LIVE BLOG: Tian Pengfei vs Cao Yupeng

Cao Yupeng 6-5 Tian Pengfei - What a match this was and what bottle Cao Yupeng showed at the end. The punch of the table as he potted match ball showed just how much frustration had been boiling up from how his lead had slipped and how he lost last week in Belfast. Unlucky for Tian though who could easily have won the first two frames after the interval but lost them both.

Great chance now for Cao. The last couple of reds are out in the open and he clears them well and with the colours on their spots he should clear and win here

Both players have had early chances in the decider that did not come to much but Cao had a decent chance until missing with the rest, and leaving the chance for Tian. He is straight into the pack off the first black in the break and now has the reds nicely open but just couldn't hold onto position. Frame in the balance with six reds left.

Frame 11 - Worth remembering that in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open Cao lost from 3-0 ahead, 4-3 to Li Hang so he's going to be under huge pressure here to make sure he doesn't lose from being way in front again.

Frame Tian - A very poor safety has cost Cao here. Already trailing by so much he couldn't afford that and an additional 36 from Tian has forced the decider from 5-2 adrift. 5-5

Frame 10 - Tian has a 49 point lead early in this frame though most of that has come from a snooker laid in the early stages. Reds are going scrappy though so could be a valuable lead and a long frame coming up.

Frame Tian - These last two frames from Tian Pengfei have really been excellent. After the break of 92 in the eighth he has followed it up as I suggested he would. A timely 88 and Tian has quickly clawed his way back to just one frame behind. 5-4 Cao

Frame 9 - Fantastic long pot gets Tian in first in frame nine and with the pack of reds open this is certainly a good scoring chance. After his good break in the last he may well have another here.

Frame Tian - Tian is looking a lot more relaxed now as he stares defeat in the face. A very quick and composed break of 92 has reduced the deficit. 5-3 Cao

Frame 8 - Tian has a mountain to climb here but all great comebacks have to start somewhere. After Cao missed early in the frame Tian is swiftly into the fifties and looking like pegging a frame back.

Frame Cao - The break ends at 72 for Cao with nine reds and nine blacks. There was still 75 remaining when he missed and Tian had a brief chance but missed the black from his first red and conceded as he required snookers. 5-2 Cao

Frame 7 - Looking to seize the moment here, Cao Yupeng has the first chance following an error from Tian and he's taking advantage so far. With his break into the forties he'll be hoping to clinch this in one visit and not let Tian do what Cao has done to him in the last two frames.

Frame Cao - A bad way to lose a frame again for Tian. He took a handy lead on to the colours but gave away a couple of fouls on the green attempting to escape from a good snooker Cao laid. Tian did pot the green in the end but could not land on the brown and when Cao's chance came soon after he cleared the four remaining colours to double his lead. 4-2 Cao

Tian ended up missing on 55 and leaving a chance for Cao, but the safe reds have saved Tian from seeing another big clearance from his opponent and with three reds left he still has a very handy lead.

Frame 6 - Tian in first again in frame six and needs to take advantage this time. Into the forties with a few reds open that could see him clinch the frame at this visit.

Frame Cao - As expected there was to be no mistake from Cao as he clears with a break of 69 to go back in front. 3-2 Cao

Tian missed the black off it's spot on 47 and now Cao is on the counter. Looking good so far, red on the side cushion is going to be the big hurdle. He's decided to bring out with a cannon and now looks set with the balls positioned nicely to clear.

Frame 5 - Back from the interval in this all-Chinese clash and Tian has the first good chance of the frame. He's building a decent lead with a few reds open but will need to get into the pack to win it at this visit.

Frame Tian - After missing an earlier chance when he couldn't negotiate position from green to brown, Tian had another chance when Cao later missed the blue, clearing to pinch the frame and square the match again. 2-2

Cao missed again in the 40's, on 48 this time with a red to the middle and a couple of shots later Tian played a beautiful red into the yellow pocket and is now taking out Cao's lead. Last three reds difficultly placed though and he's had to play safe on 43 just five points adrift.

Frame 4 - Great chance being forged here in frame four by Cao who will be happy to have won the last frame. Having got to 40 and gotten the pack open this is a great chance to lead at the mid-session interval.

Frame Cao - A lot happening at the end of frame three there. A long battle on the green saw a frustrating miss for Tian followed by a Cao mis-cue. That left Tian a golden chance but he didn't land nicely on the pink, and went in-off trying to go around the table for the black. From ball in hand Cao cut the pink in to take a long frame. 2-1 Cao

Cao's initial break ended on 43 and after a period of safety Tian is in now with the chance for a clearance. He's not on the final red but has a nice safety and has drawn the scores even after that contribution.

Frame 3 - Cao in first this time and into the 30's. A few reds open for him here but will probably need to get into the pack again to win the frame at this visit.

Frame Tian - An additional 46 to go with the earlier 32 is more than enough for Tian to level this match and already you can tell we have two players in good form here. 1-1

Frame 2 - Tian was in first with 32 before going into the reds from a red and not landing nicely on a colour. He snookered Cao behind the black though and the resulting escape left Tian another chance and he'll be hoping to level the match from here.

Frame Cao - A break of 60 in his laid back manner is enough for Cao Yupeng to take the first frame against Tian Pengfei. Cao sporting some sparkly shoes tonight that wouldn't look out of place on Strictly Come Dancing. 1-0 Cao

Frame 1 - After an early chance each, Cao is in now with a good scoring chance and with the form he has been in he would certainly hope to win the frame at this visit.

Call me dedicated but I'm ready to go again. Didn't want to miss this clash that could be key down the line in the battle for tour survival. Tian Pengfei was a quarter-finalist last week in Belfast while Cao Yupeng has been a semi-finalist this season. Should be a cracker.

Also in the sports hall we have Yu De Lu against Ian Preece on the next table, Yan Bingtao makes his return on table 7 while David Grace and Jak Jones is on table 8 at the far end.

LIVE BLOG: Rory McLeod vs Zhao Xintong

Zhao Xintong 6-5 Rory McLeod - Zhao potted the difficult brown but left the cue ball close to the rail and missed the blue. McLeod then missed his chance and Zhao potted an excellent blue for the match. A well deserved win for the young man.

Zhao wins the long battle on the final three reds by thundering in a long red to give himself the chance to clear. He pots the final three reds but will need the brown on the side cushion

McLeod runs out of position but gets another chance soon after. However he can only build a 15 point lead before missing an easy enough third to last red. Nothing left for Zhao though so an important safety battle in progress.

McLeod misses a red and leaves it in the jaws but the path for Zhao looks blocked. He thought he could get through but hits the blocking two reds first and now McLeod has a great chance to make him pay for that error in judgement.

Decider - A nervy start to the final frame and a McLeod mis-cue personifies that. However, Zhao hasn't been able to take full advantage yet but does have an early lead with eight reds remaining.

Frame McLeod - Decider coming up then after McLeod's fluke on the final red. Surprised he's been able to come back after Zhao got on a nice run to go 5-3 ahead. Also the final match left this afternoon and I'm the last person in the sports hall watching

Both players have had chances in this frame. McLeod leads by 18 as they battle on the final red. The colours are all in the open so it really is all on the red - and McLeod flukes it.

A missed red to the middle for McLeod has produced a chance for Zhao now. Plenty of reds in the open but still one or two on cushions that could stop him winning the match at this visit.

Frame 10 - We could be going the distance here. After a scrappy start to the frame McLeod is in but again he cannot take advantage. Still a long way to go before this frame is settled.

Frame McLeod - A run of 40 did not get it done and he needed two more chances thereafter but McLeod finally gets frame nine on the board and closes the gap to just one. 5-4 Zhao

A nice snooker from McLeod has given him the next chance of frame nine and it's a good one. Plenty of reds open as he edges ahead in the frame and really he should be able to close the gap to 5-4 here.

Frame 9 - Things have really gotten away from McLeod here and Zhao has his tail up. The left hander has the first chance in the ninth, only needing one frame for victory here. He misses a tough pot on 22 though after going into the reds. Could have been a match winner had it gone in.

Frame Zhao - A run of 47 from Zhao to the green looks like being enough to open up a two frame advantage, barring a series of snookers. 5-3 Zhao

Zhao's earlier break was ended when he missed the pack looking to go into them. A safety error from McLeod though has given him another decent chance as he aims to go two frames clear.

Frame 8 - McLeod has been good from long range today and is so again at the start of the eighth. His break gets up to 23 before he plays a red and screwing back off the pack he goes in-off in the middle. Zhao then pots his own long red and is in now.

Frame Zhao - No messing around from the young Chinese player and he takes the great scoring chance he calved for himself. A break of 82 that was easy on the eye edges him ahead once more. 4-3 Zhao

Frame 7 - Zhao is in first in the seventh after narrowly losing the previous frame and has built a good scoring chance here. The frame looks there for the taking as the break moves into the 50's.

After fluking the final red and only being able to pot the green, Zhao can only tie as he and McLeod play safe on the yellow. Rory leaves the yellow on for Zhao who pots it and snookers McLeod on the green. From there he misses and leaves Zhao a chance to clear up and win but a miss with the rest on the pink ends that hope and after more safety McLeod pots the pink from range. 3-3

Zhao gets a chance to counter with four reds left, potting the first two and then fluking the next when trying to play safe. He misses the following black and after a missed double from McLeod the pair are battling it out on this final red with McLeod 31 in front.

Frame 6 - McLeod looking to get back into this after losing the last three frames and he has a good opportunity to do that here. Zhao's snooker escape left McLeod in and he's looking good until screwing in-off in the middle. Nothing left but a risky red for Zhao though which he misses and leaves safe. A second McLeod in-off just after could prove costly though as Zhao finds a good red from range but misses the black and McLeod will be relieved to be back in now.

Frame Zhao McLeod could not land on a red after going into the cluster of three and a poor safety to follow allows Zhao the red he needed for the frame. 3-2 Zhao

Zhao makes the highest break of the match so far at 62 but isn't over the line in this frame yet. His miss into the baulk pocket and a pot into the opposite one from McLeod has given him the chance to counter. Three reds bunched in the middle of the table need seeing to but no balls on cushions.

Frame 5 - Back from the interval and it's Zhao with the first opportunity after McLeod leaves on the long red he went for. After taking the last two frames Zhao will be looking to kick on now.

Frame Zhao - A miss from range on the final red from Zhao isn't punished, and McLeod's subsequent miss leaves Zhao the opening needed with all the colours in the middle of the table to clear and square this match at the mid-session break. 2-2

McLeod missed when in on 34 in the end and despite two decent chances since from Zhao, the elder player of the two still holds a slender lead in the frame and has now knocked in another good long red to give himself a decent chance, but wobbles the next red in the jaws of the middle. A good opportunity for Zhao now, but he can only make 6 before missing.

Frame 4 - First chance to McLeod at the beginning of frame four. Looks a decent one too and McLeod will be looking to beat his highest break of the match so far which from memory isn't all that high.

Frame Zhao - Eventually after the tip tapping in the corner pocket it's McLeod who makes the error, knocking the black in and leaving the frame open for Zhao who with both reds over the pocket and colours in the open, does more than enough to get his opening frame. 2-1 McLeod

Zhao has played a brilliant safety here. With one red already tied to the black over the corner pocket, Zhao has played the other one very close to it and gotten the full distance of the table between cue ball and object ball(s). McLeod plays a good return after two misses and now a bizarre re-rack could take place even.

McLeod misses a red along the cushion with a 33 point lead and Zhao set about clawing that back. Despite an eventual missed black he left the final two reds safe and is now only 11 behind. Still struggling with the cough though. Has just had to come up off a shot because of it.

Run of the ball hasn't helped Zhao thus far. McLeod missed on 18 but left nothing, but a long pot from the Chinese youngster shortly after has forced an opening now. He can only make 8 however before missing the pink and McLeod is back in, lots of safe reds though at the moment.

Frame 3 - I said this match would be a clash of styles and so far I've been right. McLeod has really got a hold of this game and is in the mood to grind Zhao down. A slightly rash shot from Zhao is perhaps a sign of frustration and has left McLeod in with the first good chance of the third frame.

Frame McLeod - Zhao pots a good brown from range but cannons the black on the side cushion and ends up snookered on the blue behind it. He misses the blue completely and leaves it on and that is enough for McLeod to close out the second frame. 2-0

McLeod is winning the big battles so far. He wins the safety on the final red but misses the green so only leads by seven with those five colours remaining.

McLeod reduces the gap to just six before missing a tricky pink in the middle. Doesn't leave either of the two remaining reds on though and an important safety battle is ongoing.

Zhao makes a swift 38 but breaks down after failing to get into the cluster of three reds in the middle of the table while the other three reds were on cushions. A good long red and blue to follow have now given McLeod the chance to reduce the deficit in this frame.

Bit of safety at the start of frame two and it's McLeod that makes the error to leave Zhao in who seems to be coughing more and more out here. Needs to take these sort of opportunities and avoid Rory dragging him down

Frame 2 - Worth noting that there seems to be some air con on in the arena. No idea why as it's absolutely freezing and it's nicely dried my throat. Wondering if the same has happened to Zhao who was coughing a lot during the first frame and may perhaps not be 100%.

Snookers needed for Zhao now after McLeod pots the yellow. Otherwise the first frame is McLeods. 1-0 McLeod

McLeod misses a chance at frame ball black and Zhao nicely rolls the last red in down the cushion. The yellow was also safe though and that's where the next battle lies. All other colours in the middle of the table.

Both players have had half chances here but there are a lot of safe reds here. Last three reds all safe and McLeod lays a snooker with a 19 point lead.

McLeod broke down on 19 and took a long red into the green pocket knowing that was the only red he could leave. He did leave it but Zhao missed the following black. Safety now.

Frame 1 - It's taken all of 25 seconds for the first pot in the match as Zhao plays a lovely long red but then misses a thin cut on his next red. Chance now for McLeod.

Setting up for the first afternoon session here at the UK Championships. Some good matches coming up this afternoon but my focus will be on Rory McLeod and Zhao Xintong.

A real clash of styles awaits in this best of 11 and it's going to be fascinating to see who gets off to a good start early.

I will also have half an eye on the other matches this afternoon, including Fang Xiomgman and Mike Dunn on the neighbouring table.

UK Championship Last 128 Preview

The first Triple Crown event of the season gets underway on Tuesday with 128 players flocking to the Barbican in York for the first round of the UK Championships.

64 matches will take place over the course of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as the field is cut down to 64 for the start of the TV stages on the BBC on Saturday. As you would expect, all of the top players will be in action. Mark Selby begins the defence of his title on Wednesday night, while Ronnie O'Sullivan will be the big draw on Thursday evening when he faces Jackson Page and Ding Junhui will be the first top name in action on Tuesday afternoon.

As always for the early rounds in York there will be four tables in the main arena and four tables in the Sports Hall. There have been complaints from players in the past about having to play in the back room, but while 128 players come to the venue each year, this is something that will continue to happen.

Given the seeding structure for the UK Championships with seed 1 playing seed 128 and seed 64 playing seed 65 and so on, this could provide a good marker halfway through the season for players who are going to be battling for tour survival when World Championship qualifying gets underway in April. Right now it's as tight as you would expect around the 64 line on the provisional end of season  ranking list, with plenty of players having a lot of work to do to get out of trouble.

Given that I will be able to see the players up close this week, a full preview with players to watch for the tournament will be on the blog on Friday ahead of the last 64 beginning. Here though is the draw and some information on some matches to look out for this week:

Quarter 1

Last 128 Draw: (Picks in bold)

Mark Selby Vs Basem Eltahhan 

Scott Donaldson Vs John Astley 

Li Hang Vs Gerard Greene 

Robert Milkins Vs Chen Zhe

Mark Williams Vs Paul Davison 

Andrew Higginson Vs Sam Craigie

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Vs Elliot Slessor

Ryan Day Vs Jamie Barrett 

Neil Robertson Vs Rod Lawler

Gary Wilson Vs Ken Doherty

Mark Joyce Vs Thor Chuan Leong

David Gilbert Vs Chris Keogan 

Anthony Hamilton Vs Lu Haotian 

Peter Ebdon Vs Allan Taylor

Rory McLeod Vs Zhao Xintong

Marco Fu Vs Nigel Bond 

Scott Donaldson is still searching for his first win of the season as he takes on John Astley, and despite making the semi-finals of the Welsh Open in February he could still drop off of the tour, currently sitting at 61st on the provisional EOS list.

Sam Craigie had a nice run to the last 16 in Belfast recently and was scoring very heavily there. He now takes on Andrew Higginson in round one in what should be a good contest and one that will feature on the live blog coverage on Thursday morning.

Gary Wilson faces Ken Doherty for the third time this season, with Doherty winning the previous two in the last 128 of the China Championship and the last 64 of the Riga Masters. Doherty made the last 32 in Belfast while Wilson made it to the last 16 and if both are in good form this should be a good contest.

Semi-finalist in the Northern Ireland Open Elliot Slessor will be in action in an exciting looking round one match with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. It'll be interesting to see how Un-Nooh plays given some of his inconsistency and Slessor will be confident after his great run last week.

Zhao Xintong and Rory McLeod's match is certainly a clash of styles and I think the opening four frames of this best-of-11 will be key to the contest, to see who gets on top early on. If Zhao is allowed to score and can score heavily then he will most likely come on top, but McLeod will be the stronger tactically and if he can grind down frames against the Chinese youngster then he could be a comfortable winner. McLeod's form has not been great though this season and Zhao looked good in parts of the Northern Irish Open, but he needs to keep that going to get into the top 64 at the end of the season. 

Quarter 2

Last 128 Draw: (Picks in bold)

Shaun Murphy Vs Hamza Akbar

Daniel Wells Vs Liam Highfield 

Jimmy Robertson Vs Alex Borg

Alan McManus Vs Robin Hull 

Kyren Wilson Vs Sean O'Sullivan 

Yu De Lu Vs Ian Preece

Jamie Jones Vs Craig Steadman 

Ricky Walden Vs Duane Jones

Luca Brecel Vs Soheil Vahedi

Sam Baird Vs Aditya Mehta

Mike Dunn Vs Fang Xiongman 

Mark King Vs Boonyarit Kaettikun

Yan Bingtao Vs Zhang Yong

Ben Woollaston Vs Li Yuan

Tian Pengfei Vs Cao Yupeng

John Higgins Vs Chris Totten

Shaun Murphy will be looking to get off to a convincing start in this year's UK Championship as he faces Hamza Akbar. Murphy made hard work of a simple enough looking last 128 match in York last year, falling 3-1 behind to Itaro Santos before winning 6-3. The same story for Murphy was told at the same stage in 2014 when he was 3-1 behind at the interval to James Wattana though eventually ran out a 6-3 winner there too.

Liam Highfield is currently the man sitting in 65th on the provisional EOS money list, just £1,200 behind 64th placed Cao Yupeng. A nice run to the last 16 in Belfast helped boost Highfield there and with £5,000 for making it through to the last 64, this is a big opportunity for Highfield and players in a similar area of the rankings. He faces Daniel Wells who is an equally dangerous player, and I think this may well be a very close match-up.

Robin Hull faces Alan McManus in another of the matches I have on my list to live blog while in York this week. Given the seeding of 28 for McManus this week, it is amazing to think he is danger of dropping off the tour at the end of the season. His ranking is largely swayed by a run to the 2015 World Championship semi-finals and although he is £6,500 clear of 65th place on the EOS list a defeat to Hull could soon drag him into danger. Hull has overcome Zhou Yuelong twice in the last month in the last 128 of the International Championship and on the way to the last 32 in Belfast, where he narrowly fell short against Ryan Day. After a slow start to the season, it looks as though Hull is beginning to find a bit of form and with his scoring power that makes him very dangerous here.

Ian Preece is an interesting player to look at, coming into the last 128 here against Yu De Lu. Despite not managing to get past the last 64 stage in any tournament, a 4-1 loss to Jamie Barrett in Northern Ireland was only his third at the last 128 stage in ten events this season. Yu has not had any great runs either this season despite only losing in the last 128 three times from the nine events he has played this season so both players could use a big run here.

Sam Baird is another player in real danger of dropping off tour. He currently lies 70th on the provisional end of season money rankings, nearly £6,000 off the pace which almost makes this a must win game against Aditya Mehta. Baird has failed to win a match since early September's Indian Open where he beat Mark Davis in the last 64. Mehta himself though needs a massive run in a competition between now and the end of the season to stay on the tour without heading to Q School in May. The Indian has actually won the exact same amount of money as Baird so far in this campaign, despite a run to the last 16 at the English Open, having also come lost in the last 128 on 6 of 10 occasions in the 2017/2018 campaign.

Tian Pengfei and Cao Yupeng is another match I am looking to live blog, with this one falling on Tuesday evening. The pair are place precariously at 63rd and 64th on the provisional end of season money list despite decent seasons so far. They struggled in the 2016/2017 campaign, but Cao is 22nd on the money list for this season so far, while Tian is just inside the top 50. Cao's position is built on good runs in consecutive tournaments making the World Open last 16 and European Masters semi-finals, while Tian Pengfei narrowly missed out on making the semi-finals last week in Belfast.

After a run to the quarter-finals of the Northern Ireland Open where he only lost out in a deciding frame, it will also be of interest to see how Li Yuan follows that up when he faces Ben Woollaston here. 

Quarter 3

Last 128 Draw: (Picks in bold) 

Judd Trump Vs Matthew Bolton

Chris Wakelin Vs Lee Walker

Dominic Dale Vs Adam Duffy 

Graeme Dott Vs Josh Boileau

Liang Wenbo Vs Sanderson Lam

Stuart Carrington Vs Mitchell Mann

David Grace Vs Jak Jones

Stephen Maguire Vs Yuan Sijun

Joe Perry Vs Billy Castle 

Jack Lisowski Vs Wang Yuchen

Kurt Maflin Vs Alexander Ursenbacher

Ali Carter Vs Jimmy White 

Zhou Yuelong Vs Peter Lines

Mark Davis Vs Xu Si

Oliver Lines Vs Mei Xiwen 

Mark Allen Vs Lukas Kleckers

Another big match in the early stages of looking at the tour survival battle is Chris Wakelin and Lee Walker. While Wakelin is actually well clear, Walker is 66th on the provisional end of season list and could really do with a victory here. Last time out in Belfast Walker lost a marathon five hour last 128 tie with Jak Jones, while Wakelin made it to the last 16 which has actually helped to put him out of danger. If Walker can take his scoring chances, this could well be quite an even contest and one that goes right to the wire.

David Grace and Jak Jones is another important tour survival game. Grace of course was a semi-finalist in York two years ago but has struggled so far this season and is now 71st on the end of season rankings. That will largely be because of performances that only put him 89th on the money list for the first half of the 2017/2018 campaign having earned as little as £11,600 having only won 3 of his 10 last 128 matches in this time. In Jak Jones he faces someone almost certain to fall from the tour at the end of the season which tells you what you need to know about his form, so this for Grace is an opportunity he must take to get some money in the bank.

Given the seeding structure of the event, it is rare to see too many surprise results involving top players in the first round but I have picked out a possible one as Stephen Maguire faces young Yuan Sijun. Yuan is a hugely dangerous player as he showed by beating Shaun Murphy in the last 128 of the Shanghai Masters scoring heavily there. Despite making the final in the very first event of this season, Maguire has not been able to take this forward and has lost in the last 128 or last 64 of four out of eight events he has played since then.

Norweigian Kurt Maflin faces Switzerland's Alexander Ursenbacher in a nice heavy hitting European affair. Both players can score very heavily and have had good runs so far this season to show how dangerous they can be. For Maflin it was a run to the quarter-finals in Shanghai, while Ursenbacher impressed at the English Open in the semi-finals. Ursenbacher will now look to build on that while Maflin could be a danger man in the draw with his heavy scoring.

Oliver Lines and Mei Xiwen is also one that can have implications around the 64 mark at the end of the season. Mei is currently up to 67th in that regard after making the last 32 of the Northern Ireland Open and the last 16 in Shanghai in consecutive weeks. A win here would likely move him up a few spots also, while defeat for Lines could still see him dragged into things if other performances do not go his way between now and April. 

Quarter 4

Last 128 Draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Jackson Page

Alfie Burden Vs Michael Georgiou

Matthew Selt Vs Ian Burns

Michael White Vs Ross Muir

Barry Hawkins Vs Kurt Dunham

Matthew Stevens Vs Hammad Miah

Fergal O'Brien Vs Akani Songsermsawad

Michael Holt Vs Niu Zhuang

Martin Gould Vs Joe Swail 

Robbie Williams Vs Martin O'Donnell 

Hossein Vafei Vs James Wattana

Anthony McGill Vs Ashley Hugill

Tom Ford Vs Eden Sharav

Xiao Guodong Vs Chen Zifan

Noppon Saengkham Vs Zhang Anda

Ding Junhui Vs Leo Fernandez

An opportunity has been handed to Jackson Page after the withdrawal of Rhys Clark and he will face Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 128. O'Sullivan seemed less than happy about the new replacement rule when commenting on Twitter, suggesting he should have a walkover and he will need to be fully focused against young Page who could cause him a problem if O'Sullivan takes victory for granted.

A big match awaits between Alfie Burden and Michael Georgiou as both are in a battle for tour survival. Burden is 68th on the provisional end of season list while Georgiou is 73rd and both need a win here. Both have had similar seasons and are pretty evenly matched coming into this one.

Akani Songsermsawad has shown himself as a dangerous player this season and his match with Fergal O'Brien could prove to be an immense battle. Neither could be classed as quick players and match with that the fact I expect this to be a pretty close contest then you could have a match that may even be called back later in the day to finish. O'Brien has not had the best start ever to the season, though he will have good memories of an amazing last 64 performance that saw him make five centuries a year ago.

