Robertson takes China Crown

Neil Robertson won his first ranking event since the 2010 World Open and his first in China, beating world no.1 Mark Selby 10-6 in the China Open final in Beijing. The win now puts Robbo up to number 2 in the world and drops him into Selby's half of the draw for the World Championship.

Final Review

Mark Selby started ok with breaks of 58 and 42 in the first frame, but unfortunately for the Jester there was nothing much to laugh about as he found himself 6-1 down at the end of the first session, that was cut down due to some lengthy fourth, fifth and sixth. Robertson made breaks of 50 and 91 to take a 2-1 lead and did not look back taking a serious of scrappy and long frames.

The second session was much more entertaining as Mark Selby began to make a fightback turning a 6-1 defecit around to only being 6-4 down. This came after early breaks of 81, 125 and 66. Neil held his nerve before the final mid-session interval, as he took a 7-4 lead with a nicely made 110. He took the next two as well including a 90 in the thirteenth, to go 9-4 ahead and one frame from victory. As always though, Selby battled on and attempted to reduce the defecit. He did so to start with as Robertson didn't score in the next two frames as Selby made contributions of 116 and 63 to get it back to 9-6. He couldn't keep it going though and Robertson did enough to take the title 10-6, despite the scare of Selby needing 5 snookers and reducing the defecit to only 1 until the Aussie potted the green.

This was a well deserved victory for Neil Robertson (the man that i predicted would win before the tournaments begining). It also meant a lot to him and after a series of final defeats this season that will be a huge relief and confidence boost to him before the World Championships. Selby will also be pleased to reach the final after some disapointing results in recent events before the and will boost his World Title hopes. Stephen Maguire showed good form in the semi-finals as he hopes for his first Crucible win. Shaun Murphy will be pleased to reach the semi's as well, after some poor tournaments since The Masters. The comeback against Lisowski will give him confidence, and to make the semi-finals when not playing well will be a boost to him, and makes him a dark horse for the worlds. Disapointing results for Judd Trump, John Higgins and Matthew Stevens will give them something to think about as well as Graeme Dott who has not been in form at all this season, and the scot will need to improve massively or face a similar result to last year's embarrassing performance against Joe Perry.

Of course their will be much more build-up before the start on April 20th of the biggest tournament of the season. This will include updates and analysis of the world qualifiers and then a good luck at the main Crucible draw. Less than 3 weeks left and i'm sure everyone in the snooker world is looking forward to the 17 day event.

Selby and Robertson in China final

Mark Selby and Neil Robertson will contest the final of the China Open, the last event before the World Championship. The match will see a repeat of their Masters final back in January which was won by Mark Selby 10-6.

Semi-Final Round-Up

Shaun Murphy had more semi-final woes as he missed many chances on the way to a 6-2 loss to Mark Selby. Murphy started badly missing the yellow with the rest and the chance to steal the first frame. He missed a red with the rest in the next frame, and Selby cleared with 68. After Selby won the next frame and took a 3-0 lead, The Magician never looked likely despite going into the interval only 3-1 down after Selby was distracted while playing a the last red with the rest. A break of 63 restored Selby's 3 frame advantage and missed reds gifted Mark the chance for a 5-1 lead. Murphy began to go into attack mode and determined as ever, he got a frame back at 5-2. After Selby made an early 55 it looked like he was going to take out the match, until he missed a simple match ball red to the middle. Murphy had the chance to steal but couldn't get on the last red and Selby potted it for the match.

In the other semi-final Neil Robertson came from 4-2 and 5-4 down to beat 2012 China open runner-up Stephen Maguire 6-5. It was all square at the interval but it should have been 3-1 to Robertson. Maguire made a break of 52 to take a 1-0 lead, but Robbo hit back with breaks 78 and 80 to go 2-1 up and was looking good on 57 until he missed a tight pink as the Scot made 67 of his own to square the contest. He won the next two as well with a break of 67 in the sixth frame. Maguire had the chance for a 5-2 lead but once Neil made it 4-3 he was back into his stride. He punished Stephen again in the eighth making 87 to get right back in it at 4-4. Maguire was unaffected and retook the lead with a break of 82. The contest was deserving of a decider and it got it as Robertson made the first century of the contest, a 110 making it 5-5. Neil Robertson gave himself the opportunity for his first ranking since 2010, an 81 in the decider giving him a 6-5 victory.

