after a very average escape from Kleckers left an easy red for the Thai. He's struggling here though and misses another pink on 21. Another good opportunity now for Kleckers to punish him.

Frame Kleckers - Thepchaiya gains the next opportunity after a good cut red, but from the penultimate red he misses a tricky pink into the yellow pocket, leaving the final red easily on for Kleckers who goes on to clinch the frame. 1-1

Kleckers pots a good red from distance to get the next opportunity and pots a further three reds before needing to break into the final three reds on the bottom cushion. He cannot get another power into the split though and has to play safe leading by 42.

Kleckers makes 35 before missing the blue but apologises after his cannon to the reds leaves nothing on for Thepchaiya. Some much needed good fortune for Kleckers and the pair are now locked in an important safety battle.

Frame 2 - Thepchaiya is in first once again in frame two with reds widely spread but misses a pretty simple red on 14. That leaves Kleckers a half chance and he takes the opening red well, but finishes the wrong side of the blue, so plays a very solid brown to gain position on the next red. Plenty of work to do but this is a decent opportunity.

Frame Thepchaiya - The Thai pots a good red from distance and follows with the blue, edging him 35 ahead with 35 left before playing an excellent safety which snookers Kleckers. He escapes but leaves the red which is more than enough for Thepchaiya to leave the German youngster needing snookers, which he is unable to obtain. 1-0 Un-Nooh.

Thepchaiya fails to claim the frame after missing a red with the rest and a good red from Kleckers has now given him another chance to steal the frame. He misses the pink though and leaves the penultimate red for the Thai but he misses again and leaves it safe. 29 the lead for Thepchaiya with two reds left.

Thepchaiya gets to 56 but has to play safe after losing position. He does so in sloppy fashion allowing Kleckers straight in to try and eat at the deficit. The last few reds are bunched and need a bit of work and he misses a tester to the corner. Thepchaiya back in now and should close the frame out.

Frame 1 - Thepchaiya pots a great opening red in this frame and is straight in and scoring. He's taken all blacks with the reds so far and pots a great sixth red with the rest after landing slightly awkward. Great opportunity now.

One for the German fans this afternoon as Lukas Kleckers takes on Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.

Kleckers whitewashed Peter Ebdon in round one while Thepchaiya came through a decider against Ryan Day on the TV table.

Thepchaiya has already been to a Home Nations quarter-final in Belfast this season, while Kleckers needs wins to secure his tour place. He may be a way from doing that at the moment but as Duane Jones showed in Berlin one good week can change all that.

A clash of styles here so will be interesting to see how it goes.

LIVE BLOG: Tom Ford Vs Ashley Carty

Tom Ford 4-2 Ashley Carty - Ford did not kill the frame in one visit but it was not long after that before he left Carty needing snookers. Carty had his chances tonight for sure and Ford was not at his best, to the point that I feared for him early on tonight. It's a mark of his quality and experience that he still came through that one but he will definitely need to improve going forward in this event. Not the most memorable match but nevertheless it is a deserving victory in the end for Tom Ford.

Frame 6 - Carty misses a half chance at a plant early in the sixth and as a result he has left a golden first chance to Ford who must fancy his chances of clinching frame and match at this visit. He's certainly speeding around the table too sensing the final blow.

Frame Carty - Carty survives a small scare there by potting one of the two remaining reds which is enough to leave Ford needing snookers and after putting him in one, Ford misses and concedes the frame. Carty still hanging in there but Ford is still one away from the win at 3-2.

Carty finishes up with a lead of 44 but with still three reds left as he loses position and has to play safe. Plenty left as Ford now gets a chance to counter, but he fails to get on either of the last two reds.

Frame 5 - Another extremely scrappy start to a frame here. Both players have had half chances and the balls are all over the place here. Carty has the latest opportunity and it is not a bad one with the black open and a few open reds in that half of the table. Obviously a must win frame so has to seize upon openings like this.

Frame Ford - Without wanting to make an awful pun, that was speedy stuff from Ford. As soon as he got in you felt he had to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him and this time he did with a break of 82. Whether it has given him a bit more confidence remains to be seen as he still does not seem too happy, but he is one away from the winning line at 3-1.

Frame 4 - The chance Ford has here at the start of the fourth is one he would eat up for breakfast at his best. He has not quite been at that level tonight so far but this is an opportunity to make a really good break, win a frame in one visit and boost his confidence.

Frame Ford - Again there was very little to write home about in that frame. Ford still does not look comfortable out there and he needed three or four chances in the end but if Carty keeps providing them then it will not matter. Ford may be stuttering but he's still 2-1 in front.

At best this frame has gone quite scrappy. Ford is at the table but with the remaining reds on or near the bottom cushion there's work to do if he wins the frame here at this visit. As it is he's run out of position with three reds left but with a healthy 29 point cushion.

Frame 3 - Ford really is struggling badly now. He's missed another pretty simple red and gestures as if to say he's just not cueing straight at all. That will give Carty confidence especially as he is not having to work too hard for his chances. The key though now with reds open here again is that he takes full advantage.

Frame Carty - From that golden opportunity Carty made a solid break of 54, never looking like he was in trouble and he is looking like the better of the two in these opening stages. Ford briefly played on for snookers but he could not keep Carty out for long. 1-1

Frame 2 - Carty had the first little opening of the frame but lost position on 16. Ford though followed that with the worst shot I've seen this week by hitting the pack of reds so thick with his safety he did not reach the pink spot. Carty has to take advantage now with the reds spread as they are.

Frame Ford - In the end Ford pots the penultimate red to leave Carty needing a snooker. He plays on but never looks like getting the snooker. Very little to write home about in that frame. A scruffy start but Ford will be happy enough to lead 1-0.

Needing just the pink and one more red to clinch the frame, Ford inexplicably misses an easy pink and now Carty is back in to try and punish that mistake. The last two reds are not ideal though and he fails to gain position on either. Still life in this frame though.

Ford misses again on 24 leaving Carty in but when he goes into the reds from the blue on 7 the cue ball trickles into the corner pocket and Ford is now back in amongst them.

Frame 1 - A couple of early misses, first for Ford and then Carty has left Ford in now with a decent early chance. There are a few open reds in both halves of the table as he looks to lay down an early marker.

Final live blog of day two in Cardiff as Tom Ford takes on Ashley Carty.

Ford has been a UK Championship semi-finalist this season and as such qualified for last week's World Grand Prix where he beat Joe Perry 4-3 before losing out to eventual champion Judd Trump. He will certainly be a favourite here tonight and is always a dark horse for a big tournament run, like what he achieved in York.

Carty meanwhile was one of my players to watch this season, so I thought I would take that in a literal sense tonight. It's the young man's first year on tour but he has reached the last 32 at this venue before, doing so as an amateur a few years ago. He'll be hoping for some more of that form here and he will need to be at his best in this one I feel.