INTERVIEW: Robbie Williams talks all things snooker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Williams and Mark Selby to contest China Open final

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

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

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

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

The Final (Best-of-19 frames) 

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Semi-Finals Draw: 

Mark Williams Vs Hossein Vafei
Mark Selby Vs Kyren Wilson


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

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

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

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

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

Judd Trump makes 147 break as his China Open defence continues

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quarter-Final Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Last 32 Results: 

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


Last 16 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

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


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

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

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

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

Selby, O'Sullivan, Trump and Ding amongst the Last 32 at the China Open

Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Selby and Ding Junhui all recorded whitewash wins in the Last 64 of the China Open in Beijing on Tuesday, while Judd Trump continued his form with a 5-1 win over Ashley Hugill.

There was drama for Selby and Ding in their heldover games on day one. Selby was 2-0 down to Adam Stefanow before coming through, while Ding Junhui was docked a frame for a logo dispute in his win over Sean O'Sullivan.

On day two, Gareth Allen received a thrashing from O'Sullivan, while Alfie Burden and Paul Davison were the respective victims for Selby and Ding. However, there was an exit for one of the other Chinese favourites as Liang Wenbo succumbed to Rory McLeod in the Last 64.

Xiao Guodong lost out 5-3 to Kyren Wilson, while Zhou Yuelong overcame Matt Selt to set up a Last 32 meeting with Ding on Wednesday. There are two other remaining home players in the Last 32 as Tian Pengfei upset the odds to beat Anthony McGill 5-2, and Li Hang came through despite a spirited fightback from Aditya Mehta.

The scoring over the course of the first two days has also been very heavy. Shaun Murphy made three century breaks on the way to victory in the very first session of the week against Allan Taylor. Michael White also made three in his win over Yu De Lu. Judd Trump made two centuries against Ashley Hugill to go with three more that he had made in his heldover match with Jason Weston.

Joining the century club with at least one in the Last 64 were: Rory McLeod, Ben Woollaston, Gary Wilson, Zhang Anda (with a break of 140 in the only frame he got on the scoreboard against Mark Williams), David Gilbert (also in a losing effort, Martin O'Donnell (with two centuries), Ricky Walden, both Kyren Wilson and Xiao Guodong (who were playing each other), as well as Rhys Clark, Mark Joyce, Aditya Mehta, Ding Jumhui and Mark Selby.

There was an end to the hopes of automatic World Championships qualification for Joe Perry, as he lost 5-2 to Hossein Vafei Ayouri. The defeat means Perry, who was 17th in the provisional seedings before the tournament, will have to win three matches to make the Crucible. Martin Gould kept his hopes alive but he still needs to make the semi-finals, while Ricky Walden must make the final and tournament wins are required for Stephen Maguire, Michael Holt and Mark Williams (with Williams and Holt meeting in the Last 32).


Last 64 Results: 

Judd Trump 5-1 Ashley Hugill
Eden Sharav 5-0 Ross Muir
Tian Pengfei 5-2 Anthony McGill
Marin Gould 5-1 Fan Zhengyi
Mike Dunn 5-3 Andy Hicks
Rory McLeod 5-2 Liang Wenbo
Ben Woollaston 5-3 Kurt Maflin
Hossein Vafei Ayouri 5-2 Joe Perry
Shaun Murphy 5-2 Allan Taylor
Gary Wilson 5-3 Graeme Dott
Michael White 5-3 Yu De Lu
Ali Carter 5-0 Stuart Carrington
Mark Williams 5-1 Zhang Anda
Michael Holt 5-3 Jimmy White
Mark Davis 5-4 Rhys Clark
John Higgins 5-1 Ian Burns
Stuart Bingham 5-3 Scott Donaldson
Noppon Saengkham 5-3 Robert Milkins
Kyren Wilson 5-3 Xiao Guodong
Sanderson Lam 5-4 Mark King
Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-0 Gareth Allen
Mark Joyce 5-4 Fraser Patrick
Zhou Yuelong 5-1 Matt Selt
Ding Junhui 5-0 Paul Davison
Daniel Wells 5-3 Jamie Cope
Matthew Stevens 5-1 Alan McManus
Li Hang 5-4 Aditya Mehta
Stephen Maguire 5-3 Fergal O'Brien
Ricky Walden 5-1 Niu Zhuang
Andrew Higginson 5-3 David Gilbert
Martin O'Donnell 5-0 Jimmy Robertson
Mark Selby 5-0 Alfie Burden


Last 32 Draw: (Picks in Bold)

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


With the good standard set by some of the top players in round one I would expect that to continue in the Last 32. Judd Trump is in excellent form, while Selby and Ding are scoring very well, as is Shaun Murphy. Michael White played very well in round one and it was a tough call to go against him in the match with Carter, but for me Carter has the tactical edge. Kyren Wilson looked to play well against Xiao Guodong based on the breaks he made there against a tough opponent. Ricky Walden's lower back complaints are a worry for him, though he has said he is feeling a little better.

Andrew Higginson scored an impressive win against David Gilbert and is much better than his ranking would tell you, and I think he has a good chance against Walden. Based upon his posture it is no surprise that he gets lower back problems, though there was also mention of a shoulder injury from the the recent past in the interview he conducted for World Snooker after his match today. As someone who is similarly tall and has issues with posture, I frequently get lower back pains, though there may have been another issue for Walden. I personally had a fall a couple of years ago that resulted in a trapped nerve in the neck that produced back shoulder, neck and back pain at the time and this is still something I suffer with on and off, so I sympathise with Walden because putting the hours of practice can be very difficult with injuries that have a direct effect on your ability to get down on the shot freely. Not only that but stretching for certain shots can be a pain.

Enough about injuries though, and back to the snooker. Stephen Maguire's China form appears to be better than his form in the UK and Europe lately so again it would not surprise me if he had a good run. His match today against Fergal O'Brien was always going to be a tough one so he must have played well to come through. The all Welsh clash with Daniel Wells and Matthew Stevens is an intriguing one. Both have had pretty good seasons, with Stevens sitting 38th on the provisional one season list, and Wells 43rd which is above their current two year ranking in both cases.

This should be another good day of snooker and I expect the standard of scoring to continue, the matches are all the best-of-9 frames. The top half of the draw all play in the session taking place at 7am UK time, while the bottom half of the draw compete at 12.30pm UK time to set up Thursday's Last 16.

China Open Preview

After a two week break on the World Snooker circuit, attentions turn firmly to the race to the World Championships as the final qualifying event arrives, the China Open.

Judd Trump is the defending champion here in Beijing with him, Mark Selby and the top two Chinese players Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo having their Last 128 matches held over. They are the lucky four that did not have to pre qualify in Barnsley all the way back in January, but there are a much more unlucky triio who have been drawn to play wildcard players before they can get going in the Last 64. Those with the banana skin to avoid are Jimmy White, Li Hang and Alex Borg. Robbie Williams was also due to play a wildcard player, but he has withdrawn through illness and Fan Zhengyi will now go straight into the Last 64. 

There are a few top players who get to have the extra time to prepare for the World Championships. Neil Robertson has decided to give the China Open a miss, while Mark Allen missed the entry deadline for qualifiers, something that his Twitter followers will certainly remember. Meanwhile, Marco Fu and Barry Hawkins both failed to qualify, though that may play into their hands with greater preparation time for Sheffield.

Ryan Day has also failed to qualify for the China Open which could prove hugely significant. He is currently 16th on the provisional seedings for the World Championships, meaning he is holding the last automatic qualifying spot. Everyone below him would have to play three qualifying matches to make the Crucible, but there are still plenty of players that can catch him.

Joe Perry - Must reach the semi-finals
Martin Gould - Must reach the semi-finals
David Gilbert - Must reach at least the final
Mark King - Must reach at least the final
Ricky Walden - Must reach at least the final
Michael Holt - Must win the tournament
Mark Williams - Must win the tournament
Alan McManus - Must win the tournament
Stephen Maguire - Must win the tournament

There is also the pressing matter of those battling for tour survival, and there are plenty of players involved in that battle who have qualified for Beijing. Here are some of the guys who have qualified and where they stand on the Provisional end of season list:

60 - Li Hang - £53,575

64 - Daniel Wells - £51,512
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65 - Gary Wilson - £50,362
66 - Ross Muir - £47,150

68 - Noppon Saengkham - £41,550

73 - Jamie Cope - £39,125

Crucially, 63rd on the provisional end of season list is Scott Donaldson. Donaldson is on the first year of a two year tour card so will not drop off of the tour in the event that he finished in 65th or below, but if he finishes 64th or above as he is projected to it would essentially relegate an extra player, by taking that spot unexpectedly.

Also, the top 8 players on this seasons money list who are not in the top 64 at the end of season will get a fresh two year tour card. Here is that list as it stands (based on the provisional end of season list) with players in red that are not qualified for China.

1 - Gary Wilson - £30,887
2 - Akani Songsermsawad - £25,500
3 - Rhys Clark - £24,425
4 - Hossein Vafei Ayouri - £23,000
5 - Ross Muir - £23,000
6 - Nigel Bond - £21,500
7 - Allan Taylor - £20,237
8 - Rod Lawler - £19,712
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Jimmy White - £19,525
Noppon Saengkham - £18,050
Eden Sharav - £17,025

Andy Hicks - £16,050 (Hicks is not currently on tour but is still entitled to re-earn his tour card by this route.

Again there is a key note on this that Robin Hull (62nd on the provisional end of season list) who is not in Beijing, is above Gary Wilson and the other players on the provisional season rankings and would take one of these spots if he were to drop outside of the 64. The same applies to provisional 64th on the end of season list Daniel Wells. 

Now that we know who to keep a keen eye on, here is how the draw shapes up for the coming week.

Quarter 1 

Last 64 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Judd Trump/Jason Weston Vs Ashley Hugill

Ross Muir Vs Eden Sharav

Anthony McGill Vs Tian Pengfei 

Martin Gould Vs Fan Zhengyi

Mike Dunn Vs Andy Hicks

Liang Wenbo/Itaro Santos Vs Rory McLeod 

Ben Woollaston Vs Kurt Maflin

Joe Perry Vs Hossein Vafei Ayouri 

Anthony McGill is certainly an interesting one to watch in this quarter. He had a solid start to the season, and will now be looking for some good preparation for another good run at the Crucible. Winning the Shoot-Out has secured his top 16 seeding for the World Championships, and this had had a big effect on certain others. Joe Perry is provisional 17th seed and he needs to win this quarter in order to make the World Championships without going to qualifiers. The draw is not the easiest for Perry to advance either, but if he can perform as he did at the start of the season in the World Open he has a good chance. Martin Gould is also chasing an automatic Crucible spot and also needing to win this quarter to do so. He starts off against a wildcard player, but has a possible Last 32 meeting with McGill and a potential Last 16 with Judd Trump so it will certainly be a tough route for him to secure this. Liang Wenbo is one of the home favourites and he has the extra match to play this week, not that this will be a problem against Itaro Santos. His form has not been the best after early exits in Cardiff and Gibraltar, but he could well have a strong run this week to take some positives to the Crucible.  

My opening quarter choice then is Judd Trump, the two time China Open winner. Trump has been the star of the season and is certainly one of the favourites for the World Championship this year. Once again, the early rounds this week should be easy enough for Trump in the form he is in, and unless someone plays really well against him I cannot see him being beaten easily. A winner at the Players Championship, he also made the final of the Gibraltar Open and the Welsh Open, which is showing a great deal more consistency from Trump. His consistency over the season is one of the signs for me that he is taking his game to the next level. As for this week, he has particularly strong record in China having won the tournament twice in six years. For me he is by far the strongest player in this section, and I do not see him taking the foot off of the gas before the big one in April. 

Quarter Choice: Judd Trump

Quarter 2

Last 64 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Shaun Murphy Vs Allan Taylor 

Graeme Dott Vs Gary Wilson

Michael White Vs Yu De Lu

Ali Carter Vs Stuart Carrington 

Michael Holt Vs Jimmy White/Li Yuan

Mark Williams Vs Zhang Anda

Mark Davis Vs Rhys Clark 

John Higgins Vs Ian Burns

Ali Carter is one of the hot contenders in this quarter, given his form this season with a recent semi-final at the Players Championship and a final at the German Masters. He seems to have struck the ball well for much of the season, which makes him a big contender for this week and a possible world championship contender. However, this week he has a very tough opening round tie with Stuart Carrington. Carrington impressed me with the statistics he displayed in my "Stat Attack" and he is someone who I think could breakthrough in the next year or two. His performances in Cardiff impressed me when I was watching him up close, and his scoring and manner amongst the reds was very impressive. Shaun Murphy has also found his form in recent weeks by winning the Gibraltar Open, and one thing that Murphy has never done is win one of the major Chinese titles in Beijing, Shanghai or at the International Championship. Having played well without getting the results in the first half of the season, winning in Gibraltar gives him something to show for the season. He would love to put that right this week, but again it is a very tough draw. He was very complimentary about Allan Taylor after their recent meeting in Gibraltar, while possible Last 32 matches with Graeme Dott, and a potential Last 16 tie with Carter (who beat him at the Players Championship) or Michael White show just one half of this quarter of death. Mark Williams is another top player in this quarter, though he needs a miracle to make it to the World Championships automatically. Only a tournament win here will do, and he has not looked like a tournament winner this season, and he has said similar in interviews and on social media. 

That makes John Higgins the second quarter choice. Higgins was a winner at the China Championship back in November, and narrowly missed out in the International Championship quarter-finals. Last year in Beijing Higgins missed out in the semi-finals in a tight match with Ricky Walden and he will want to go one step further and regain his form ahead of the World Championships. In recent weeks he has had a few early exits, and disappointing losses. In the Players Championship he surrendered a 4-0 lead to lose 5-4 to Ding Junhui. In Gibraltar he exited in the Last 64 to Mark Allen and that followed first round exits in Cardiff and in the Grand Prix. However, he got some strong match practice as he won the Championship League, and he is too good to be kept down for a long period of time. After the brilliant form he showed before Christmas it is understandable that he has had a slight dip in the last couple of months, but now is the time of the season when he will want to step things back up again. 

Quarter Choice: John Higgins

Quarter 3 

Last 64 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Stuart Bingham Vs Scott Donaldson

Robert Milkins Vs Noppon Saengkham 

Mark King Vs Sanderson Lam

Kyren Wilson Vs Xiao Guodong

Mark Joyce Vs Fraser Patrick 

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Gareth Allen 

Matt Selt Vs Zhou Yuelong

Ding Junhui/Sean O'Sullivan Vs Paul Davison 

Stuart Bingham has impressed in China this season making the semi-finals of both the Shanghai Masters and International Championship as well as the China Championship final. His record in China is very impressive overall given the Asian Tour wins he collected over the years. As well as this his recent triumph at the Welsh Open will have removed a big weight, by getting a first big title since his 2015 World Championship win. Ronnie O'Sullivan will want to have a big run to take some positives to Sheffield for the World Championships, and given his general reluctance to go to China in recent years, I am surprised that he has entered this event. Early exits in Berlin and Cardiff since his Masters win have sent small alarm bells to his fans, given that he was a long way ahead in both matches that he lost to Mark King and Mark Davis. 

Home favourite Ding Junhui therefore is the choice in this quarter. Ding Junhui always plays his best snooker in China, as a multiple winner of the Shanghai Masters, a title he won again this season, a multiple winner of this event and a former International champion. He also made the final of the international championship this season. He has had a very tough time personally in the new year that those in the snooker community will know about. There was a positive at the Players Championship when he turned his match against John Higgins around from 4-0 down and went on to make the semi-finals. The draw does not set up too badly for the Chinese number 1 and I feel that the 2014 champion will go very far this week and is a major contender to take the title once again here in Beijing, given his fantastic record on home soil, particularly in recent years. 

Quarter Choice: Ding Junhui

Quarter 4

Last 64 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Daniel Wells Vs Jamie Cope

Alan McManus Vs Matthew Stevens

Stephen Maguire Vs Fergal O'Brien 

Li Hang/Luo Honghao Vs Aditya Mehta

Ricky Walden Vs Alex Borg/Niu Zhuang

David Gilbert Vs Andrew Higginson 

Jimmy Robertson Vs Martin O'Donnell 

Mark Selby/Adam Stefanow Vs Alfie Burden

Mark Selby did not enter the China Open last year ahead of his second world title win, so he did not defend his Beijing triumph of 2015. Recently, he has lost relatively early in the Grand Prix, German Masters, Welsh Open and the Gibraltar Open which are not the best signs ahead of his defence given how well he played in the first half of tthe season. His draw is not bad this week and both Marco Fu and Barry Hawkins who were in this quarter lost in the qualifiers, so Selby is the only player currently in the top 16 that is in this quarter. