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Sunday, 9 April 2017

Tuesday, 4 April 2017

World Championship Qualifiers Preview

The major month of April has arrived kicking off with the World Championship qualifiers that begin on Wednesday at Ponds Forge in Sheffield. Interestingly, six players who were in the top 16 and seeded straight through to the Crucible have fallen outside and will face three qualifying matches if they are to return. These players are Martin Gould, Joe Perry, Mark Williams, Stephen Maguire, Michael White and Ricky Walden.

That means that only ten players who came through the three matches to qualify last year will be at Ponds Forge. Former champions Graeme Dott and Peter Ebdon are in this group that also features Robbie Williams, David Gilbert, Zhang Anda, Mitchell Mann and Robert Milkins, as well as Sam Baird who reached the Last 16 by beating Michael White at the Crucible, Michael Holt who overcame Neil Robertson and of course Alan McManus who made it all the way to the semi-finals with wins over Stephen Maguire, Ali Carter and John Higgins.

McManus joined Ding Junhui as two qualifiers that made up the semi-final line-up in Sheffield, showing that it is possible for players to come through the three match test and then go on strongly at the Crucible.

The battle for tour survival also comes down to these qualifiers, and with £8,000 for winning the first round qualifier, and £0 for a defeat there are a lot of players who could still find themselves in trouble.

Robin Hull is in 65th place right now so he needs to win his match against Reanne Evans to avoid having to start again from £0 in the 2017/2018 season with a fresh two year tour card, that he is all but guaranteed on the one year money list should he finish below 64th.

However all of the players from Gary Wilson in 64th to Ian Burns in 56th are within £8,000 of Hull and could all drop off the tour if they lose in round one. In between Wilson and Burns are guys like Chris Wakelin, Hossein Vafei, Daniel Wells, Li Hang, Alfie Burden and Oliver Lines. Also in that group is Yan Bingtao who is in the first season of a two year tour card, so he will not drop off of the tour but he could prevent someone below from staying on tour. Scott Donaldson is in 66th position, but he is in the same boat as Yan in the first season of a two year tour card. Also within £8,000 of 64th place Gary Wilson is 67th place Ross Muir.

Needing at least two wins to get into the top 64 are the likes of Noppon Saengkham (though he is in he like Hull and Muir is in position for a fresh two year tour card which I will come to in a moment), Dechawat Poomjaeng and Joe Swail. While guys like Rod Lawler, Nigel Bond (also both in position for a fresh two year card), Ken Doherty, Jamie Cope and Martin O'Donnell would all need to qualify to get into the top 64.

Having mentioned it heavily already, the top 8 players on the one year money list who are not already qualified for next season get a fresh two year tour card. Robin Hull leads the way here and is nearly £19,000 clear of the next eligible player outside of the list. Also currently earning one of these spots are Akani Songsermsawad, Rhys Clark, Ross Muir, Nigel Bond, Noppon Saengkham, Allan Taylor and Rod Lawler.

However, each of these players is less than £8,000 clear than the likes of Eden Sharav and Jimmy White who would qualify for a tour card by this method. Meanwhile, Duane Jones, Andy Hicks, Peter Lines, Paul Davison, Jamie Cope, Joe Swail, Fraser Patrick, Sanderson Lam, Martin O'Donnell and Igor Figueredo are all within £8,000 of Lawler and could overtake him and earn a tour spot via this method if results go their way.

Qualifying Section 1:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Mark Williams Vs Zhao Xintong

Liam Highfield Vs Andres Petrov

Stuart Carrington Vs Alex Borg

Andrew Higginson Vs Michael Georgiou

The very first section in the draw is, for me, one of the hardest to call. For starters there are five very impressive players. Mark Williams has to pick himself back up and get over the long haul flight back from China to play in qualifiers and as other players have shown in the past, that is not the easiest thing to do. He could have done with getting one of the easier players in the draw, but instead has got the toughest of the players outside of the top 80 seeds and one everyone would have wanted to avoid. Last year Zhao Xintong was a Q School top up for World Championship qualifying and he made it count beating Rod Lawler, and coming very close to Kurt Maflin who only won that 10-8. With a year of professional tour experience under his belt now and a good victory against John Higgins to boast, as well as coming very close to other top players like O'Sullivan, Carter and Williams himself on two occasions. That is going to be a tough battle indeed for Williams. Liam Highfield is not the easiest second round opponent for Williams if he manages to get through. Highfield got to the last 16 of the UK Championships where he took the Welshman all the way to a deciding frame and probably could have won. Highfield came within a frame of qualifying for the Crucible last year when he lost 10-9 to Sam Baird after beating Luca Brecel 10-8 and I think he certainly has the talent to qualify.

Then you have Stuart Carrington who qualified back in 2015 and has had some good runs this season leading up to this. I really rate Carrington highly and he was one player who I had my on to qualify for the Crucible this season so it is a shame he has landed in this section. Andrew Higginson is also a much stronger player than his ranking would suggest. He made the last 16 at the Crucible in 2012 and probably could have gone on further than that. He has lost out in the final qualifying in 2014 and 2015 much and last week in China he showed very good form to beat Ricky Walden, David Gilbert and come very close to beating eventual champion Mark Selby. If you think Williams will struggle with the short turnaround from China and a tough draw, then Higginson (with the form he has showed in China and his heavy scoring that can come into play much more in this format) could be the man to come through

Predicted Qualifier: Andrew Higginson

Qualifying Section 2:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Tom Ford Vs Jamie Bodle

Chris Wakelin Vs Elliot Slessor

Matt Selt Vs David John

Hossein Vafei Vs Hatem Yassen

This section is another interesting one with another player who found his form in China. Hossein Vafei made the semi-finals in Beijing with wins over Judd Trump and Joe Perry. Unlike Williams, if he is struggling with the short turnaround and the long haul flight back, he has a nice easy draw against Yassen who has never won a professional match. For me, the Iranian has a genuinely good chance of qualifying for the Crucible when you consider his possible second round draw against an out of form Matthew Selt. Selt's best finish all season was a run to the last 16 of the World Open in the summer. Since then he has not got past the last 32 and only actually reached that stage on three occasions.

Then you have Chris Wakelin and Elliot Slessor, where Slessor has been coming across very confidently on Twitter saying how he has never lost to Wakelin. Wakelin is under pressure for his tour place so that could be a weakness Slessor could pounce on with the confidence he has. His win in Cardiff against Mark Williams impressed me and I would like to see him kick on from that now. I had a similar hope that Wakelin would kick on after making the English Open quarter-finals but that has not quite happened yet, perhaps he will show more of his quality here and go all the way through the qualifiers, as another player that I rate quite highly. However, I am going with the favourite in this section which is Tom Ford. Ford has impressed me this year making the final in Furth and the quarter-finals in Berlin with a maximum included, as well as runs to the last 16 of the English Open and European Masters. His heavy scoring could give him more of an advantage in the long format. 2014 was his most recent Crucible trip and he was very impressive that year, thrashing Luca Brecel and beating Matthew Stevens when he was still in the top 20 before taking eight frames off of Judd Trump at the Crucible.

Predicted Qualifier: Tom Ford

Qualifying Section 3:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Robin Hull Vs Reanne Evans

Matthew Stevens Vs Lee Walker

Noppon Saengkham Vs Jak Jones

Anthony Hamilton Vs Craig Steadman

Section three is a brilliant one here. Starting with German Masters champion Anthony Hamilton we have the clear favourite for qualification. Not qualifying for China should help his preparation for this but he is not the only player in this section who falls into that category. Hamilton has played so well this year that it is very tough to go against him, but he has drawn something of a bogey player in round one. Craig Steadman saw off Hamilton at the Welsh Open in February, as well as beating him in two PTC events whilst not even on the tour. The only two times Steadman has lost to Hamilton have been in deciders so he has never been convincingly beaten by him either. As well as that Steadman has had some good results in world qualifying. Qualifying in 2015 with convincing wins against Michael White and Jamie Burnett he showed a lot of class, and lets not forget his win over Steve Davis in 2014 which relegated Davis from the tour. Meanwhile, he took Anthony McGill to a deciding frame in the second qualifying round last year so he is certainly no pushover.

Noppon Saengkham has the talent to qualify, but probably not the same levels of consistency in his player. Whenever I watch him he comes across as a heavy scoring player who is also quite streaky and may also be slightly too aggressive. Meanwhile, we have Matthew Stevens who still very much has the quality to make the Crucible. He did so in 2015 where he beat Mark Williams soundly before losing in the last 16 to O'Sullivan, and last year the ever improving Kyren Wilson saw him off in the final qualifying round. One player that I am a big fan of is Robin Hull and I expect him to go well in qualifying. He has had runs to the last 32 this season including the Scottish Open (where he beat Michael White), the Northern Irish Open, the Welsh Open (where he saw off Ding Junhui), the European Masters (outplaying Mark Williams). This came as well as the German Masters where he made the last 16 beating Luca Brecel and Matthew Stevens. On top of that, in the three seasons that Hull has been fully back on tour and in better health prior to this, he has made the Crucible twice in 2014 and 2015. In 2014 he won four matches that included three comfortable victories to start with and a fourth against Peter Ebdon, when Ebdon was still well inside the top 32. A year later he beat Ben Woollaston quite comfortably and thrashed Igor Figueredo. At his best the difference for me is his power scoring and the amount of big breaks and centuries that he can rattle off. Having not qualified for China he has had a nice amount of preparation time to be ready for this week.

Predicted Qualifier: Robin Hull

Qualifying Section 4:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Li Hang Vs Fraser Patrick

Mike Dunn Vs Andy Hicks

Nigel Bond Vs Ng On Yee

Stephen Maguire Vs Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn

For me this is a pretty simple section. Stephen Maguire should have too much quality over the best-of-19 frames to lose to any of the players in this section. Mike Dunn actually came pretty close to qualifying last year and actually saw off Li Hang 10-9 on the way. Although from 2012-2014 Dunn lost his opening qualifying match and I could see that happening here too against Andy Hicks. Hicks for me is still good enough to be on tour, having taken a little bit of time away when he dropped off a few years ago. Even though Hicks lost to Dunn in China, I could still see it going either way over 19 frames. Nigel Bond's wealth of experience could be the biggest threat to Maguire and Bond did show some improved form in March when he made the Gibraltar Open semi-finals so don't be surprised to see him push Maguire in round two if they both win their openers.

Predicted Qualifier: Stephen Maguire

Qualifying Section 5:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Mark King Vs Paul Davison

Zhang Anda Vs Fang Xiongman

Xiao Guodong Vs Tyler Rees

Sam Baird Vs Ross Vallance

Section five is where we find Northern Irish Open champion Mark King. He should have no problem in beating Paul Davison in round one but from there things get very tough in a quality section of the draw, while King has not actually qualified for the Crucible since 2013, when he only needed to win one match to do so. Xiao Guodong has looked in better form this season after struggles in the last campaign. However, Xiao has only ever qualified for the Crucible once and this was in the same season that he made the Shanghai Masters final, putting him in the top 32 back in the days when seeds 17-32 only had to play one qualifying match. Sam Baird meanwhile qualified last year, and beat Michael White at the Crucible on the way to a tight last 16 defeat against Mark Selby. Baird also qualified in 2013 winning four matches to do so as well. This season has not been as impressive from Baird, especially in the second half with a few first round defeats.

The player I am picking out in this section though is Zhang Anda. Zhang has qualified in back to back years, adding to his appearance at the Crucible in 2010. Three appearances at the Crucible is a very good return for a 25-year-old and he has climbed up the rankings this year on the first year of a fresh tour year tour card. Only Anthony Hamilton (German Masters champion), the amazing Yan Bingtao and Scott Donaldson (Welsh open semi-finalist) have done better of those that started the season from £0, putting Zhang at 47th on the one year money list. His runs have seen him make the last 16 of the UK Championships this season as well as the World Open. Going back to his qualifiers form, the Chinese player impressively saw off Mark Davis and fellow countryman Zhou Yuelong who would also have been the favourite going into that clash a year ago. His 2015 run also included a victory against Liang Wenbo and a thrashing of Anthony Hamilton. Someone who could take Stephen Hendry to a decider on their Crucible debut aged 18 is going to be on the radar at this time of year.

Predicted Qualifier: Zhang Anda

Qualifying Section 6:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Ben Woollaston Vs Chris Totten

Ken Doherty Vs Jason Weston

Zhou Yuelong Vs Christopher Keogan

Ian Burns Vs Ian Preece

This section comes with one of the players who I would probably pick out as long as he did not draw one of the top guns. Before we get to him though there are others to mention. You have to feel for Ken Doherty this season. The 1997 world champion has toiled with his form all year and it looks likely now that he will be relegated from the tour. He has an easy enough round one qualifier, but unless his form really turns around and we see some of the old Ken then, he may only be at the Crucible as a pundit. Ben Woollaston has only qualified for the Crucible once back in 2013. Last year he lost in the first qualifying round to Chris Wakelin and he was beaten in round two in 2015 by Robin Hull having been a top 32 in both seasons, as well as in 2014 when he lost to Jamie Burnett. Ian Burns is under pressure to win his first round qualifier just to make sure he will not fall off of teh tour in dramatic fashion with so many players between him and the top 64 line, who could all pass with a first round victory if Burns loses. Last year Burns made the final qualifying round but lost convincingly to Peter Ebdon.

That leaves rising chinese star Zhou Yuelong as my pick to qualify. Last year he was denied in the final qualifying round by Zhang Anda, while Liang Wenbo shot him down in his first World Championships. He has improved greatly with each year on tour, and this season has seen his best ranking performance as he made the quarter-finals at the China Open, along with the last 16 at the UK and International Championships which helped him qualify for the World Grand Prix. For me he is the strongest player in this section.

Predicted Qualifier: Zhou Yuelong

Qualifying Section 7:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Alfie Burden Vs Adam Duffy

Jamie Jones Vs Jamie Barrett

Dechawat Poomjaeng Vs Chen Zhe

Graeme Dott Vs Allan Taylor

Dechawat Poomjaeng is the first player to come to in section seven. The Thai player who made the last 16 at the Crucible 2013 has failed to win a single match on the tour since the Shanghai Masters qualifiers at the end of August. On that form it is hard to see him qualifying. Alfie Burden and Adam Duffy looks like a tight contest to me. Duffy impressed me in 2015 when, despite not being on the tour at this stage he overcame Martin Gould and Sam Baird and very nearly qualified for the Crucible. If the game does go close I fancy Duffy to get over the line. Graeme Dott has slipped down the rankings in recent times, sitting well outside the top 32 in the one year money list. He still qualified last year though, and over the long format it is hard to rule him out and I would expect him to make it to the final qualifying round.

My choice though is Jamie Jones. Jones made the quarter-finals of the world's back in 2012 beating Shaun Murphy along the way. Jones overcame Ding Junhui in a classy run to the quarter-finals of the UK Championship where he probably should have beaten Marco Fu and made it to the last four. Jones may have been comfortably beaten by Hamza Akbar last year but he qualified in 2015 with two comfortable wins before beating Duffy 10-8, and I think Duffy will be one of his victims on the way back to the Crucible again.

Predicted Qualifier: Jamie Jones

Qualifying Section 8:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Tian Pengfei Vs Zhang Yong

Fergal O'Brien Vs Gerard Greene

Rhys Clark Vs Wayne Townsend

David Gilbert Vs Patrick Wallace

Fergal O'Brien has not qualified for the World Championships since 2010, which for a player of his experience and for the quality of match play he can produce that comes as a big surprise. His five century performance against Barry Hawkins in the UK Championships showed he still has the class to make it back to the Crucible. Despite a run to the last 16 of last weeks China Open, that included wins against Anthony McGill and Martin Gould, Tian Pengfei is 86th on the one season money list which is very low. Based on a season with so few highlights it is hard to see him winning three matches at Ponds Forge. Rhys Clark is the other seeded player in this section, though he is outside of the top 64 on the one and two year ranking lists. He did have a couple of good runs in October making the last 16 of the European Masters and the English Open back to back.

David Gilbert is the hot favourite to qualify from this section. He qualified last year and in 2014 as well as his most impressive run in 2012 when he was much lower in the rankings and not only completed the four wins to qualify (including a 10-4 thrashing of Fergal O'Brien in the final qualifier), but then beat Martin Gould at the venue to make the last 16. His overall quality and very heavy scoring should make the difference. His ride last year was pretty easy to make the Crucible and his heavy scoring showed as he forced O'Sullivan to up his game in the last 32 for a 10-7 victory.

Predicted Qualifier: David Gilbert

Qualifying Section 9:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Joe Perry Vs Zack Richardson

Mei Xi Wen Vs Akani Songsermsawad

Mark Joyce Vs Jordan Brown

David Grace Vs Thor Chuan Leong

There is one huge favourite in this section, but it is worth remembering that Joe Perry would not be in qualifying had he played better over the course of the last year. There are still stumbling blocks in this section. David Grace should get past Thor in round one, but I do not fancy him to qualify having not had the best of seasons. At 72nd on the one season list that tells you what you need to know about his form. Mark Joyce is only 57th on the one season rankings and despite many years of trying he has never made it to the Crucible which does come as a little surprise. His form in China, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan before pushing Ding Junhui close in the last 16, showed that he could cause an upset and qualify but if he meets Perry in the final qualifier I do not see it happening.

Potentially the biggest threat to Perry is the winner of the Mei Xi Wen and Akani Songsermsawad clash. Songsermsawad has some good results to boast from this season, but having seen him close up in Cardiff, Mei Xi Wen looks very impressive. On form he is a heavy scorer and could do well in these qualifiers over the long format.

For me though this section is about Perry. At times he has been vulnerable and exited in the early stages of tournaments, which is the main reason he finds himself at Ponds Forge in the first place. Over 19 frames against weaker opposition though he should not have too many problems, and I do believe that Mei Xi Wen (who has beaten Mark Allen, Mark Williams and Martin Gould this season) is his biggest threat.

Predicted Qualifier: Joe Perry

Qualifying Section 10:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Luca Brecel Vs Sean O'Sullivan

Joe Swail Vs Sanderson Lam

Dominic Dale Vs Boonyarit Kaettikun

Daniel Wells Vs Adam Stefanow

Another tough section to call here in group 10. Luca Brecel is the higher seed but you would not know it based on his efforts this season. A quarter-final appearance at the UK Championships is his best effort by a long way. He sits down in 46th on the one season money list having suffered a number of first round defeats, which gives his opponent Sean O'Sullivan plenty of cause for encouragement. Joe Swail has had a potentially career ending season. Down in 96th on the one season list and 70th on the provisional end of season rankings, he will probably need to qualify for the Crucible to have any chance of being on the tour next year. That makes my two biggest contenders the two Welshman. Dominic Dale came within one frame of making the semi-finals at the Crucible in 2014 so he certainly still has what it takes to compete over this format, being such a smart tactical player and great match player when on form.

My choice though is young Daniel Wells to make his Crucible debut. Wells has really impressed me this season, having climbed to 42 on the one season list which is enough for now to put him in the top 64 going into the qualifiers. He cannot afford to lose in round one if he wants to stay there but he would still get a fresh tour card via that one year list. Two last 16 runs in China are the highlights most recently in Beijing and at the start of the season at the World Open. His heavy scoring is impressive and many people have touted him as someone who can climb up the rankings and he is starting to prove that.

Predicted Qualifier: Daniel Wells

Qualifying Section 11:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Gary Wilson Vs Josh Boileau

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Vs Peter Lines

Ross Muir Vs Gareth Allen

Michael White Vs Aditya Mehta

Section eleven is one that could go a few different ways. If on form, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh could qualify easily. Although, for much of the season this has not been the case having suffered a number of first round exits which, despite semi-finals at the World Open and the Paul Hunter Classic, have seen him at 51st on the one season list. Peter Lines earned his spot as world seniors champion and I fancy his chances of beating Thepchaiya and potentially having a run at Ponds Forge. The pressure is on Gary Wilson to win in round one against Josh Boileau as the man in 64th on the provisional end of season list. Again like Wells in section ten he is almost guaranteed a fresh two year card via the one year list, should he fall outside of the top 64. Boileau has not showed enough for me to think he will give Wilson too much of a challenge in round one, and the former China open finalists scoring ability should be enough to get him through. Ross Muir is also in the tour survival battle and if he could get past Gareth Allen in round one, his slower style may frustrate Michael White.

I still think White is the clear favourite in this section, and he looked to be in good form last week in Beijing. He beat Ali Carter on the way to the last 16 and made a few centuries in his opening round match. That heavy scoring is enough to get him on a roll in matches and blow some of the lower ranked players away. As a Crucible quarter-finalist in 2013 and someone who still has a bright future it would be a disappointment not to see him qualify.

Predicted Qualifier: Michael White

Qualifying Section 12:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Rory McLeod Vs Darryl Hill

Kurt Maflin Vs Sydney Wilson

Martin O'Donnell Vs Jackson Page

Ricky Walden Vs Hammad Miah

This is a potentially fun little section. Walden has been an automatic qualifier every year since 2012, when he lost his qualifier 10-2 to Jamie Jones which may not be the best omen. In 2011 he famously lost at the Crucible 10-6 to Rory McLeod and had a lot to say afterwards and it would be somewhat ironic if they met in the final qualifying round here. McLeod has had an average season at best though and while he should easily make the second round anything beyond that will be a challenge if he is not on top form. Last week at the China Open, beating Liang Wenbo on the way to the last 16, McLeod showed glimpses of what he could do, but there has not been enough sign of that this season. There is the small matter of "Action" Jackson Page and given what we all saw in Cardiff and his exploits in Cyprus at the Under 18, Under 21 and Amateur European Championships, it would be no surprise to see him get a win here against Martin O'Donnell. O'Donnell himself is under pressure to have a good run and stay on tour so that may open up an opportunity for Page who is really under no pressure at all.

Kurt Maflin is a decent shout here for me. His best run came in Cardiff to make the quarter-finals, as well as coming through the tiered qualifiers to make the Shanghai Masters. As well as that are last 16's at the World Open and the Irish Open helping him to 35th on the one year list. Maflin may have only qualified once back in 2015, but he was impressive in taking Selby all the way in round one. He made the final qualifying round last year narrowly losing out to Milkins. If he can get on top of McLeod early with some trademark heavy scoring and not let McLeod grind him down then he should overcome that. My worry for Walden is his alarming dip in form with too many early exits and some of the back and shoulder issues he has had. With back issues he may struggle over the long format and make life difficult for him, and I think that makes Maflin a good alternative in this section.

Predicted Qualifier: Kurt Maflin

Qualifying Section 13:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Michael Holt Vs Hamza Akbar

Jamie Cope Vs Eden Sharav

Peter Ebdon Vs Michael Wild

Jack Lisowski Vs Jimmy White

Section 13 is going to be unlucky for a few, in terms of tour survival and qualification prospects. Eden Sharav needs to beat Jamie Cope in round one to give himself a chance of getting a fresh two year tour card via the one year list. Cope himself needs at least win but more likely two or all three to save himself having to go to Q School. Sharav has had a couple of better results in recent weeks though and Cope has struggled all season long so I would marginally favour the Scotsman. Peter Ebdon qualified a year ago, but he is another who has struggled this season sitting in 62nd place on the one season list, and he is not someone I would favour to go all the way in this section. Jack Lisowski and Jimmy White is one of the ties of the round. White needs at least a win here to have any chance of getting a two year tour card via the one year list, and his form at times this season has been a lot better. Reaching the last 32 at the Scottish Open and the German Masters are some of his better runs along with a quarter-final at the Paul Hunter Classic. In fact, sitting in 78th on the one year list Lisowski is only a few places ahead of White. He has been in better form having scored very heavily on the way to the quarter-finals of the Gibraltar Open. Lisowski though has been one of the disappointments of the last couple of years in that he has not yet kicked on and moved up the rankings, and has instead fallen the other way.

Michael Holt is a clear favourite here to qualify. Holt has made it to the Crucible in three of the last four years, and impressively overcame Neil Robertson in the first round at the main venue a year ago. His form has come on a fair way as he has showed by getting into the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters, International Championship and China Championship this season as well as the Riga Masters final. To continue progressing as he has been in the last year or so he needs to qualify here and have another crack at one of the top players on the biggest stage.

Predicted Qualifier: Michael Holt

Qualifying Section 14:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Alan McManus Vs Kurt Dunham

Rod Lawler Vs Xu Si

Jimmy Robertson Vs Cao Yupeng

Oliver Lines Vs Duane Jones

Alan McManus is the man to come to first in section 14. Having made the semi-finals at the Crucible last year you would expect him to go well again this time around. However, since that run he has failed to hit the same heights. At 74th on the one season list he has struggled to find the spark to get his season going. He reached the last 16 at the World Open and the last 32 at the Paul Hunter Classic early in the season, but has failed to get past the last 64 in a single event since. A run like that would not give many players confidence going into the world qualifiers. Then we come to Rod Lawler who is also struggling and has to win against Xu Si to have any chance of staying on tour. He is currently in the final spot for a fresh two year tour card, and is well outside the top 64, more than likely needing to get to the Crucible to get back inside. His opponent Xu Si is someone who has earned his invite as the World Under-21 champion, but he has also impressed as a wildcard in some of the Chinese ranking events. He saw off James Wattana at the World Open, before beating Wang Yuchen and most notably, Mark Williams at the International Championship. The match against Wang also featured a 145 break which was the joint highest break of the TV stages, and shows that he has plenty of talent. Much like Page he is under no pressure and playing against someone who has plenty riding on the game, and that could allow him to relax and take advantage.

Jimmy Robertson has had an average season, playing well early by making the last 16 at the Riga Masters and the last 32 at the World Open. The last 32 at the UK Championships with a victory over Mark Davis was his best thereafter. Robertson qualified in 2015 and played pretty well despite losing to Marco Fu at the Crucible. He also qualified in 2011, and fell at the final hurdle in qualifiers a year ago. This section provides an opportunity for someone with no names jumping off the page so Robertson has to be one of the favourites. I am going to go for more of an outside pick and someone that has beaten Jimmy Robertson 6-0 this season in Oliver Lines. That 6-0 win for Lines came in the UK Championships and followed up a 6-2 win over Judd Trump who has been in great form all season long. He reached the last 16 in India too at the start of the season beating Graeme Dott before losing to Shaun Murphy and even though his form can still be a bit hit and miss he is starting to make progress. With a father who can teach you a lot about the professional circuit, and plenty of matchplay skill the longer format is where you should do best and that could be the case for Lines junior.

Predicted Qualifier: Oliver Lines

Qualifying Section 15:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Yan Bingtao Vs Sam Craigie

Mark Davis Vs Mitchell Mann

Scott Donaldson Vs Wang Yuchen

Robert Milkins Vs Alexander Ursenbacher

The penultimate little group here is arguably one of the toughest to call. Of the four seeded players, Yan Bingtao and Scott Donaldson are two of the three best players to have started from £0 this season with the best being Anthony Hamilton who won in Berlin. In all Milkins sits 27th on the one year list with Yan 29th, Davis 32nd and Donaldson 34th. Any one of those four could qualify. Not only that but Mitchell Mann won three matches to qualify last season, including victories over Selt and Poomjaeng as well as making the final qualifying round the season before. Sam Craigie (along with Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao) was one of my three players to watch this season and could do damage if he can find his heavy scoring over the long format. Additionally, Alexander Ursenbacher won the European Under-21 title less than a month ago which will earn him a tour card to re-join the pro ranks from next season.

We know all of what Yan has achieved but this over the long format is surely his biggest test. If he makes the Crucible at the first attempt and at such a young age too, he will surely be touted by many as a future world champion. Milkins has qualified in three of the last four years for the Crucible, including the last two years since the flat format for the qualifiers has been bought in. Last year he overcame Scott Donaldson in the second qualifier before another tough match with Kurt Maflin. In 2015 he came through a decider in the final round against Andrew Higginson in a match that was a joy to watch. When he missed out on the Crucible in 2014 it was to Michael Wasley 10-9 on a re-spotted black in the final qualifying round and we know what Wasley went on to do by beating Ding, so it took a good performance to send Milkins home. Mark Davis too has had a solid season with a few quarter-finals but he has failed to push on, and for me he has the marginally tougher draw compared to Milkins. Last year Davis was knocked out by Zhang Anda 10-5, though he did qualify in 2015 against some pretty easy opposition at the time. This will certainly not be an easy ride, so with Milkins form in the qualifiers since the flat format came in and as his only defeat in the last four years of qualifying was a narrow one, he is my choice.

Predicted Qualifier: Robert Milkins

Qualifying Section 16:

First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Robbie Williams Vs James Cahill

Yu De Lu Vs Itaro Santos

John Astley Vs Igor Figueredo

Martin Gould Vs James Wattana

The first person I want to come to in this final qualifying section is Igor Figueredo. The Brazilian has made the last 16 of the Welsh Open and Gibraltar Open this season having only started his season at the Northern Irish Ope final in November. Figueredo made it to the final qualifying round in 2015 with wins over Nigel Bond and Rod Lawler despite only playing a handful of events that season also. While Astley has also had a good season in this match I will give Figueredo a marginal edge. Meanwhile there is Yu De Lu who starts with an easy first round game, though he has never qualified for the Crucible and in all honesty I do not see him starting this year either. His best run of the season saw him make the Scottish Open semi-finals where he was fortunate, winning all of those games in deciding frames. Aside from that he has had an average season and I think he lacks the quality to make it out of this section.

Martin Gould was an automatic qualifier last year and only just missed out this year, though his season has not been the greatest by the high standards set after his 2016 German Masters win. In 2015 Gould lost in the first qualifying round to Adam Duffy though, and his world championship record is neither good or bad.

My choice though is going to be Robbie Williams. Williams has qualified three years in a row and he is a very difficult player to rule out at this time of year. Despite an average season he has still had a couple of last 16 performances, but he has not always had a lot of form coming into the World's in previous years. The sorts of players he has defeated show that he is more than capable of coming through this section, where Gould is probably the only player he would not be a favourite against. This is a very tough section to call given Williams record which is why I have gone for him.

Predicted Qualifier: Robbie Williams

This looks like a fascinating draw for the qualifiers with some really intriguing matches, not just in terms of the first round but for the potential second and third round qualifiers. Picking all 16 qualifiers correctly is tough work, if you think you can manage it tweet me your thoughts @CueActionBlog

I will also aim to update my blog throughout the qualifiers with reports and draw news so keep looking out for that. World Snooker have also revealed news that, once the 16 qualifiers have earned their places at the Crucible, the first round draw will take place on Thursday April 13 at 10am live on the World Snooker Facebook page.

Sunday, 2 April 2017

INTERVIEW: Robbie Williams talks all things snooker

With 128 players going to the world championship qualifiers over the next week to try and take one of the 16 coveted spots at the Crucible, it is going to be another exciting qualifying event with so many names that could make it through. One of those that has showed huge quality by making it through in each of the last three years is Robbie Williams, and he will be hoping to keep that run going.

“My game is in decent shape at the moment, could be better, could be worse. That's probably been the story of my season so far. I've had a couple of decent runs this season but then haven't backed it up which has been disappointing. With the World Championships just around the corner, that always gives me a bit of a lift".

Back in 2014 he completed four wins to make it through to the main stages of the world championships, beating Fergal O’Brien 10-9 on a re-spotted black in the final round. In 2015 the format changed so that all players had to play three qualifying matches, from the amateur invites to the highest seeds who failed to qualify automatically as a member of the top 16. That was no problem for Williams though as he overcame Michael Holt on the way to the Crucible. Last season it was another tense finish last year when he saw off Anthony Hamilton 10-9 to remain undefeated at Ponds Forge.

“I've always enjoyed Ponds Forge as a venue and I've always felt most comfortable playing there. That's a big help when you're playing because you can just focus on the snooker. All three final round matches I've played in, I've fancied winning. I don't really think it matters who you play, knowing you're so close to the crucible is what your focus is on".

Despite pulling out of the China Open last week due to illness, he is still looking forward to the world championship and excited for the prospect of making it four successive years of qualifying for the biggest event on the calendar.

“This is my favourite time of the season. The build up to the World Championship is always an exciting few weeks and this year is no different. I love everything about it. The venue, the format, being in Sheffield, everything”.

Williams withdrawal from China was down to illness and hopefully he will be fighting fit when the qualifiers begin. However, in the three years he has qualified for the Crucible, he had not qualified for Beijing the week before, giving him the extra time to prepare.

“I think not qualifying for Beijing in the past has been a massive help for my prep for the Worlds. The flights to and from China take a lot out of you and I always seem to come back ill from long haul flights so it's certainly a bit of a worry. I still don't understand how we can have big gaps in the calendar and the China Open finishes three days before World qualifiers, it’s bonkers”.

Williams, who is in the middle section of the rankings as the 50^th seed for this year, is someone who may benefit from the format change of 2015, with all players playing three matches to make it a level playing field for everyone involved.

“I prefer the current system just because you can win more money for fewer matches. Who doesn’t want that? It's a little tough on number 17 I suppose. The first time I qualified for the crucible, we had to play four qualifiers with numbers 17 to 32 seeded through to the final round. That's not a bad compromise and I wouldn't mind having to do that".

While he has qualified for the Crucible three years in the row, the first round at the main event is as far as he has ever been able to get. In 2014 he lost to the century machine that was Neil Robertson, while in 2015 Stuart Bingham managed to recover from losing the first session to see off Williams and then go on to win the whole tournament. Last year was by far the closest he has come to victory at the Crucible, losing 10-8 to Ricky Walden, though he was very hard on himself following such a narrow loss.

“I remember saying in my press conference after the Walden match that I never want to feel like that again, I guess qualifying for the Crucible shows I've got a bit of bottle, but when you play on the big stage you soon see how much bottle you have, and to be quite honest, I've not shown much. I would put that down to the TV table conditions being so different to the qualifying conditions".

While the re-spotted black to qualify in 2014 must have been a nerve wracking experience, Williams does not compare to the nerves felt at the Crucible and in front of the big crowds on TV.

“The most nervous I've been playing snooker would have to be at the shootout, closely followed by the crucible. A black ball re-spot at the qualifiers is nothing compared to those two tournaments. Dealing with the nerves gets easier the more you play at the Crucible, but it will always be a difficult place to play. Some players take to it straight away. You only have to look at the likes of Michael Wasley or Anthony McGill in recent years to see it can be done”.

For a number of players, it is not just the thought of playing at the Crucible that will make them nervous, but there is a lot of pressure on those hovering just above and below the top 64 in the world to have a good run in the qualifiers and retain their tour cards. While this is not an issue for Williams this year, his run through to the Crucible in 2014 was enough to ensure he survived relegation from the tour.

“I knew if I qualified, I would get into the top 64, but I think even if I lost to Fergal, I'd have still retained my place via the PTC list so I didn't have the pressure of tour survival on my shoulders. I think that's another reason why the qualifiers are such a buzz. Although I'm a player, I'm still a big snooker fan and I always keep an eye on other results to see who's managed to stay on tour. The prize money is massive for a first round win, it could be the difference between retaining your tour card, or having to fight your way through Q-School. It's good to go and watch some of those matches. You can't beat a good twitch fest”.

For those that complete the three-game slog to qualify next Wednesday, it may be a short turnaround for some who will have to play on the opening Saturday or Sunday. Some players will be able to carry the momentum and match sharpness forward, but a couple of days will still not give players long to re-charge the batteries.

“In a way the quick turnaround is not a bad thing because you're still on a high. The feeling of getting through qualifying is almost like winning a tournament. But once you've realised you've made it through and you do the press interviews and then the video graphics for the BBC, you get handed a player’s information sheet and realise you're back in the first round again. That's when the tiredness hits you, knowing you've got to do it all again and then some. Ding proved last year that coming through qualifying and then getting to the final, that it can be an advantage to have a week’s match practice and tiredness doesn't play too much of a part if you've prepared properly”.

On paper, Williams has made the last 16 at the Paul Hunter Classic and the Welsh Open as his best finishes of the 2016/2017 season, but in reality, he has been a little underwhelmed by his efforts. Though he is happy with how is game is moving on, which is key before such a big event.

“It's been an uneventful season so far. Like you say, a couple of good runs but nothing special. On the plus side I feel like I'm getting slightly more consistent with my performances and have been slowly moving up the rankings so overall I'm fairly satisfied with the season so far”.

When all is said and done though, Williams is quite a quiet character and certainly not someone you hear a lot about in terms of causing trouble or controversy. That is why it was a surprise to see the comments that were made about his playing style by Joe Perry, after the 30-year-old beat Perry in the 2015 UK Championships.

“At the press conference after the match, there was an unusually high number of press surrounding the table I was about to sit at. The interviewer hinted that Joe had said something about me but it wasn't until I got back to the hotel that I read what he had said. To be honest, some of what he said was fair play. No-one wants to watch boring slow snooker but what people need to remember is the money on offer to win was massive for me. I didn't go into that match to try an upset him or anger him in any way, I was simply trying my hardest to win. I hadn't won a TV game apart from a couple of shootout matches before that so I just wanted to put everything into that match”.

While he may say that some of Perry’s comments about slow play were fair play, it was still not something that Williams liked to hear or something that he expected to be said by a player of Perry’s stature.