Final preview

Mark Selby and Neil Robertson have met 3 times already this season, and once already in a best of 19 frames Masters final which Mark won 10-6. He also won their UK quarter-final 6-4 after finding himself 4-0 down. Since then i think Robertson has really improved and has started coming into form at the right time ahead of this tournament and of course the Worlds. Robertson also won their most recent meeting in China at the 2013 Haikou World Open as he came from 3-2 down to win 5-3.

I think that Robertson has played better this week than Mark Selby and has scored heavily, especially when he's needed to. My prediction for the final would be a very close one with Robertson taking a tense final 10-9 in a decider.

Still this should be a great way to spend Easter Sunday and don't forget that the two sessions begin a 7.30am and 12.30pm as the clocks go forward tonight.

Semi-Final time at China Open

Four of the provisional top five in the world rankings make up a cracking line-up for semi-finals Saturday at the China Open. Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and Stephen Maguire all scored comfortable quarter-final victories, while Shaun Murphy came from 4-2 down to end Jack Lisowski's great run.

Quarter-Final Round-up

Mark Selby scored a comfortable win over Mark Williams beating the Welshmen 5-1 in a similar fashion to their Masters quarter-final this year. Both men had chances in the first frame but Selby took it and an early lead. A break of 54 was enough for Williams to equalise, and he again had chances to take the third frame and lost. A break of 53 wasn't enough for him to take the last before the interval, as Selby made 64 to steal. The Jester from Leicester took the next frame and sealed his last 4 spot with a break of 72.

He will now play Shaun Murphy who came from 4-2 down and really struggling, to scrape through 5-4 against Jack Lisowski. Young Lisowski took the first frame thanks to an early break of 62. Murphy hit back with a 137 total clearance. In the next frame, Murphy came back from needing 3 snookers and managed to get an incredible fluke on the black to lead 2-1. After Murphy missed a tough early black, Lisowski made 71 to equalise at the interval. He took the next 2 as well to take a 4-2 advantage. Murphy went into comeback mode though as Lisowski missed chances to win 5-2 and 5-3 as the provisional world number 4 forced the decider. Lisowski had chances in the decider as well but after he missed the green off of the spot Murphy managed to pull off the comeback and reach the semi-finals.

Stephen Maguire and Stuart Bingham really failed to shine as Maguire took out a scrappy encounter 5-1. Maguire made a 102 break in the opener and took the next two as well to lead 3-0. Bingham got his first and only frame on the black in the fourth. A break of 73 in the fifth made it 4-1 to Maguire and after Bingham missed opportunities in the sixth, the Scotsman got through to the last 4.

Neil Robertson will now meet Maguire in the semi-finals, after a 5-2 victory over Marcus Campbell. A break of 50 gave Campbell the first but breaks of 87 and 89 put Robbo in front, 2-1. The Scot managed to take the fourth and would have been thrilled to go into the interval at 2-2. The Aussie made a 50 break to reinstate his lead, and that advantage was doubled as Robertson made a fabulous 113 to put him one frame from advancing. It didn't take him long to seal the match as he punished Campbell for missed opportunities and made it through to the next round.

Semi-Final draw and Predictions

6.30 am UK Time

Mark Selby Vs Shaun Murphy - Murphy will need to play much better in this one otherwise it will be a comfortable win for Mark Selby, but don't write Shaun off.

11.30 am UK Time

Neil Robertson Vs Stephen Maguire - Maguire will need to play better than in his last two matches if he is to make consecutive China Open finals, but he is well capable of producing much more. Otherwise it should be a final spot for the in-form Neil Robertson.

So a cracking line-up for Easter Saturday in Beijing in what promise to be 2 close encounters.

