FANTASY SNOOKER: Statement - Jamie Jones

Today's news of the suspension of Jamie Jones from the tour has raised questions on Twitter regarding Fantasy Snooker.

Several players in the competition had selected Jones as a season pick, meaning they would earn points from his performance in all events that count to the league in the 2018/2019 season.

As Jones is suspended indefinitely and these circumstances were unforeseen, I have decided to allow all players that had selected him to make a new season selection for the remainder of the campaign.

The deadline for these new picks to be made is prior to the English Open which starts on Monday October 15.

The new season selections must be ranked between 33 and 64 on the current ranking list here as this was the bracket that Jones was between at the start of the season.

The following players had selected Jones as a season pick:

- The Cue View
- Rob Chipp
- Andrew Devonshire
- Twit Torr Terry

The English Open is also the next tournament for full picks and the deadline for these picks is 10am on October 15. 

Jamie Jones suspended from snooker

World number 39 Jamie Jones has been suspended from the snooker tour with immediate effect and will remain suspended until the conclusion of any hearings into this matter.

The allegations against Jones relate to the suspension of David John earlier this year (John had dropped off of the tour by the time of his suspension). Specifically the allegation against Jones is that he "was party to, or facilitated the manipulation the outcome of David John's match with Graeme Dott that was played at the International Championship qualifiers in Preston on 29 September 2016".

The match in question saw John lose to Dott 6-1 after winning the opening frame of the contest. The WPBSA made clear in their statement that there are no suspicions over any matches played by Jones.

Jones joins Cao Yupeng and Yu De Lu as the three players that are currently suspended from the tour and at the time of writing the date of any of these cases is unknown and therefore the length of time they will be out of action is also unknown.

Jones is a two-time ranking semi-finalist and made the last 16 of the 2018 World Championship featuring a 10-0 victory over Liang Wenbo in the final qualifying round and a win over Shaun Murphy in the last 32 at the Crucible. He also made his first 147 maximum in professional competition at the start of this season, in the Paul Hunter Classic.


Looking to the immediate future, Jones was due to play Zhao Xintong in both the International Championship qualifiers this week, and in the first round of next week's English Open in Crawley. Zhao has received a walkover to the final stages of the International Championship., while Jones has been replaced in the draw for the English Open, so Zhao will now face Michael Judge in the last 128.


The full statement on Jones' suspension can be viewed here

Fantasy Snooker Update: European Masters and China Championship points

Two events have passed in quick succession since the last Fantasy Snooker update. Mark Selby overcame John Higgins to win the China Championship, while in an event filled with a few more surprises, Jimmy Robertson beat Joe Perry in the final of the European Masters to claim his first ever ranking title.

Jimmy Robertson's victory was good news for two players who had him as a season pick. One of those players is Munraj Pal who has made a huge climb up the table thanks to selecting Robertson as well as picking Zhao Xintong as a season pick, with Zhao making the semi-finals of the China Championship. Add into the equation his selection of runner-up Higgins for the China Championship and Pal has climbed up 32 places, from a lowly 36th in the standings to become a firm contender in 4th spot.

The new leader though has made his move thanks to season pick Lu Haotian's run to the semi-finals in Guangzhou as well as picking both finalists of that event. Meanwhile, only one player (LTD Syndicate) had the foresight to select European Masters runner-up Joe Perry for the event in Lommel, seeing him climb just inside the top 10.

Here is how the table now looks after the last two weeks of action:

Ryan Duckett 276

Andy (APB147) 221

Daniela Reich 219

Munraj Pal 214

The Cue View 208

Kellie Barker 200

Stephen McCabe 200

FAM147 195

Square Sausage 177

LTD Syndicate 173

Rob Chipp 167

Dani M (esnukero) 167

Matt Butler 167

Chris Watts 162

Daz Muckian 162

Phil Mudd 159

Anatole Compton 158

Shaun Hunt 156

Rob Francis 150

Andrew Devonshire 148

Voihelevettisua 147

Cluster of Reds 147

Anthony (antow73) 145

Martin Pearlman 144

Tungsten Darts 143

Kim Kristensen 137

Steven Bunn 137

Debbie Dymott 121

Markus 120

Daniel Gavin 115

Pete Tscherewik 115

Alex Abrahams 113

Kevin Platten 103

Gary Freeman 101

Phil Robinson 67

GaryOnCue 64

Twit Torr Terry 63

Next up on the Fantasy Snooker schedule is the English Open, which kicks off in Crawley on Monday 15th October, with the deadline for picks falling on that day at 10am UK time. The draw for that event has been made today and can be found on the official World Snooker, while my tournament preview will come at the end of the week, following the International Championship qualifiers.