“I found the majority of what he said pretty disrespectful. I would never say that about another player and to be on the receiving end was disappointing. Anyone who knows me personally knows I'm quite shy and like to keep myself to myself. Snooker has helped me with my confidence playing in big arenas and doing interviews but just walking out there onto the main stage is a big deal for me. So for another pro to have a go at me like that under the circumstances, wasn't a nice feeling, particularly when it's a popular and top player like Joe. I lost to Matt Selt in the next round. The comments were in the back of my mind but they didn't affect the result. Matt was simply the better player on the day”.

Having said that, the player nicknamed the ‘Gentleman’ did come out some while after on social media, and apologise for his comments.

“Someone showed me the tweet he put out, apologising. As far as I was concerned, that was the end of the matter. He didn't apologise to me personally but I didn't need him too. After the tournament it was all forgotten about anyway”.

Other peoples comments are not what you want to be thinking about in high stakes competition, so erasing it from the memory was probably best for Williams. Meanwhile, one of the most controversial things on the snooker tour as a whole in recent times, has been the playing of the one frame ‘Snooker Shoot-Out’ as a full ranking event. The players have since had a vote on whether it should remain a ranking event or be removed from the calendar, and while not agreeing with it himself, the Wirral potter can understand why the players voted for it to stay.

“I think what Barry Hearn has done for the game has been immense. The money and the number of tournaments on the calendar is fantastic and he deserves every credit. But making the Shootout a ranking event is ludicrous. Safe to say I voted to scrap it as I don't like the event anyway and probably won't play in it again unless I desperately need the ranking points to stay on tour or something. I've got no problem with the event as a bit of fun and I think there is a place on the calendar for it but not for ranking points. The vote was completely pointless. It was always going to be saved as it's a great way for lower ranked players to earn money quickly and shoot up the rankings, and fair play to them, I'd have voted the same in their position”.

Every pound is vital now that the rankings are based on a prize money ranking list, but another great debate on the circuit and on social media has been whether prize money in snooker should be more evenly spread, so that more professionals can make a good living from the game.

“I think you need to be minimum top 32 to make decent money. Careers don't last long so when you win any money it's important to start thinking how to invest it wisely. I'm in a position where I'm comfortable and don't have the pressure of trying to raise money to enter the next tournament but I am thinking maybe I've got 15 years left on the tour, what do I do then? Barry has talked about spreading the money lower down and I think it's not a bad idea. He says sport should be brutal and I get what he means but surely you'd want to help as many players earn as much money as they can or why bother having so many on tour?”

While on the subject of big snooker debates, talk of the amateur game began and whether amateurs should be given wildcards into events. It is something that has been happening in Chinese events for a number of years, while two host nation players were invited to each event on the home nations series, and subsequently the qualifiers for the World Championship this week.

“I don't mind amateurs getting wild cards but only if there is a space in the last 128 draw. I'd use Jackson Page as an example at the Welsh Open. The exposure he got was great for him and it's important up and coming players get opportunities like that and he took his with both hands. No-one likes the wild cards in China however. You've already won a match to get there, then a few players have to play a Chinese amateur before round two, and they’re normally very good”.

Again it seems as though most of the up and coming young players are coming from the far east in the last couple of years. Yan Bingtao and Zhou Yuelong have been an example of that over the last year or two and it is a trend that may continue now that the European Tour is no longer, and European amateurs do not have as many opportunities to test themselves against the best.

“I think amateurs, particularly in this country and across Europe have a bit of a raw deal at the moment. There is simply not enough playing opportunities and the standard has fallen because of this. When I was coming through as a junior we had English knockouts at all age levels, English junior tour, Golden waistcoat tour, English amateur, English open tour, Pontins Star of the future, Pontins u21 tour not to mention all the local tournaments. Something needs to be done as there is still the interest at amateur level but if nothing is done, that interest will only fall away”.

What the future holds for Williams is a different question. Having continued to climb up the rankings in the last year, that is a trend he would like to continue, but as for specific hopes and goals Williams is a player who is able to put his into perspective.

“I've never been one to set too many goals for the future. Obviously it would be nice to win a ranking event but if it doesn't happen, it won't matter. I want to fulfil my potential as much as the next player but sometimes it's easy to forget why we're all professional. We all love playing the game, whether it's in the club or at the Crucible and I realise how lucky I am to be in this position. As long as I enjoy playing, I'll continue to make the most of it and see what happens”.

Bringing things back to the world championships, there has been a lot of talk about who will win the big one at the Crucible on social media, as there always is. Williams says that Selby and O’Sullivan are two players who can never be ruled out, but feels that Trump is the favourite.

“I'd like to see Ding Junhui or Judd Trump win though as they're too good not to win the World Championships at least once”, Williams concludes.

Robbie Williams will be hoping to be one of the 16 qualifiers with their names in the hat when the draw for the final stages of the world championships takes place prior to the start at the Crucible on Saturday April 15.

Before that there is the small matter of winning the three qualifying matches, and the actions gets underway at Ponds Forge in Sheffield on Wednesday morning, with Williams drawn to play James Cahill in the first round, with both sessions of their match taking place on Friday.

Saturday, 1 April 2017

Mark Williams and Mark Selby to contest China Open final

Mark Williams and Mark Selby have set up a potentially thrilling final at the China Open final with plenty riding on it when they take to the table tomorrow.

Williams came through the first semi-final in very comfortable fashion, beating Hossein Vafei 6-1 and playing close to some of his best snooker. The Welshman took the first couple of frames to stamp his authority early and put the Iranian under pressure in his first ranking semi-final. When Hossein's chance came to score in the next, he made 56 but it was not enough to get a frame on the scoreboard. The chance came to Williams and with a clearance of 62, he dealt a huge blow to the hopes of his 22-year-old opponent.

In the frame before the mid-session interval the three times China Open champion really turned on the style with a magnificent break of 103, cruising at this stage into a 4-0 lead. A break of 52 in the fifth pushed that lead to 5-0 and put him one away from a place in the final. Hossein did get on the scoreboard, and in some style too as he notched up a very fluent 98 break to show us all some of the brilliant snooker that got him into the last four this week. However, any hopes of a mammoth comeback were soon extinguished as Williams compiled a 69 break to kill the match off. The win now means that Williams is only one win away from regaining his place in the top 16 as an automatic qualifier for the World Championships, a win which would send his fellow Welshman Ryan Day to Ponds Forge for a potential three match qualifying stint. If he were to take the title, it would be his first full ranking event win since the 2011 German Masters, over six years ago.

Mark Selby was the man he beat in that German Masters final 6 years ago, and he will be his opponent on this occasion after winning a quality contest against Kyren Wilson. A break of 61 helped Selby to the opener, and after a fairly even start, he managed to take a narrow frame before the interval and take a 3-1 lead into that break. Although, Wilson was able to re-group making a break of 64 in the fifth and a magnificent 130 in the sixth to level the match up at 3-3. Then it was Selby who had to gather himself together after being shut out since the intermission, when his chance came in the seventh he put together a good break of 80 to move in front once more. Wilson was able to hit back once more with a 68 helping towards the eighth frame to level the match at 4-4 and ensure a tense finish. Selby needed a couple of chances to take the ninth, but once he did he was a frame away from the winning line, and making sure that he was never behind in the match. Like all great champions do, Selby was able to finish the match straight away and in doing so, he made his highest break of the match with a 93 to kill the match of in one visit and secure a 6-4 win.