Robertson sets marker ahead of quarter-finals

Neil Robertson set down a big marker for the other seven players remaining in the China open in his magnificent 5-1 victory over Mark Allen. Also through on day 4 were Mark Selby, Mark Willliams, Shaun Murphy, Stephen Maguire and Stuart Bingham. Meanwhile, Jack Lisowski overcame Mark Davis and Marcus Campbell beat fellow Scotsman Graeme Dott

Round-up on Day 4

Starting with Robertsons 5-1 victory over Allen, and Allen actually took the first frame with a break of 75. However, the Aussie began to show form as his first real chance resulted in a 118 break to level the match, and then he took the lead with a fantastic 138 total clearance. A lucky fluke on the blue helped Robbo take the fourth frame and a 3-1 interval lead, when it should've really been 2-2. Another fluked red in the next frame helped Neil on the way to a frame clinching 51 break, putting him 1 frame from victory. That frame turned out to be the next as Robertson was on a maximum break, until he ran out of position and missed a double into the middle for the tenth red. An in-off in the middle pocket later on for Allen was enough for him to concede frame and match.

Mark Williams made a magnificent comeback today against Ali carter, showing some old form from 4-2 down to win 5-4. A break of 51 in the first frame wasn't enough for Williams to win it as Carter took an early lead. Williams took 2 close frames to edge 2-1 ahead. A well compiled 78 break levelled the match 2-2 at the interval. Carter came out and won the next 2 before the potting machine switched on. From 4-2 the Welshmen made runs of 136, 81 and 79 to clinch the match and a quarter-final with Mark Selby.

Selby, didn't quite show his first round form but still played well enough to win 5-2 against Ricky Walden. Selby opened with 91 and took a longer second frame to march 2-0 ahead. A nice little 51 put Walden back in the match at 2-1, but Mark regained the 2 frame cushion in the fourth. Walden took the first after the interval and looked like levelling when he made an early 50 in frame six, but it wasn't enough as Selby made 67 to steal and move 4-2 up. Walden couldn't take an early chance in the seventh and a 75 break gave Selby the match.

Jack Lisowski came from 4-2 down to beat Mark Davis 5-4, with top runs of 67, 71, 80, 81 and 91. The defeat now means that Davis must qualify for The Crucible.

He will now play Shaun Murphy, after he saw off an appointment with the Dentist with highs of 66, 99 and a 124 to seal a 5-3 victory.

Stuart Bingham turned around a 3-1 mid-session defecit to beat Robert Milkins 5-3. Bingham made high breaks of 84, 91 and a 134 to go with a 70 and a 109 from Milkins.

Bingham now meets Stephen Maguire, who saw off Barry Hawkins 5-1,  in a scrappy encounter where the scots highest break was 50.

In the final 2nd round match, an all Scotish clash between Graeme Dott and Marcus Campbell went down to the wire. Dott was 2-0 and 4-3 ahead but Campbell stuck at it and made best breaks of 50, 56, 68 and 93 to secure a 5-4 and a meeting with Neil Robertson.

Quarter-Final draw and Predictions

6.30 am UK Time

Mark Selby Vs  Mark Williams - Selby win
Shaun Murphy Vs Jack Lisowski - Will be very close but i have to say victory for Murphy

11.30 UK Time

Neil Robertson Vs Marcus Campbell - Based on today a simple win for Robertson
Stuart Bingham Vs Stephen Maguire - Another tight won but Bingham should just edge it for me.

Looking great ahead of the easter weekend and should be great drama ahead of Sunday's final.

Stars Line-up for China 2nd Round

It was a good day for most of the seeds in the China Open on day 3, however after defeats for Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo there will be no Chinese representatives in the last 16. Neil Robertson, Mark Allen, Mark Williams, Mark Selby, Mark Davis and Ricky Walden all got through though, along with Stuart Bingham.