That gives all participants plenty of time to ponder their own two selections for the English Open and plot a big move up the standings.

Good luck.

Joe Perry and Jimmy Robertson to contest European Masters final

Joe Perry and Jimmy Robertson will contest the European Masters final after coming through a pair of excellent semi-finals on Saturday in Lommel. 

Perry was the first man through to the finale after a fighting back from an early deficit to defeat Anthony Hamilton 6-3. After winning the first, Hamilton continued his good start with a break of 70 in the second frame to move 2-0 up early on. Perry hit back with a very nice break of 72 in the third, before dominating the fourth as well and squaring the match at 2-2 going into the mid-session interval. 

Frame five could have been a potential turning point. Perry was in first and compiled a break of 64 to give him a big but not unassailable lead in the frame, as Hamilton then got in and cleared with a 67 to take the 3-2 advantage. As it happened, the turning point came in the next frame instead. Hamilton was in first and had built an early lead of 47, only for Perry to hit back with a 70 break and level once more at 3-3. From there, he then took the next two frames, before clinching the match quickly in the ninth with a match high break of 74 and give himself the opportunity to win his second ranking title on Sunday. 

Jimmy Robertson meanwhile has defeated Mark King 6-4 to the make his first ranking event final, despite having never been beyond a ranking quarter-final prior to this week. Any nerves he may have had in such a massive game for him did not surface early on, starting the match in style with a break of 99 to lead 1-0. He then dominated the second to double his lead, before King fought back. Breaks of 85 and 64 in the next two saw King level at 2-2 going into the mid-session interval, without Robertson scoring a point in frames three and four. 

King then edged 3-2 in front, only for Robertson to win a tight sixth frame on the colours to keep himself right in the hunt at 3-3. The next two frames from Robertson given the pressure were simply superb. He took his chance in the seventh with a break of 81 to move ahead against 4-3, before getting in first in the eighth. What followed was a sublime total clearance of 132 to put him within one of his first ever final. King was never going to lie down and roll over though and he responded just as emphatically by getting in first in the ninth and making a superb 97 to put the pressure back on Robertson. A couple of poor safety shots from King in the tenth though handed one too many chances for Robertson to get over the line and clinch his 6-4 win. 

Semi-Final results:

Joe Perry 6-3 Anthony Hamilton
Jimmy Robertson 6-4 Mark King

The Final: (Best-of-17 frames)

Joe Perry Vs Jimmy Robertson

What a week it has been for both Joe Perry and Jimmy Robertson. Perry has beaten Oliver Lines, survived deciders against Andrew Higginson and Tian Pengfei as well as beating Kyren Wilson and Anthony Hamilton to make it down to the final two in Lommel. For Robertson, there has been plenty of drama. His opening three games this week against Zhang Yong, Zhou Yuelong and Anthony McGill all went down to deciding frames and were won on the final black. He followed that up with victory over Mark Allen in what was just his second ranking quarter-final, before then beating Mark King, who had lost just three frames in his four matches prior to the semi-finals this week, in what was Robertson's first ever semi-final. 

Now the pair face off and there is plenty on the line. The winner will receive £75,000 while the loser takes home £35,000. Victory for Perry would move him back up to 16th in the world rankings, while Robertson would move up to 26th. There is also the potential for plenty of extra earnings as the winner will take a place in the Champion of Champions and while both players should qualify for next year's World Grand Prix, the winner would have a very good chance of progressing on to the Players Championship and maybe even the Tour Championship. Perry may have the experience, but having only won one ranking title at the 2015 Players Championship Grand Finals (over the best-of-7 frames) this is just as big of a day as it is for Robertson in his first ranking final. The pair have both played well to beat a couple of top players along the way, but fought hard and ridden their luck in final frames. After how Robertson came through his opening three matches you may think that it is written in the stars that he will go on and take the trophy home. 