The Final (Best-of-19 frames)

Mark Selby Vs Mark Williams (First session - 7am UK time, Second session - 12.30pm UK time)

For Mark Selby tomorrow would mean another title and a further extension of his lead at the top of the world rankings. It would also be a big confidence boost for his defence of the world title which is now just around the corner. It would also mean he would be the player trying to be the first ever to win the World Championships having won the China Open, with the tournament in Beijing being the last before all eyes turn to the Crucible.

As for Mark Williams he is hoping to be at the Crucible, without having to go through three rounds of World Championship qualifying at Ponds Forge. Only a win tomorrow would do the job of relegating his fellow countryman Ryan Day to the qualifiers instead. As I have mentioned though it would also be Williams first full ranking title for over six years and that in itself would make it a brilliant win.

Selby scored very heavily at the start of the week, and after a scrappy game against Andrew Higginson which he could easily have lost, he was back in fine form against Kyren Wilson who proved a very tough opponent once again. Selby will be the favourite to win, but Williams will surely be inspired by the extra carrot that is waiting for him.

It seemed as though he was sensing his opportunity in the semi-finals against Hossein as he really stepped up his scoring and was at his fluent best at points in the match. He played pretty well against Shaun Murphy earlier in the week, and his comeback against John Higgins was an excellent performance. I think this match is going to go right down to the wire just to add even more to the tension and it will be interesting to see if Williams is able to put Crucible qualification out of his mind and just play. Having come this far though, he will be desperate to finish the job and beating Selby to do so would be an even bigger statement.

Friday, 31 March 2017

Hossein Vafei surprises Judd Trump to make China Open semi-finals

Hossein Vafei has beaten defending China Open champion Judd Trump 5-3 in the quarter-finals to move into the last four and complete his best ever ranking event performance, and there could yet be more to come.

The win also moves Hossein into the top 64 on the provisional end of season rankings, meaning that he would stay on tour without having to go back to £0 and start afresh with a new two year card, if he can stay out. The Iranian made two centuries, one in frame four to lead 3-1 and the other in frame seven to re-take the lead at 4-3, after Trump had pegged him back.

Home favourite Ding Junhui was also shown the exit as Kyren Wilson took him apart 5-1. Wilson won four frames in a row from 1-1 to complete victory, with the key frame seemingly being the fifth following the interval. A very nice clearance from Wilson saw him steal it on the black, to stop Ding getting back to 2-3 and instead move 4-1 ahead, a massive difference over the best-of-9 frames.

Wilson will now take on the world champion Mark Selby, as he ended Stephen Maguire's hopes of returning to the top 16 and qualifying automatically for the world championships. Maguire needed to win the tournament, and a victory here would have been massive to achieving that but it was not to be for the Scot who did have his fair share of chances. Big chances in frame two and frame three came and went, and Maguire could and probably should have won both of them but having also lost the opener, found himself 3-0 adrift. Maguire just about managed to hang on and take the fourth to get on the board, but breaks of 76 and 72 after the break from Selby were enough to seal a 5-1 win.

The final man that can steal the 16th automatic Crucible qualification spot from Ryan Day is fellow Welshman Mark Williams. The two time world champion came back from 4-1 down yesterday against John Higgins to keep his hopes alive, and today he strengthened those hopes with a 5-1 win against Shaun Murphy. Murphy took the opener, and looked in control in the second until missing a relatively simple red. Despite it being early in the match that may have proved to be the turning point as Williams won that frame and then stole the next on the black. He took control by dominating the fourth to lead 3-1 at the break, and Murphy could not muster a comeback on this occasion as Williams controlled frame five and completed victory with the help of a 52 break in the sixth.

Semi-Finals Draw:

Mark Williams Vs Hossein Vafei
Mark Selby Vs Kyren Wilson

Hossein Vafei has been the surprise package of the week, getting to his first semi-final and beating Joe Perry and Judd Trump along the way. In the process he has climbed into the top 64 which is a great effort considering how unlikely that has looked at times for him. He has played very well and seems to score heavily every time I see him. By no means is this going to be an easy ride for Mark Williams over the best-of-11 frames, just because it is the Iranian's first major semi-final.

Mark Williams will be desperate to win the event now, having made it this far. Taking the title would mean he avoids having to go to Ponds Forge and would steal the sixteenth automatic Crucible seeding but that is still far from easy from here. The stats would show that he has still not been scoring heavily, in fact his highest break (and only break above 50) against Shaun Murphy was a 52 in the final frame. Hossein seemed unfazed playing on the TV against Trump and showed what it meant to beat him at the end with a big celebration. If he can come back down from that win then there is no reason why he could not add Williams to his list of scalps.

In the second semi-final, Kyren Wilson has gone relatively under the radar to this point, having only been on TV once but he has found his form at the right time. Convincing wins over Stuart Bingham and Ding Junhui in the last two rounds will certainly give him a lot of confidence to take on Selby. Wilson's only ranking title has come in China, while his only other ranking final was against Anthony McGill in India this season, so he clearly enjoys playing in Asia. The only time he and Selby have played since that breakthrough win in Shanghai, was at last years world championships in the quarter-finals, where Selby won 13-8. Selby got off to a flying start in that game, and to avoid defeat over a much shorter format by comparison, Wilson cannot let that happen again.

Mark Selby has gone about his business pretty well this week. Important steals against Maguire today made that a much easier afternoon than it might have been. He was able to scrap over the line against Andrew Higginson in the last 16 when he could not repeat the heavy scoring form of his first two or three matches against easier option. A top player is yet to stand up to him this week, it could have been Maguire today, but I am sure Wilson will give him a much closer game having showed the abundance of confidence and big match nerve that he has in the past 18 months or so.

It is very much an exciting end to the week with plenty of big stories, and one not to be missed.

Thursday, 30 March 2017

Judd Trump makes 147 break as his China Open defence continues

Judd Trump continued his incredible form today in Beijing, as he made a maximum 147 break on the way to a 5-3 win over Tian Pengfei, seeing him into the quarter-finals. The defending champions big moment in frame five after the mid-session interval on the way to a 4-1 lead, and after a mini revival from his Chinese opponent he was able to get over the line in frame eight for victory.

Meanwhile, the last remaining Chinese player in the tournament is the Chinese number 1 himself, Ding Junhui after he dug in against Mark Joyce. Joyce beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-4 yesterday, and started strongly in this match taking an early 2-0 lead. Ding pegged him back to all square at 2-2 going into the interval, but Joyce led again at 3-2. In the end though, breaks of 62, 64 and 73 in the final three frames saw Ding turn it around as he proved just too strong in this 5-3 triumph.

There was also trouble for the world number one Mark Selby as he had to fight hard for his quarter-final spot, overcoming Andrew Higginson 5-4. Like Joyce, Higginson led 2-0 with breaks of 61 and 63, only for Selby to pull the match back to 2-2 at the interval, after winning a close fourth frame that seemed key at the time. Selby went ahead for the first time at 3-2, only for Higginson to take the next two frames and move one away from victory at 4-3. Chances came and went for the Widnes man in the last two frames, and the frustration showed as the world champion picked up the pieces.

Mark Williams kept his faint hopes of automatic world championship qualification alive with a comeback win against John Higgins. Williams needs to win the tournament to climb back into the top 16 and he certainly looked down and out at one stage in this match. When the Scot took a tight fifth frame on the black, it extended his lead to 4-1 and he was in full control. From here though, he only scored another 27 points in the match as he squandered another big lead, following an exit in the Players Championship 5-4 to Ding in a match he had led 4-0. Impressive fighting spirit from the Welshman saw him pile on the misery for Higgins with breaks of 60, 66 and 79 in the final three frames to complete the revival.