Day 3: Selby shines, but misses maximum

Mark Selby was the stand-out performer on Day 3 of the China Open, despite missing the final black for a 147. He beat Mark King 5-1 and showed the qualities of a number 1 as he looks to overtake Judd Trump, by reaching the quarter-finals. Selby opened with a break of 111 and then doubled his lead with a break of 82. This was before the third frame, where the Jester from Leicester saw the funny side of missing out on making his second ever maximum break, missing a tricky last black on 140. Mark King pulled a frame back before the interval with a 59 break. In the end King couldn't do anything to stop Selby, breaks of 91 and 104 giving him the win, finishing off as he started.

Meanwhile, Neil Robertson whitewashed his namesake Jimmy 5-0. Neil opened up with a break of 72 and took the next with a break of 58 as Jimmy missed early opportunities and failed to offer the Aussie a real challenge, or recreate his wildcard round form. He took the next 2 before the interval to add to Jimmy's misery, a 70 break giving him the fourth. Another break of 70 in the fifth frame gave Neil Robertson a comfortable victory, and a Last 16 place.

Mark Williams survived an early scare to get past 15 year old Lu Haotian 5-2. A classy 108 gave the Welshmen an early 1-0 lead, but he soon found himself 2-1 behind as Lu made breaks of 52 and 55 in the next 2 frames. Missed opportunities for Lu were soon punished by Williams in the fourth and fifth frames as he regained the lead, with breaks of 63 and 60. Mark took the next and closed out the match with a break of 72.

The home fans were left dissapointed as Chinese favourite Ding Junhui was beaten 5-3 by Barry Hawkins. Ding had early chances but soon found himself 4-0 behind and reasonably helpless as Hawkins made a 67 in the first and a well worked 108 in the fourth frame. Ding began to fight back after the interval, taking all of the next 3 frames and making it 4-3, including breaks of 64 and 53. Barry held his nerve in the eight frame, as a nice break of 87 booked his place in the Last 16.

In form Mark Allen eased past Anthony McGill with top breaks of 129, 92 and 56 and will meet Neil Robertson in the 2nd Round.

Elsewhere, Stuart Bingham saw off the last of the Chinese players with a 5-3 win over Liang Wenbo. Top runs of 91, 90, 81 and 79 seeing Bingham through to a Last 16 meeting with Robert Milkins.

Mark Davis saw off a tough test from Dechawat Poomjaeng, scoring a 5-3 with highs of 81, 71, 60 and 51.

Finally, Ricky Walden came out of a scrappy encounter against Ken Doherty the 5-2 winner with a top break of 51, his only break of 50+, while Ken made a break of 74 in the second frame.

Round 2 Draw, schedule and Tips.

6.30am UK time:

Mark Selby Vs Ricky Walden
Mark Williams Vs Ali Carter
Shaun Murphy Vs Rory McLeod
Mark Davis Vs Jack Lisowski

11.30am UK time:

Mark Allen Vs Neil Robertson
Stephen Maguire Vs Barry Hawkins
Marcus Campbell Vs Graeme Dott
Stuart Bingham Vs Robert Milkins

My top tips for day 4 would be Mark Davis, despite Jack Lisowski being the favourite after his win against Trump. Selby should beat Walden by a clear 2-3 frames based on today's form. Carter and Robertson are also decent bets, even though those matches are evenly matched. Carter is in slightly better form lately than Williams, while recent head to head would definetly suggest Robertson over Allen, despite Allens recent form.

Other possible upsets could lie in Marcus Campbell and Robert Milkins to win their respective matches. Meanwhile there is every chance that the Dentist McLeod could grind out a win against Murphy, but my gut feeling is that Murphy should really get through.

Looking like a great line-up for the rest of the tournament despite some early big name departures, and the latter stages of the tournament should be enjoyable viewing.

