LIVE BLOG: Michael Holt Vs Elliott Slessor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIVE BLOG: Jimmy White vs Yan Bingtao

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIVE BLOG: Ricky Walden vs Li Yuan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIVE BLOG: Zhou Yuelong vs Chen Zifan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTERVIEW: Stuart Bingham returns to defend Welsh Open title

Stuart Bingham celebrates winning the Welsh Open in 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bingham clearing the colours having won the title

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Welsh Open Preview

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

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

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

Quarter 1

Last 128 Draw: (Picks in bold) 

Stuart Bingham Vs Chen Zhe 

Sean O'Sullivan Vs Jackson Page 

Fergal O'Brien Vs Scott Donaldson

Matthew Stevens Vs Ken Doherty

Ryan Day Vs Kurt Dunham 

Yan Bingtao Vs Jimmy White

Peter Ebdon Vs Wang Yuchen 

David Gilbert Vs Anthony Hamilton

Fang Xiongman Vs Yuan Sijun

Zhou Yuelong Vs Chen Zifan

Tom Ford Vs Rod Lawler

Barry Hawkins Vs Niu Zhuang

Ricky Walden Vs Li Yuan

Martin Gould Vs Michael White

Aditya Mehta Vs Martin O'Donnell

Mark Williams Vs Mark King

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

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

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

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

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

Best of the rest: Ricky Walden, Tom Ford

Quarter winner: Yan Bingtao

Quarter 2

Last 128 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ding Junhui Vs Hammad Miah

Li Hang Vs Liam Highfield 

Xiao Guodong Vs Chris Wakelin

Andrew Higginson Vs Ashley Hugill

Neil Robertson Vs Mark Davis 

Ian Burns Vs Jamie Barrett

Jamie Jones Vs Alexander Ursenbacher

Tian Pengfei Vs Akani Songsermsawad

James Wattana Vs Zhang Yong

Michael Holt Vs Elliot Slessor 

Rory McLeod Vs Adam Duffy

Kyren Wilson Vs Robert Milkins

Craig Steadman Vs David John

Hossein Vafei Vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh

Noppon Saengkham Vs Ross Muir

Judd Trump Vs Duane Jones

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

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

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

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

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

Best of the rest: Michael Holt

Quarter winner: Neil Robertson

Quarter 3

Last 128 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Robin Hull

Graeme Dott Vs Sanderson Lam

David Grace Vs Darren Morgan or Rhydian Richards

Mei Xiwen Vs Jak Jones

Luca Brecel Vs Josh Boileau

Mike Dunn Vs Hamza Akbar

Alan McManus Vs Xu Si

Michael Georgiou Vs Mitchell Mann

Lu Haotian Vs Paul Davison 

Jack Lisowski Vs Mark Joyce

Nigel Bond Vs Lukas Kleckers

Ali Carter Vs Rhys Clark

Sam Craigie Vs Leo Fernandez

Jimmy Robertson Vs Kurt Maflin

Stephen Maguire Vs Joe Perry

John Higgins Vs Matthew Selt

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

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

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

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

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

Best of the rest: Stephen Maguire

Quarter winner: Luca Brecel

Quarter 4

Last 128 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Shaun Murphy Vs Gerard Greene 

Stuart Carrington Vs Peter Lines

Dominic Dale Vs Chris Totten

John Astley Vs Zhang Anda

Mark Allen Vs Cao Yupeng

Alex Borg Vs Soheil Vahedi 

Gary Wilson Vs Sam Baird

Daniel Wells Vs Lee Walker

Oliver Lines Vs Eden Sharav

Yu De Lu Vs Billy Castle 

Ben Woollaston Vs Thor Chuan Leong

Anthony McGill Vs Basem Eltahhan 

Robbie Williams Vs Allan Taylor

Zhao Xintong Vs Ian Preece

Liang Wenbo Vs Alfie Burden

Mark Selby Vs Christopher Keogan 

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

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

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

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

Best of the rest: Shaun Murphy

Quarter winner: Anthony McGill

Tournament Winner Selection: Neil Robertson


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

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

World Grand Prix Preview

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

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

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

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

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

Quarter 1

Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Robert Milkins 

Martin Gould Vs Yan Bingtao 

Mark Allen Vs Xiao Guodong

John Higgins Vs Ali Carter

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

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

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

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

Best of the Rest: Xiao Guodong

Quarter Winner: Ronnie O'Sullivan

Quarter 2

Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Shaun Murphy Vs Ricky Walden

Ryan Day Vs Jack Lisowski

Stephen Maguire Vs Li Hang

Luca Brecel Vs Michael Goergiou

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

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

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

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

Best of the Rest: Shaun Murphy

Quarter Winner: Stephen Maguire

Quarter 3

Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold)

Judd Trump Vs Michael White 

Graeme Dott Vs Joe Perry

Neil Robertson Vs David Gilbert

Mark Selby Vs Jimmy Robertson 

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

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

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

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

Best of the Rest: Graeme Dott

Quarter Winner: Neil Robertson

Quarter 4

Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ding Junhui Vs Mark King

Kyren Wilson Vs Mark Joyce

Anthony McGill Vs Cao Yupeng

Mark Williams Vs Stuart Bingham 

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

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

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

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

Best of the Rest: Mark Joyce

Quarter Winner: Stuart Bingham

Tournament Winner Selection: Stuart Bingham 

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