Robbie Williams and Martin O'Donnell also looks like a very even match and a tough one to call. Both have been in good form of late, O'Donnell making the last 16 of the International Championship before losing 6-5 despite three centuries, while Williams made the quarter-finals of the very same tournament. That of course was the other best-of-11 frame tournament on the calendar too so it offers a good marker of what could be to come for either player that wins this one in York.

York's own Ashley Hugill faces a very tough test against Anthony McGill, but don't be surprised if Hugill is boosted by the large support that he has and take out the Scotsman who could easily have lost in the first round at the UK Championships 12 months ago. 

The all-Chinese match between Xiao Guodong and Chen Zifan should be a very entertaining one as both looked in high scoring form in Belfast. Xiao has been in good form this season so far beating some top players in the best-of-7 frame tournaments, while Chen has been impressive whenever I have seen him. He was one of the best player's on show when I watched him get his tour card at Q School and has impressed since with victory over Barry Hawkins and a classy win against Shaun Murphy last week. This is sure to be one of my matches to watch in the UK Championships.


Be sure to keep an eye on the blog throughout this week, as I will be in York throughout the last 128 stages on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and will therefore have plenty of live blogs from the matches on the non-streamed tables.

The main two tables will be streamed on Eurosport Player over the course of the three days and there will be plenty of big names to see on there and on the remaining tables at the venue. 

Fantasy Snooker: UK Championship Info

The first double points event of Fantasy Snooker is upon us as the UK Championships start on Tuesday afternoon. The season's opening Triple Crown event brings with it an opportunity for all players to make big strides up the table.

Shocks galore meant that those with season picks on Yan Bingtao benefitted most in the Fantasy Table and that in itself has seen a new name take to the top of the league.

TY: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Zhang Anda   Points: 615  

PPS: Ding, Robertson x3, Higgins x2, Allen x2, Ding, Bingham, Selby, Trump, Murphy x2, Brecel, O’Sullivan (1 Captain Pick used)

Couge: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 609 

PPS: Williams x2, Ding x3, Murphy x2, Gilbert, Higgins x3, Bingham, Trump x2, Selby, O’Sullivan (1 Captain pick used)

Kellie Barker: SEASON: Jack Lisowski and Alex Ursenbacher   Points: 578   

PPS: Allen x2, Fu, Murphy, Higgins, Hawkins, Ding, Trump, Brecel, Carter, Bingtao, Selby, Wenbo, Williams, Robertson (1 Captain pick used)

Andy Brooker: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 564    

PPS: Carter, Day, Maguire, Bingham, Higgins x2, Williams x2, Trump, Yuelong, Hawkins, O’Sullivan x2, Ding, Allen, Robertson (1 Captain pick used)

Colin Delaney: SEASON: Ken Doherty and Yan Bingtao   Points: 504 

PPS: Higgins, Maguire, McGill, Allen, Hawkins x2, Ding x2, Trump x2, Brecel, Selby, Murphy, Gould, O’Sullivan, Lisowski (1 Captain Pick used)

Ben Summers: SEASON: Noppon Saengkham and Sam Craigie    Points: 485  

PPS: McGill x2, Day, Dott, Ding, Selby x2, Trump x2, Holt, Allen x2, O’Sullivan, Williams x2, Yuelong

Daniela Reich: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 463  

PPS: Ding, Fu, Murphy x2, Allen x2, Williams, K. Wilson, Trump x2, Day, Bingham, McGill, O’Sullivan, Selby, Wenbo

Protoursnooker: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Cao Yupeng    Points: 435   

PPS: Ding x2, Allen, Maguire, Murphy, Selby, Robertson, Higgins, Hawkins, O’Sullivan, Wenbo, Williams, Fu, Trump, Wilson, Carter (1 Captain Pick used)

Cluster of Reds: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and John Astley   Points: 430  

PPS: Ding, Perry, Allen x3, Ford, Hawkins, Fu, Trump x2, Brecel, Robertson, Williams, Gould, Murphy, O’Sullivan (1 Captain pick used)

Alex Abrahams: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and John Astley    Points: 428  

PPS: Carter, Fu, Murphy x2, Perry, Higgins, K. Wilson, Trump x2, Williams x2, Bingham, Ding, O’Sullivan, Selby, Wenbo (1 Captain pick used)

Munraj: SEASON: Jack Lisowski and Michael Georgiou   Points: 423 

PPS: Ding, Trump, Allen x2, Ford, Hawkins, Selby, Robertson, McGill x2, O’Sullivan, Wilson, Murphy, Wenbo, Gould, Guodong (1 Captain pick used)

Igor Snooker: SEASON: Matthew Stevens and Ken Doherty   Points: 416   

PPS: Ding, O’Sullivan, Maguire, Murphy, Fu, Selby, Robertson x2, McGill, Wilson, Williams x2, Allen x2, Bingtao, Carter (1 captain pick used)

Phil Mudd: SEASON: Jimmy Robertson and Sam Craigie   Points: 415  

PPS: Ding x2, Fu, Woollaston, Allen x2, Robertson, Williams x2, Brecel, Higgins, O’Sullivan, Selby, Gould, Wenbo (1 Captain pick used)

TungstenDarts: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 391 

PPS: Fu x3, Hawkins, McGill, Allen x2, Selby, Williams, Day, Gould, Trump x2, Ding, Robertson, O’Sullivan (1 Captain pick used)

John McBride: SEASON: Hossein Vafei and Sam Craigie   Points: 385  

PPS:  Holt, Liang x2, Bingham, King, Murphy, Trump, Allen x3, Selby x2, Hawkins, Williams, Lisowski, Robertson

D. Muckian: SEASON: Tian Pengfei and Zhang Anda    Points: 374  

PPS: Ding x2, Perry, Maguire, Allen X3, Williams x2, Lisowski, O’Sullivan, Wilson, Zhou, Gould (1 Captain pick used)

LTD: SEASON: Robert Milkins and Ken Doherty    Points: 366

PPS: Perry, Carter, Holt, Higgins x2, Hawkins x2, Maguire, Perry, Wilson x2, Wenbo, Selby, O’Sullivan, Robertson (1 Captain pick used)

Mark Taylor: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Sam Craigie    Points: 362   

PPS: Allen x2, Robertson, Maguire, Perry, Hawkins, Higgins, Wilson, Day, Selby x2, Trump, O’Sullivan, Murphy (2 Captain Picks used)