Early days in China

The first couple of days are over and half of the round 1 matches have been completed. So far we have seen dominant perfromances from Scotland as 3 of their 4 representatives are through to the second round. However we have seen a fantastic performance from Jack Lisowski to dump out Judd Trump in Round 1, which now means that Mark Selby will regain the No.1 ranking if he reaches the quarter-finals. There were also departures for John Higgins as Robert Milkins came from 3-1 down and 4-3 down to win 5-4, and Matthew Stevens who lost 5-2 to Rory McLeod. However, my 2 dark horses for the event both made it through to the second round. Ali Carter got the win that he really needed to take a stronger hold on the 15th place ranking, and therefore the 16th seed for The Crucible. He beat Zhao Xintong 5-2. Shaun Murphy beat Andrew Higginson 5-3, avoiding another potential first round banana skin.

Day 1: Scots dominate Beijing

Graeme Dott fought back from 2-0 down to beat Marco Fu 5-3, with a top break of 76 and i thought that Dott showed a slight glimmer of how he can play, something he really needs to find before the World Championship. His incredible fighting qualities showed once more from 2-0, fighting back to 2-2 at the interval, especially as Marco Fu had the chance for a 3-1 lead. Dott shone after the interval and went 4-2 ahead. Breaks of 54 and 66 from Fu got it back to 4-3, but Dott held on for the 5-3 win.

In the only other round 1 match on day 1, Stephen Maguire came from 3-1 down to win 5-3. Holt took the first 2 frames with a break of 105 in the second frame. Maguire fought back with a break of 133 to make it 2-1. Michael wasn't fazed though and made it 3-1 with a 101. Maguire hit form after the mid-session break though breaks of 63, 66 and 62 giving him all of the last four frames for a 5-3 victory.

Day 2: Higgins, Trump and Stevens out. Murphy, Carter through.

Shaun Murphy and Ali Carter made it through on a day where 3 other top 16 players were knocked out, along with defending champion Peter Ebdon. Murphy made top breaks of 50, 52, 89 and 61 on the way to a 5-3 victory over Andrew Higginson. Meanwhile Ali Carter came back from losing the first frame to Zhao Xintong, to beat the wildcard 5-2 with high breaks of 50, 58, 63 and 76.

Peter Ebdon was knocked out by Marcus Campbell, losing 5-3. There were only 3 breaks of 50+ in the whole match, in what was another lenghty affair involving the defending champion. Ebdon made a breaks of 67 and 53 after Campbell stole the first frame by 1 point. From 2-2 though Ebdon only won 1 more frame as Campbells top break of 53 came in the third frame.

John Higgins lost against Robert Milkins by a 5-4 scoreline, despite the Gloucesterman not making a break of above 50. Higgins made breaks of 64 and 60 on the way to a 3-1 lead. The Milkman levelled it up at 3-3, only for Higgins to regain the lead with a 116 century break. Milkins though took a tense last 2 frames, to record another famous Chinese victory.

Rory McLeod came from 2-1 down to beat Haikou World Open runner-up Matthew Stevens 5-2. Stevens opened up with a break of 62 to lead 1-0. At 2-2 it still looked ok for the Welshmen until McLeod came out and made a 134 break (the highest of the first round so far) and then a break 52 consolidated his lead. The Dentist ground out the seventh frame to take out the match.

The clash of the day by far though, was Jack Lisowski's 5-3 victory over good friend Judd Trump. Lisowski took the first frame with a break of 85, only for Trump to level with a 58 break. This is where Jack began to show his class with a magnificent 131 break. The World No.1 took the next 2 though to lead 3-2. His practice partner won all of the last 3 frames in style with breaks of 63, 80 and 94 to close out the match 5-3. This really was a fantastic victory for Jack Lisowski who has now beaten the world's top 2 in the space of 2 tournaments, to remind us all of the future star of the game he is sure to be.

Wednesday's Round 1 matches

6.30 am (UK Time)

Ding Junhui Vs Barry Hawkins
Mark Davis Vs Dechawat Poomjaeng
Ricky Walden Vs Ken Dohery
Mark Williams Vs Lu Haotian

11.30 (UK Time)

Mark Selby Vs Mark King
Neil Robertson Vs Jimmy Robertson
Mark Allen Vs Anthony McGill
Stuart Bingham Vs Liang Wenbo

Shaping up for an exciting week already in Beijing!

Who will win in Beijing?

The penultimate ranking event of the season starts on Monday, as the China Open gets underway in Beijing. Apart from the title, there are also lots of valuable ranking points on offer as the fight for 15th place, and automatic qualification for the World Championship, reaches it's conclusion. 1st round victory should be enough for Ali Carter to secure the spot and make Mark Davis go to the qualifiers. There's also a tight battle between Stephen Maguire and Shaun Murphy to be ranked no.6 and therefore take the seventh seeding and therefore avoiding the ninth seed in the second round.

The top quarter of the draw sees an opportunity for either Neil Robertson or Mark Allen (whoever wins their possible second round match) to get into the semi-finals this week. In the bottom quarter the four seeds are Mark Selby, Ricky Walden, Mark Williams and Ali Carter and with Williams and Walden in poor form at the moment it gives Selby the opportunity to get a good run in ahead of The Crucible.

My 4 predicted semi-finalists would be Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui, Judd Trump and Mark Selby.

Neil Robertson has a first round meeting with his namesake Jimmy Robertson or wildcard Wang Yuchen. I can't real see Neil losing that one the way he's playing right now, so a second round meeting with Mark Allen is very likely. Robertson has a pretty decent record against Mark Allen, including a recent Masters quarter-final victory. Despite that Allen is in good form and played well in a losing effort against Ding at the PTC Grand Finals, and winning the Haikou World Open. However, i still see Robertson as a favourite in this one as he looks to improve his form in China. Looking at the other half of this section Marco Fu plays Graeme Dott and holder Peter Ebdon faces Marcus Campbell. I can see a slight upset in both matches there as neither Dott or Ebdon are in form at the moment. Firstly, Ebdon is struggling to get used to his new cue and has had a very poor year. Even though it was the same story last year until he won this event, i just can't see it happening again and i think Campbell will just get through. Graeme Dott is also in poor form, after first or second round exits in every event since the Masters in January, while Marco Fu made the quarter-finals in Galway and the German masters final in early February. Therefore i have to say that Fu will get through this and then go on into the quarter-finals. Despite this, Robertson should be strong enough on the day to beat Fu and reach the semi-finals.

In the other quarter, Ding Junhui has a tough start against Barry Hawkins, but in his current form i have to back the home favourite to get through. He should then play Stephen Maguire, who himself has a tricky start against Michael Holt, but one that the Scot should just come through. Ding will fancy his chances against Maguire, who had a really bad defeat from 3-0 up against Joe Swail in the PTC Grand Finals. Ding Junhui also has a good record against him, and therefore the home favourite, will be the favourite for a quarter-final spot. Elsewhere in this section John Higgins plays Robert Milkins and Stuart Bingham will face either Liang Wenbo or wildcard Lu Ning. Stuart should get through that, although not being in the greatest form since making the Welsh Open final. As for John Higgins, his last meeting against Robert Milkins saw Milkins win 5-3 in the Haikou World Open in 2012. However, Milkins has previously admitted that he struggles in the first round of Chinese events and if he does so again Higgins will surely punish him by going through to the second round. Out of Higgins and Bingham, i have to say that Higgins will get through if he can regain the form that saw him thrash Bingham 5-0 in the World Open. Whoever does reach the quarters from will come unstuck against Ding however, as they will really need to find their form quickly to overcome the century making machine if the home favourite is switched on. Otherwise i have to say that it will be successive China Open semi-finals for Ding Junhui.

Judd Trump has an equally tricky start, as he could play his good friend Jack Lisowski, as long as Lisowski wins his wildcard match. Judd should come through this one, but Lisowski definetly has the potential to beat him, especially after the confidence a win over Selby in the PTC Finals will give him. Still Trump will be the big favourite, and is my pick to be in the second round. In the second round he should play Mark Davis (no disrespect to Dechawat Poomjaeng), and this is another match that Trump will be hot favourite for. Davis has not had a great start to 2013, not qualifying for Germany or Wales (under the changed system) and suffering first round defeats in Haikou and Galway. That is definetly the form that gives me any reason to say that Davis will beat Trump, not saying that he can't, but it just seems unlikely. However automatic qualification for The Crucible could be on his mind and spur him on this week. In the other half of Trump's quarter lies a couple of dark horses. Shaun Murphy may not have won a ranking event for 2 years, but having had almost a month of from tournament would have given him a chance to refresh himself, and get some much needed practice in after disapointing defeats in Wales and Haikou. One of those disapointing defeats came to Matthew Stevens, who he may have to face again in round 2 here. Both have tough opening encounters with Murphy playing Andrew Higginson, and Matthew Stevens should face a trip to the dentist, playing Rory McLeod. Both should get through and then i think Murphy will make the quarters, and looks to get rid of some unfinished business of Haikou. Trump against Murphy would be a tough one to call, but one that Trump will look to, in order to prove he's ready for the World Championship. Murphy would be a good tournament bet if some others like Trump or Selby fall early though.

Finally, Mark Selby has a tasty start against Mark King, but Selby has a great record against King. King definetly has a good chance, especially as he plays some of his best snooker out in China. Selby should win if he's on his game though, and the fact that he's taken his wife out to Beijing may help him relax and get back into form this week. In the second round Selby could play either Ricky Walden or Ken Doherty. Walden enjoys playing out in China and his best results will prove that. To start with that made me think that he would definetly beat Ken and that he would also beat Selby. Having looked at Walden's form in recent times though, he hasn't managed to find the form in 2013 so far that got him the Wuxi Classic title, and at times he has actually played quite badly and nowhere close to where he can. Therefore, i have to go with the UK and Masters champion for victory. Meanwhile in Selby's quarter, Ali Carter needs victory over Jamie Cope or Zhao Xintong to secure the 16th seed for the World Championship. For that reason, and the fact that Cope has had a poor year that has seen him drop to world number 32 provisionally, i have to say that Carter will be in the second round. Carter will meet either Mark Williams or Lu Haotian (the 15 year old who made the quarters at the International Championship). This is after Mark Joyce pulled out of the tournament giving Lu a bye into the first round. I don't like to talk about the wildcards or even consider them because, i find them unfair and a complete waste as it's really all down to sponsors and many of them probably aren't good enough. So, i can see no way that Williams will exit this one in the first round (as he has in many recent tournaments) and he will be in the second round, where he should play Carter. This is where i must take the Welshmans form into account. On current form there is little chance of him beating Ali, if the German Masters champ keeps his discipline. Carter also made the Championship league final last week and has to be my bet of the week to make the quarter-finals. Out of Selby and Carter to reach the semi-finals then, i fancy that it will be Selby. The Jester from Leicester will be hoping for a good run to regain confidence before the big one in April starts, and if he shows the kind of determination he did in the UK and Masters, then i'm sure he will get through.

Predicted Semi-Finals:
Neil Robertson Vs Ding Junhui
Judd Trump Vs Mark Selby

Predicted tournament winner: Neil Robertson

1st Round Draw

Peter Ebdon Vs Marcus Campbell
Graeme Dott Vs Marco Fu
Mark Allen Vs Anthony McGill/ Heydari Nezhad Ehsan
Neil Robertson Vs Jimmy Robertson/ Wang Yuchen
Stephen Maguire Vs Michael Holt
Ding Junhui Vs Barry Hawkins
Stuart Bingham Vs Liang Wenbo/ Lu Ning
John Higgins Vs Robert Milkins
Judd Trump Vs Jack Lisowski/ Zhou Yuelong
Mark Davis Vs Dechawat Poomjaeng/ Zhu Yinghui
Matthew Stevens Vs Rory McLeod/ Hu Hao
Shaun Murphy Vs Andrew Higginson
Mark Williams Vs Lu Haotian
Allister Carter Vs Jamie Cope/ Zhao Xintong
Ricky Walden Vs Ken Doherty
Mark Selby Vs Mark King