What impressed me about Robertson is how he cope with his maiden semi-final yesterday. He started strongly with the opening break of 99 and then made two crucial breaks from 3-3 and whatever nerves there may have been did not really hamper him. Even though the pressure and subsequent nerves may be upped for the final, I still think he will handle it well. For Perry, you only have to go back to January 2017 to when he was a top 16 player and a finalist in the Masters to remember that he does belong on this stage and is more than good enough to re-take his top 16 ranking. It may be a nervy affair and if that is the case, Perry's added experience will be valuable. 

Prediction: Perry to win 9-6. 

Jimmy Robertson beats Mark Allen to reach maiden ranking semi-final

Jimmy Robertson is through to his first ever ranking event semi-final after defeating Mark Allen 4-2 in Lommel to complete an unexpected line-up for the last four. 

After winning the first frame on the colours, he then responded to Allen's 98 break in the second frame with breaks of 135 and 81 in the next two to move 3-1 ahead. Allen was able to get one back in the next, at which point the Englishman may have thought he was in for another decider, having won all his matches 4-3 to reach the last eight. He was able to get the job done without any black ball drama though and has taken out the highest ranked player to reach the quarters. 

Robertson will now face the player that has dropped the least frames on the way to the semi-finals and that is Mark King. The left-hander secured a 4-1 victory over Ryan Day, who was the only other top 16 player (alongside Allen) to have reached the quarters. After King took the opener, Day levelled with a break of 78 but that was as good as things would get. King made a 57 to win the next and seized on Day's mistakes thereafter, to ensure he has only lost three frames from his four matches in Lommel this week.

Many may have thought, looking at the last eight line-up, that this would be Lisowski's week to secure his maiden ranking title, but that is not to be this time after a 4-3 loss to Anthony Hamilton. The match was a pretty scrappy affair, with no breaks of over 50 recorded in the first six frames, before Hamilton had a run of 67 to clinch victory. The tone was set when Hamilton came from snookers required to win the opening frame, showing that Lisowski was not at his brilliant best that fans have become used to in the last year. 

Joe Perry meanwhile had to fight hard, after losing three frames in a row in the middle of his match with Tian Pengfei, before winning the last two to come out a 4-3 winner. Perry took the first with a run of 76 and soon added the second before the Chinese player came to life. Breaks of 70 and 66 in the third were backed up by a 73 in the fourth and a run of 57 in the fifth as Tian edged 3-2 ahead. Perry hit back strongly and made a clutch break of 69 to force the decider. The final frame went scrappy with the reds all being pushed to the side cushion, but Perry used all his experience with some excellent safety play to help him win the match. 

Out of the four semi-finalists, only three full ranking titles have been won between them (Perry - 2015 Players Championship finals, King - 2016 Northern Ireland Open and Hamilton - 2017 German Masters). Given the £75,000 winners cheque, a guaranteed place in the Champion of Champions and likely participation in at least the first of the three Ladbrokes series events next year, this is a massive opportunity for all four players left in the competition. 

Quarter-final results:

Joe Perry 4-3 Tian Pengfei
Anthony Hamilton 4-3 Jack Lisowski
Mark King 4-1 Ryan Day
Jimmy Robertson 4-2 Mark Allen

Semi-final draw: (Picks in bold)

Joe Perry Vs Anthony Hamilton
Mark King Vs Jimmy Robertson

The opening semi-final puts Joe Perry up against Anthony Hamilton. To reach this stage Perry has overcome Oliver Lines, Andrew Higginson, Tian Pengfei but most impressively Kyren Wilson in the last 16. Anthony Hamilton has come through some real tough opposition, beating Jack Lisowski and home favourite Luca Brecel in the last two rounds, continuing a good start to the season after last season's troubles. The head-to-head between the two has seen Perry win all four of their previous meetings, but none of those were quite at this stage of a tournament with as big an opportunity as the one that stands before them here. Given what is at stake it would hardly be a surprise to see a more timid affair and certainly a close tussle between the two which could well go down to the final frame. Hamilton to me though looks like he is close to the sort of form he showed two seasons ago, which could give him the edge this weekend. 

The second semi-final between Mark King and Jimmy Robertson is a tale of two players that have had differing routes to the final. King has only dropped three frames this week which is a remarkable effort given the four players that he has beaten. He started with a 4-1 victory over in-form Zhao Xintong before whitewashing Stuart Bingham and his since recorded further 4-1 wins against Ricky Walden and Ryan Day. Robertson on the other hand won each of his first three matches against Zhang Yong, Zhou Yuelong and Anthony McGill on the final black in deciding frames before another good win against Mark Allen, so both players have beaten strong opponents to reach this point. King looks very confident this week, which he should be with the way he is playing and has the experience over Robertson who can expect some nerves in what is the biggest match of his life so far. 

The semi-finals will be played over the best-of-11 frames with the winners moving into the best-of-17 frame final on Sunday and doubling their money from a guaranteed £17,500 to a guarantee of £35,000 and the potential for so much more. 

Ryan Day ends Mark Selby's recent run with comeback win at the European Masters

World number one Mark Selby has been knocked out at the last 16 stage of the European Masters, after Ryan Day turned around a 2-0 deficit to come out a 4-2 winner in Lommel. 

Selby had done the same to Mark Davis from 2-0 down a day earlier, but this time it was the Welshman who was on the comeback trail to end Selby's winning run. 

Elsewhere, Luca Brecel just failed to complete his heroics of the last 32 and has been dumped out of his home tournament 4-3 by Anthony Hamilton. Brecel fought back from 3-0 down to beat Alan McManus 4-3 a round earlier and it looked like he was set to do the same after forcing a decider from three adrift against Hamilton, but the former German Masters champion held on to reach the quarter-finals. 

Joe Perry was in fine form to defeat Kyren Wilson 4-1, opening up with a century break on the way to an impressive win that puts him into the last eight. He will now face Tian Pengfei who backed up his victory over Judd Trump in the last 32, with a 4-2 win in the all-Chinese clash with Liang Wenbo. 

Mark King has won his three matches in Lommel for the loss of just two frames so far, after a 4-1 win against Ricky Walden continued his fine week and he will now play Ryan Day in the last eight. Mark Allen was made to battle for his spot on Friday's bill after Scotland's Ross Muir forced a decider from 3-1 down, before Allen got over the line. 

Meanwhile, Jimmy Robertson kept up his heroics of the week so far. Robertson had already overcome Zhang Yong and Zhou Yuelong on the black in deciding frames this week, while his last 16 opponent Anthony McGill had also won his two matches in deciders. It was no surprise then when the pair ended up at 3-3 on Thursday, before Robertson once again won the match on the final black. 

Finally, Jack Lisowski kept up his fine start to the season, despite a late start to his match with Zhang Anda. The left-hander is into his fourth quarter-final of the season and will now be looking to make his second ranking event final over the course of the next two days after defeating Zhang 4-2. 

Last 16 results:

Tian Pengfei 4-2 Liang Wenbo
Joe Perry 4-1 Kyren Wilson
Anthony Hamilton 4-3 Luca Brecel
Jack Lisowski 4-2 Zhang Anda
Ryan Day 4-2 Mark Selby
Mark King 4-1 Ricky Walden
Mark Allen 4-3 Ross Muir
Jimmy Robertson 4-3 Anthony McGill

Quarter-final draw: (Picks in bold)

Joe Perry Vs Tian Pengfei
Jack Lisowski Vs Anthony Hamilton
Ryan Day Vs Mark King
Mark Allen Vs Jimmy Robertson

Joe Perry and Tian Pengfei have both had some good results against higher ranked players so far this week in Lommel to make the quarter-finals. Tian has beaten both Judd Trump and Liang Wenbo 4-2 in the last two rounds while Perry overcame Kyren Wilson comfortably in the last 16. Perry looked to be playing really well in that match with Wilson and he is well overdue a big run in a tournament, having slipped outside of the top 16 last year. This may not be a game that suits Perry entirely given the slow pace at which Tian operates, but given his play against Wilson and the added experience at this stage of a tournament that he has over Tian he is a more than worth favourite. 

Anthony Hamilton continued his fine start to the season with victory over Luca Brecel to book his place in the quarter-finals. After a disappointing year last time out, Hamilton looks to be back at full fitness and playing well, having already reached the last 16 of the season's first two ranking events. Lisowski meanwhile is still looking in good touch, after making the final in the season opening Riga Masters as well as the quarters at the World Open and Paul Hunter Classic. The only thing missing from his season really is a victory and looking at the names left in this competition he may see this as a huge opportunity, but that in itself can add pressure. The Paul Hunter Classic had a similar sort of feel before Lisowski lost a good lead to Peter Lines, having also done the same in the Yushan last eight tie with Mark Williams a few weeks earlier. Hamilton has all the tools and tricks to break Lisowski out of his rhythm and given the way both players are scoring this could be a very tight tussle.