FAM147: SEASON: Zhao Xintong and Xiao Guodong   Points: 360   

PPS: Carter, Hawkins, Woollaston, Hossein, Bingham x2, Allen x2, Yuelong, Lisowski x2, Selby, Murphy, Trump, Akani, Robertson

Gary: SEASON: Ken Doherty and Yan Bingtao   Points: 333 

PPS: Carter, Robertson, Bingham, Gilbert, Fu, Higgins, Wilson, Day, Williams, Murphy, O’Sullivan, Selby

Kjetil: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and John Astley   Points: 329  

PPS: Carter, Perry, Woollaston, Dott, Fu, Allen x2, Xiwen, Gould, Bingham, O’Sullivan, Ding, Higgins, Akani, Lisowski

Matthew Lowson: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Alex Ursenbacher   Points: 321 

PPS: Ding x2, Fu, Maguire, Bingham, Hawkins, Brecel, Wilson, Selby, Higgins, Murphy x2, Trump, Williams, Bingtao, O’Sullivan (1 Captain pick used)

Anthony: SEASON: Xiao Guodong and Michael Georgiou   Points: 316 

PPS: Higgins x3, Day, Maguire, Murphy, Ding, King, Trump, Bingham, Williams, O’Sullivan, McGill, Selby, Allen

Beat the Boss (Me): SEASON: Hossein Vafei and Robin Hull   Points: 312 

PPS: Maguire, Holt, Allen x2, Ford, Fu, Williams, Robertson x2, Brecel, Murphy, Hawkins, Ding, Gould, Wenbo (1 Captain pick used)

GaryOnCue: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Sam Craigie   Points: 310  

PPS: Hawkins, Robertson, Maguire, Murphy x2, Ding x2, Selby, Higgins, Wilson, Allen x2, O’Sullivan, Williams, Gould, Day (1 Captain pick used)

Isitan Bakar: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Scott Donaldson   Points: 292 

PPS: Wenbo, Robertson x2, Murphy, Bingham x2, Ding x2, M. White, Higgins, Carter, Wilson, Allen, Trump

Rob Francis: SEASON: Mark Davis and Cao Yupeng   Points: 292 

PPS: Ding x3, Robertson, Murphy x3, Allen, Higgins x3, Wilson, Trump x2, Wilson, Williams (1 Captain pick used)

Voihelevettisua: SEASON: Xiao Guodong and John Astley   Points: 268  

PPS: Ding, Trump, Dott, Allen, Higgins, Murphy, Robertson, Allen, Selby, O’Sullivan

Don't forget, as this week is a double points event in it's own right, Captains picks cannot be used. Deadline for all picks is before the first session of last 128 matches on Tuesday 28th November at 2.30pm UK Time. 

Also, it is worth considering at the halfway point in the season now which players you have used already remembering you can only use each individual player three times over the course of the season. 

Finally, my "Beat the Boss" picks for this week are Mark Selby and Judd Trump 

Good luck everyone. 

Mark Williams favourite coming into Northern Ireland semi-finals

Mark Williams is into the semi-finals of the Northern Ireland Open after a crushing victory over Mike Dunn.

After a long opening semi-final, the two players were left waiting for hours before finally getting to play, and it was actually Dunn who took the opening frame of the contest. From there though it was all about the Welshman. A 63 break helped him to the second frame, and Dunn missed his chance on the colours in frame three before Williams picked up the pieces to lead 2-1. A run of 71 in the fourth helped extend that lead to 3-1 at the mid-session.

Any hopes of a Dunn fightback were damaged in the fifth when a contribution of 53 assisted Williams in making it 4-1 and it was not long before the sixth frame was in the bag either, and a 5-1 win was assured along with a place in the last four.

In the opposite half of the draw to the Welshman, there will be an all-Chinese semi-final after Yan Bingtao and Lu Haotian came through in deciding frames. Yan had to do it the hard way though after falling 3-1 behind at the mid-session interval. He could easily have won the opening frame but lost it on the black, and Robert Milkins then doubled his lead with a fine century break of 105. Yan got a foothold in the match by taking the third frame with a nice 95 break, but Milkins regained his two frame cushion by taking the fourth in one visit, with a run of 73.

Both players had chances in the fifth frame, Milkins probably should have won it but it was Yan that eventually got it on the board to start his fightback. Soon with a break of 66 in the sixth the match was all squared up at 3-3 and a superb 89 to follow had the Chinese sensation ahead 4-3. A break of 50 was not enough to take out the match in frame eight, as Milkins potted a superb long final red and cleared the colours to take the match the full distance. The decider was very even, but Yan won the crucial battle on the last red and was able to clear the colour, and fist pumped with delight as he booked his place in his second ranking semi-final in the space of a month.

Lu came through the all-Chinese quarter-final against Tian Pengfei in a decider. Lu took the first couple of frames after Tian failed to take his chances early on in the match, but he soon found his way with a break of 50 giving him the third before then taking the frames either side of the interval to lead the match 3-2. Lu fought back well with a run of 64 to square the match at 3-3 and then took the seventh as well to put himself one frame from a maiden ranking event semi-final.

Tian was not going anywhere though and made the highest break of the match, a 95, to force the ninth and decisive frame. Again both players had chances in the decider, but Lu made to crucial break to clear the last few reds, and despite a long battle for snookers from Tian on the colours, it was Lu who would eventually book his place in the last four.

Elliot Slessor won the opening marathon quarter-final of the day, to deny Li Yuan making it three Chinese players in the semi-finals. There was only one break of above 50 in the whole contest, a 52 from Slessor in the fifth, in a match that did not match the standard of some of the other games on display. Li did lead 2-0 early on, but was soon pegged back to 2-2 at the interval by Slessor who would then move 3-2 and 4-3 in front before being pegged back into a decider. When it came down to it though, Slessor was the man able to hold his nerve the best and set up a semi-final with Williams.

Quarter-Final Results: 

Yan Bingtao 5-4 Robert Milkins
Lu Haotian 5-4 Tian Pengfei
Elliot Slessor 5-4 Li Yuan
Mark Williams 5-1 Mike Dunn


Semi-Final Draw: 

Yan Bingtao Vs Lu Haotian
Mark Williams Vs Elliot Slessor


The first semi-final on Saturday afternoon sees Mark Williams take on Elliot Slessor. Williams may be a firm favourite for this match but the outcome cannot be taken for granted. It will be a tough task for Slessor over the best-of-11 frames, but the Englishman has already beaten Williams this year in a best-of-7 frames contest in the first round of his home tournament, the Welsh Open. He should be able to bring in some confidence too from the fact he overcame Ronnie O'Sullivan earlier in the week. As for Williams, he has looked very strong this week only dropping four frames so far and his scoring has been pretty good throughout the week and I think that may make all of the difference in this contest. His years of experience can certainly not be matched by someone with the nerves of playing in his first career semi-final, and Slessor will surely have to be at his absolute best to make it into Sunday's final.

The second semi-final sees a 17-year-old Yan Bingtao take on Lu Haotian who will celebrate his 20th birthday next week. Their combined age is five years less than Williams. However, they are both absolutely top quality players who have already shown this before making this semi-final. Yan Bingtao of course has already beaten Ryan Day and defending champion Mark King to get this far, and was a semi-finalist just a few weeks ago at the International Championship, overcoming Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins in the process. Some of the wins he has had in just a year and a half on tour are phenomenal and now he is guaranteed to be in the world's top 32 at the end of this week whatever happens from here.

As for Lu Haotian it has been a long road back for him. It is over five years since he made the quarter-finals of the International Championship as a wildcard and four years since he made a final on the Asian Tour in his first few months on the tour. It has taken him a couple of years to get back on tour after his relegation in 2015 but now he looks to be back to his best and is still only 19 which given how long he has been around, is simply remarkable. He has overcome some strong players again this week, without necessarily beating the top players that Yan has recently. The 17-year-old already looks so comfortable on the big stage and that may make the difference here in a battle between two fairly inexperienced players at this level.


The semi-finals run over the best-of-11 frames to set up Sunday's best-of-17 showpiece.

Mark Williams into Northern Ireland quarter-finals

Mark Williams is by far the highest ranked player left in the Northern Ireland Open as the tournament enters the quarter-final stages.

A number of shocks throughout the week have done for the other top players, while the Welshman has been able keep his head down and get the job done so far. In the last 16 he saw off David Gilbert to book his place into Friday's play. Gilbert was looking good with runs of 67 and 74 putting him 2-1 in front of the Welshman in the early stages.

However, Williams hit back well making a break of 79 (the highest in the contest) to level the scores at 2-2, before a run of 63 eventually put him 3-2 ahead and one away from victory. He needed a few chances in the sixth frame, but he was dominant in securing the 4-2 win.

Williams will now face Mike Dunn in the quarter-finals after Dunn overcame Joe Perry in round four. Perry's good form of the week so far did not continue, only showing flashes with an 81 in the fourth frame, as Dunn was able to secure a 4-1 win without making a 50+ break.

The all-North East clash saw Elliot Slessor defeat Sam Craigie 4-1 to reach his second quarter-final of the season. Craigie was not able to keep up his heavy scoring form of previous games, while Slessor was still riding high from defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan earlier in the day. A run of 50 in the first, and a 72 in the fourth after losing the third narrowly on the colours, were his highest contributions of the night as he booked his last eight spot.

There he will be joined by one of the four Chinese players that has made it into the quarter-finals. Li Yuan was able to defeat Gary Wilson in a scrappy contest that did not feature a break of over 50. Wilson was unable to continue the form that saw him beat John Higgins a few hours earlier, and Li was able to take advantage.

Yan Bingtao continues to march on in this tournament after coming through a deciding frame with Ryan Day. The Welshman must now hope to match Neil Robertson's performance in the UK Championship if he is to get into the Masters after passing up an opportunity here to put distance between the two of them. A run of 66 gave Day the opener, before a superb 97 from the fearless Yan levelled the scores before he took the next to lead 2-1.

Day this time was able to level courtesy of a 54 break in the fourth, but the heavy scoring youngster was at it again in frame five with a brilliant 113 to move 3-2 up. Day needed a couple of chances in the sixth but was able to force the decider, only for Yan to grasp his chance with two hands, making a nerveless 95 to book his quarter-final spot.

There he will face Robert Milkins after Milkins added to a last 32 victory over Neil Robertson by defeating Ricky Walden. Milkins had a superb 132 break on the way to building a 2-0 lead, but when Walden came from behind to win the third on the black and then made 56 in the fourth to level the scores you wondered if he might be the one to get over the line. However, the fifth went to Milkins as he edged back in front, before a run of 61 in the sixth was enough to secure victory.

There will be an all-Chinese quarter-final in the draw after victories for Tian Pengfei and Lu Haotian. Tian was up against Chris Wakelin in the last 16 and two runs of 76 in the match helped him to an easy enough 4-1 victory. Lu meanwhile had to see off the threat from Liam Highfield and did so by winning the final two frames of his 4-2 triumph.


Last 16 Results: 

Yan Bingtao 4-3 Ryan Day
Robert Milkins 4-2 Ricky Walden
Tian Pengfei 4-1 Chris Wakelin
Lu Haotian 4-2 Liam Highfield
Li Yuan 4-1 Gary Wilson
Elliot Slessor 4-1 Sam Craigie
Mike Dunn 4-1 Joe Perry
Mark Williams 4-2 David Gilbert

Quarter-Final Draw: 

Robert Milkins Vs Yan Bingtao
Tian Pengfei Vs Lu Haotian
Elliot Slessor Vs Li Yuan
Mark Williams Vs Mike Dunn


Four very interesting quarter-finals await with a lot of pressure on some of these players. The first one of Friday's play is an example of that with Slessor facing Li. Slessor has been in one quarter-final already this season but has never reached the last four, while this is now by far the furthest Li has been in a ranking event. The pair have never played each other previously, but the edge may be Slessor's given the fact he will have played on TV more than Li Yuan. Slessor overcame O'Sullivan on the TV table in the last 32 and has beaten Mark Williams on the TV table at the Welsh Open previously also. For Li this is a huge occasion and it will be interesting to see if he handles the pressure. His best win so far is a 4-3 triumph over Anthony McGill.

Following that is Mark Williams against Mike Dunn. Many will look at this match and say that Williams is a clear favourite, but we know how that has turned out for several players this week. Interestingly, Dunn has beaten Williams on all four occasions they have played in a proper match, all coming in European or Asian Tour events. Dunn has already seen off Matthew Stevens, Michael Holt and Joe Perry so will not fear Williams. The Welshman has played well all season though, and I think he will end up being too strong here on the big stage given his form. Although, he is by far the highest ranked player left in the tournament, something he needs to avoid thinking about in many ways to not put too much extra pressure on himself to take this opportunity with both hands.