Williams will now meet Shaun Murphy who continued on his untroubled way through the draw so far, having only dropped four frames in three matches thus far. Today's win came 5-1 against another Welshman in Michael White.

Stephen Maguire's similarly low chances of automatic Crucible qualification are still going as he eased past Daniel Wells 5-1. He is in the same boat as Mark Williams, needing a tournament win to regain his top 16 ranking.

Kyren Wilson completed a 5-2 victory against Stuart Bingham with a match high break of 85, while Hossein Vafei Ayouri is on another strong run, with a 5-3 marathon win against Rory McLeod clinching his place in the last eight.

Quarter-Final Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Judd Trump Vs Hossein Vafei Ayouri
Shaun Murphy Vs Mark Williams
Ding Junhui Vs Kyren Wilson
Mark Selby Vs Stephen Maguire

Trump is playing so well, as his maximum today reiterated, and Hossein will probably not provide the opposition strong enough to beat him tomorrow. Also against the Iranian will be the fact that none of his matches have been on the TV, and his last couple have been lengthy affairs at that, while Trump has been on one of the two main tables for every game and it does make a difference at this level.

Shaun Murphy against Mark Williams could be a close contest. When they played recently in Gibraltar it went to a decider over the best-of-7 frames and I think it could go either way. Williams dug in well today against Higgins which will give him confidence, while Murphy has scored heavily this week so far and completed some easy enough victories. The form and scoring of this week and weeks previous may just favour Murphy on this occasion if he can keep it up.

Ding Junhui has been going really strongly this week, and in a similar vein to Trump and Ayouri, it is worth noting that Ding has had each of his four matches this week (with the hold over match) on the main table and Wilson has been on the outside for his three games. Wilson has been playing well though having defeated Bingham and coming through a quality contest against Xiao Guodong already. He knows what it takes to beat Ding on the big stage in China, having done so at this stage of the 2015 Shanghai Masters when he ran out the eventual winner. His form leading up to Beijing may not have been the best but that has not stopped him, though his biggest challenge here may be keeping up with Ding's heavy scoring if the home favourite is at his strongest.

Finally, there is the small matter of the world champion Mark Selby against the 2008 China Open winner Stephen Maguire. Maguire continued his fine form this week, backing the two centuries against Li Hang in the last 32 up with another against Daniel Wells in the last 16. Mark Selby was a lucky boy today because Higginson could, and probably should, have sent him home. The last couple of times these two have played on the big stage, it was Maguire who took the spoils and if his major strength of heavy scoring carries on, he may add another win to that list. His form in China, as I have repeated all week, has appeared stronger in China over recent times and he is not even playing as well as he did when he flew into the Shanghai Masters semi-finals in September.

These quarter-finals remain over the best-of-9 frames to set-up the line-up for the semi-finals when the tournament will get down to one table over the weekend.

Wednesday, 29 March 2017

Mark Joyce sends Ronnie O'Sullivan out of the China Open

Mark Joyce has beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 32 of the China Open, to send one of the favourites home for the biggest shock of day three. Once again though, defending champion Judd Trump and World Champion Mark Selby made it through with comfort.

Despite two centuries from O'Sullivan, Joyce scored heavily making a break of 137 to win the seventh frame and give him a 4-3 advantage before he eventually won the match in a tense decider.

Mark Selby made another century break on the way to a simple 5-1 win over Martin O'Donnell, putting the World Champion into the last 16. Judd Trump went one better as he overcame Eden Sharav 5-0, despite not repeating his heavy scoring from the first two days.

Home favourite Ding Junhui was also a 5-0 winner, beating fellow Chinese player Zhou Yuelong with two century breaks as he also continued his dominant start to the week. Shaun Murphy added another century to his three from the last 64 on the way to a 5-1 win against Gary Wilson, while John Higgins beat Mark Davis 5-2 and Mark Williams was also a 5-2 winner against Michael Holt.

There was an exit though for Ali Carter who lost out 5-3 Michael White in a closely fought encounter. As for qualifying for the World Championships, Martin Gould will now be heading to Ponds Forge for a potential three matches of qualifying after he fell 5-3 against Tian Pengfei. So will Ricky Walden, who needed to make the final this week to get back into the top 16, after he surrendered a 4-1 advantage to lose 5-4 against Andrew Higginson.

Last 32 Results:

Judd Trump 5-0 Eden Sharav
Tian Pengfei 5-3 Martin Gould
Rory McLeod 5-3 Mike Dunn
Hossein Vafei Ayouri 5-4 Ben Woollaston
Shaun Murphy 5-1 Gary Wilson
Michael White 5-3 Ali Carter
Mark Williams 5-2 Michael Holt
John Higgins 5-2 Mark Davis
Stuart Bingham 5-2 Noppon Saengkham
Kyren Wilson 5-2 Sanderson Lam
Mark Joyce 5-4 Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ding Junhui 5-0 Zhou Yuelong
Daniel Wells 5-2 Matthew Stevens
Stephen Maguire 5-3 Li Hang
Andrew Higginson 5-4 Ricky Walden
Mark Selby 5-1 Martin O'Donnell

Last 16 Draw: (Picks in Bold)

Judd Trump Vs Tian Pengfei
Rory McLeod Vs Hossein Vafei Ayouri
Shaun Murphy Vs Michael White
John Higgins Vs Mark Williams
Stuart Bingham Vs Kyren Wilson
Ding Junhui Vs Mark Joyce
Stephen Maguire Vs Daniel Wells
Mark Selby Vs Andrew Higginson

Judd Trump is still flying having only dropped one frame across three matches this week and I expect him to breeze through against Tian Pengfei tomorrow as well. Hossein Vafei Ayouri has had two impressive victories over Joe Perry and Ben Woollaston and seems to be in great form. His opponent Rory McLeod played well to beat Liang Wenbo in round one and is no easy opponent so that should still be a close encounter.

Shaun Murphy and Michael White could be similarly close with both players scoring very well. They each made three centuries in the last 64, while White has already seen off Ali Carter this week so he must be in good form. John Higgins has looked very strong in his two matches so far, and I think he will overcome Mark Williams who looks like having to go to World Championship qualifying after his slip down the rankings.

In the bottom half, Stuart Bingham has not had too many problems yet, while Kyren Wilson saw off a tricky Sanderson Lam in the last 32 - with Lam seeming to get in first in most of the frames I saw on live scores. That could be another close encounter. Ding Junhui has been scoring very heavily and how close this match becomes may come down to whether Joyce can come back up after the O'Sullivan win.

Stephen Maguire proved the point I continue to make about his form in China, as he made two centuries against Li Hang and he will be very tough for Daniel Wells to beat in the last 16. Wells beat Stevens 5-2 in a match where the highest break from either player was a 51 from Stevens (the only 50+ contribution of the game). Mark Selby has also been in great shape this week and he is certainly the favourite in this final quarter. He know plays escape artist Andrew Higginson who came from 4-1 behind against Ricky Walden, as well as being quite a few points behind in frame seven and 47 points adrift in the deciding frame.

Cue Action

Sunday, 9 April 2017

Reanne Evans stars in round one of World qualifiers

Tuesday, 4 April 2017

World Championship Qualifiers Preview

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Sunday, 2 April 2017

INTERVIEW: Robbie Williams talks all things snooker

Saturday, 1 April 2017

Mark Williams and Mark Selby to contest China Open final

Friday, 31 March 2017

Hossein Vafei surprises Judd Trump to make China Open semi-finals

Thursday, 30 March 2017

Judd Trump makes 147 break as his China Open defence continues

Wednesday, 29 March 2017

Mark Joyce sends Ronnie O'Sullivan out of the China Open

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