Mark King will be looking to continue blitzing his way through the field this week when he faces Ryan Day. So far King has taken out Zhao Xintong, Stuart Bingham and Ricky Walden in Lommel for the loss of just two frames having also beaten Mark Allen 5-1 last week on the way to the last 16 of the China Championship. Day though is playing well himself, battling hard to beat Elliot Slessor 4-3 in the last 32 before yesterdays comeback win against Mark Selby. With his confidence growing by the match, King is not a player that should ever be underestimated, especially since winning his maiden ranking title two years ago. This looks like a pretty even match on paper given current form, with Day not exactly getting off to a flying start in the new season, so this presents a big opportunity now for both players to add to their ranking title tally. 

If Mark Allen has been keeping in touch with this week's results he will know the importance of getting the job done against Jimmy Robertson before the match can get to a deciding frame. Robertson has had fortune on his side so far this week winning all three of his matches in deciding frames and on the final black, which is quite incredible. Zhang Yong, Zhou Yuelong and Anthony McGill are the three players to have suffered those heart-breaking defeats, though if Robertson is to make his maiden ranking semi-final, for the sake of his heart rate he probably would not mind doing it a frame or two earlier than what has become his norm this week. Allen meanwhile has also needed a decider this week against Ross Muir, while beating Jak Jones 4-2 and Ashley Hugill 4-1 despite claiming that he is not happy with his performances this week. If Allen can up his game over the rest of the week then he could be in with a shout on Sunday evening. 

All four quarter-finals on Friday will be played over the best-of-7 frames on the main TV table, broadcast live on Eurosport, with places in Saturday's semi-finals up for grabs. 

Judd Trump's dreams of three in a row at the European Masters ended by Tian Pengfei

Judd Trump's hopes of winning a third European Masters title in succession have been crushed after he fell to a 4-2 defeat against Tian Pengfei at the last 32 stage in Lommel. 

After falling 2-0 behind early on, Trump fought back to win two close frames and draw level with the Chinese player, only to then lose the next and watch on as a break of 68 for Tian wrapped up the match thereafter. 

At one stage during the evening it looked very much like the defending champion and home favourite would be taken out on the same night. Luca Brecel though recovered in dramatic style from 3-0 down to defeat Alan McManus 4-3. Brecel was shut out in the opening two frames as the Scotsman made breaks of 79 and 66, but buoyed by his home fans, Brecel found his game with runs of 57 and 63, prior to a match winning 71 break. 

World number one and recent China Championship winner Mark Selby also came back in his match with Mark Davis to move into the last 16. Selby went 2-0 behind early on but struck back with breaks of 55, 58, 62 and 72 in the final four frames to clinch a well deserved 4-2 triumph. 

Last year's runner-up Stuart Bingham though will be heading home after he was totally out-played by Mark King. The left-hander was in fine form having already beaten Zhao Xintong in the first round, and here he made breaks of 51, 59, 79 and a high of 124 on the way to whitewashing Bingham 4-0. 

Other top players are safely through as Mark Allen secured a 4-2 win over Jak Jones, while Kyren Wilson overcame Allan Taylor and Liang Wenbo beat Fergal O'Brien, both by the same scoreline. Ryan Day meanwhile needed a deciding frame break of 72 to defeat Elliot Slessor, while Anthony McGill clinched a 4-3 win over Ali Carter with a 60 contribution in their final frame. 

Also through to the last 16 are the likes of Jack Lisowski, Ricky Walden and Anthony Hamilton who were all 4-2 winners in their last 32 matches. 