The all-Chinese quarter-final is a very interesting one and a tie I could see needing all nine frames to separate the competitors. Tian Pengfei has done for Mark Allen this week and been scoring very well along the way. The pair have met once with Tian coming out on top off Lu Haotian 4-1 and while neither has made it past the quarter-finals of a full ranking event both can call on experiences of being in Asian Tour or European Tour finals. It has been a while for Lu given his time away from the tour but he has looked in good scoring form this week, but Tian has been playing well this season beating a few top players and I think he may be the player to hold his nerve.

Finally, Robert Milkins will face Yan Bingtao in another fascinating clash. Milkins has done for Neil Robertson and Ricky Walden this week, while Yan overcame defending champion Mark King and Ryan Day along the way. Both are playing well, particularly Yan who was in the semi-finals of the International Championship not so long ago either. Despite only being a teenager he has looked fearless on the big stage, but Milkins has a lot of experience of being in the back end of these tournaments without picking up a trophy. I could see this being another tight match, but Yan will be so confident right now that it is going to take a quality performance from someone to beat him.


All quarter-finals are played on Friday over the best-of-9 frames ahead of Saturday's best-of-11 semi-finals.

Ronnie O'Sullivan run ended by Elliot Slessor in Belfast

The top seeds have continued to fall at the Northern Ireland Open with Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins both being taken out in the last 32.

O'Sullivan came into the event as the only man who could win the million pound home nations bonus as English Open winner, but his run came to an end here falling to Elliot Slessor. The 78th seed had a high break in the match of 62 that came in the opening frame and was able to capitalise on some rare O'Sullivan errors.

The biggest of which came in frame four with Slessor already 2-1 up and well ahead in frame four. O'Sullivan was attempting a clearance but missed a simple black and with it would have needed snookers on the final two reds and conceded the frame. From there, Slessor was able to hold his nerve for one of his biggest career wins and beat O'Sullivan 4-1.

Gary Wilson meanwhile was the victor over John Higgins after coming from 3-1 behind to see off the Scotsman in a deciding frame. After losing the opener to a break of 63 from Wilson, Higgins was then on top form with three magnificent centuries of 142, 107 and 135 in the next three frames to surge 3-1 in front.

Wilson did not give up though and with breaks of 84 and 75 was able to force a seventh and deciding frame. Higgins looked like taking it when on a break of 51 but ran out of position and missed a tough red to the middle. It left nothing, but a poor safety a shot later from Higgins then gave Wilson a chance that he duly took, clearing with a run of 59 to book a place in the last 16.

Neil Robertson also fell in the last 32, losing out 4-3 to Robert Milkins. Robertson had a 104 break missing out on a possible maximum break there in frame one, but runs of 51, 54 and 88 helped Milkins along to a big victory for him and really damages Robertson's hopes of being in the Masters.

That is mainly because while that was happening, his "Race to the Masters" rival Ryan Day was able to come back from 3-1 down for the second time this week, beating Robin Hull 4-3 on this occasion. Day won the opener on the black, but then lost the next three to breaks of 63, 128 and 70 from the Finn as he looked like making it into the last 16. Day though in the end was just too strong in the final three frames and was able to make the comeback.

Dreams of a fairytale defence for Mark King were shattered by Yan Bingtao who collected a 4-1 victory there to make the last 16. Anthony McGill lost out in a deciding frame to Li Yuan while Ricky Walden was able to beat Jimmy Robertson 4-3 with breaks of 89 and 91 along the way.

Invitational tour card holders Ken Doherty and Jimmy White both exited in round three also, but Mark Williams overcame Akani Songsermsawad 4-1 and is now the highest seeded player left in the competition.


Last 32 Results: 

Yan Bingtao 4-1 Mark King
Ryan Day 4-3 Robin Hull
Ricky Walden 4-3 Jimmy Robertson
Robert Milkins 4-3 Neil Robertson
Tian Pengfei 4-2 Noppon Saengkham
Chris Wakelin 4-0 Jimmy White
Liam Highfield 4-3 Ken Doherty
Lu Haotian 4-2 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Gary Wilson 4-3 John Higgins
Li Yuan 4-3 Anthony McGill
Sam Craigie 4-2 Mei Xiwen
Elliot Slessor 4-1 Ronnie O'Sullivan
Mike Dunn 4-1 Michael Holt
Joe Perry 4-1 Xiao Guodong
Mark Williams 4-1 Akani Songsermsawad
David Gilbert 4-3 Ross Muir


Last 16 Draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ryan Day Vs Yan Bingtao 
Ricky Walden Vs Robert Milkins
Tian Pengfei Vs Chris Wakelin
Liam Highfield Vs Lu Haotian
Gary Wilson Vs Li Yuan
Sam Craigie Vs Elliot Slessor
Joe Perry Vs Mike Dunn
Mark Williams Vs David Gilbert


It really has left some brilliant ties to see which lower ranked players who are not always in this position can handle the pressure, while others on the edge of the top 16 look to climb in.

Yan Bingtao is playing really well at the moment is looking very tough to beat already. Ryan Day meanwhile has had to fight very hard for his place and has the pressure of the Masters battle on his shoulders. He could easily have been beaten twice already, while Yan has only dropped a frame so far.

Ricky Walden has never lost to Robert Milkins in four competitive matches outside of the Championship League. Those meetings include a World Championship fixture, an Asian Tour semi-final and a thrashing in the International Championship final, so Walden certainly knows how to get the better of Milkins having done so in big games. Both players have had some good wins so far with Milkins beating Neil Robertson in the last 32, while Walden overcame an in-from Jack Lisowski in the last 64. Having fallen from the top 16 this could be a great opportunity for Walden to start to build his way back up the rankings as he looks to slowly be returning to some form this week.

Joe Perry looks to be in great form too this week having thrashed Selt and seen off Xiao Guodong, making some nice breaks against Matthew Selt in the last 64. He again is looking to climb back into the top 16 and has a nice opportunity here. Don't right off Mike Dunn here though, he has comfortably seen off Michael Holt and Matthew Stevens but if Perry is in good form here it could prove a bridge too far.

Mark Williams is now one of the favourites for the event and has been in good form this season without converting that into a big title. This is now a big chance for him to do that, but it only takes one good performance to beat him. David Gilbert could be the man to produce that as he has put in some heavy scoring performances this week and will not fear Williams in this one.

Meanwhile in the games featuring Tian Pengfei, Lu Haotian, Gary Wilson and Sam Craigie there are golden opportunities presented for these guys to make a big quarter-final and then possibly go beyond that in two quarters that are now wide open. These could be nervy affairs, knowing what they will about the draw opening up and they may put extra pressure on themselves to seize the moment.


It should provide some great Thursday night viewing here over the best-of-7 frames, with the best-of-9 frames quarter-finals coming up on Friday.