Last 32 results:

Tian Pengfei 4-2 Judd Trump
Liang Wenbo 4-2 Fergal O'Brien
Joe Perry 4-3 Andrew Higginson
Kyren Wilson 4-2 Allan Taylor
Anthony Hamilton 4-2 Thor Chuan Leong
Luca Brecel 4-3 Alan McManus
Jack Lisowski 4-2 Peter Lines
Zhang Anda 4-2 Eden Sharav
Mark Selby 4-2 Mark Davis
Ryan Day 4-3 Elliot Slessor
Mark King 4-0 Stuart Bingham
Ricky Walden 4-2 Craig Steadman
Ross Muir 4-2 Gary Wilson
Mark Allen 4-2 Jak Jones
Anthony McGill 4-3 Ali Carter
Jimmy Robertson 4-3 Zhou Yuelong

Last 16 draw: (Picks in bold)

Liang Wenbo Vs Tian Pengfei
Kyren Wilson Vs Joe Perry
Luca Brecel Vs Anthony Hamilton
Jack Lisowski Vs Zhang Anda
Mark Selby Vs Ryan Day
Ricky Walden Vs Mark King
Mark Allen Vs Ross Muir
Anthony McGill Vs Jimmy Robertson

With some of the top players falling away, Paul Hunter Classic and Six-Reds World Champion Kyren Wilson could be the man to pounce and claim another title this weekend. Standing in his way in the last 16 is Joe Perry who has seen off Oliver Lines and Andrew Higginson in the first two rounds and we all know Perry is capable of taking down Wilson here. Wilson has looked good though in his opening two wins against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Allan Taylor, despite a nose bleed trying to distract him in the latter of those two games. Wilson is a player high on confidence right now and he is heading only one way in the world rankings after an impressive last 12 months, making this a very tough task for Perry, though over best-of-7 frame matches a quick start for Perry could pave the way to victory. 

Home favourite Luca Brecel has really had to battle hard this week. Not only was he 3-0 down before beating Alan McManus 4-3 in his last 32 match, but in the last 64 he was 2-1 down and in danger of falling 3-1 adrift against Luo Honghao before winning a tight fourth and taking the last two for a 4-2 win. His next opponent is Anthony Hamilton who, despite a poor season last year, has already made the last 16 in three events now. Hamilton has beaten Thor Chuan Leong and Zhang Jiankang so far this week and may have a bit of extra confidence coming into this one, given the pressure he knows Brecel is under from his home crowd and the way he has had to fight so far. 

World number one Mark Selby has his toughest test of the week so far awaiting him as he faces Ryan Day in the last 16. Selby has overcome a short turnaround from his title winning campaign in Guangzhou to come to Lommel and win his first two matches, looking good in the latter parts of his last 32 win over Mark Davis. Ryan Day meanwhile has seen off Yuan Sijun, who had a good week in Guangzhou, as well as Elliot Slessor and this could be the week that the Welshman gets his season going. With Selby in form, and having got over the tricky first couple of hurdles, he should now be feeling a bit fresher and more importantly will be full of confidence. Again, with the short format though Day knows that if he can take his chances early on he will have Selby firmly on the back foot. 

Meanwhile, the match between Ricky Walden and Mark King provides the opportunity for two players that are just outside of the top 16 to make a quarter-final. King has been impressive this week beating Zhao Xintong and Stuart Bingham for the loss of just one frame and he is scoring well so he will be full of confidence ahead of this one. Walden has gone quietly about his business to defeat to beat former nemesis Rory McLeod in round one before then defeating Craig Steadman, who had whitewashed Barry Hawkins in round one. Against King, Walden faces a much tougher test and will need to be on top form if he is to make it through and given the confidence that King should have from his early exploits in Lommel, Walden cannot afford a slow start. 

The final match is another very intriguing one. Both players have had to fight hard so far this week and have made it to the last 16 after two deciding frame victories. Anthony McGill came from 2-0 down against fellow countryman Chris Totten in the last 64 before then defeating Ali Carter in round two in Belgium. Jimmy Robertson meanwhile was 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 behind but kept fighting all the way in the last 64 against Zhang Yong to win the decider there on the final black. Then against Zhou Yuelong he had to fight back from 2-0 down and won that final frame decider on the black as well, so you could say that Robertson has rode his luck somewhat with these tight finishes. Such is the game of snooker though, it would hardly surprise you if either of these two players kicked into gear today and won easily, even though the form guide would suggest a close clash. One thing to note here, is that in three previous meetings, Robertson has come out on top each time. 

As mentioned above, all last 16 matches are over the best-of-7 frames and will all be played across either the TV table or the secondary streamed table on Eurosport Player over the course of Thursday's play, to confirm Friday's quarter-final line-up.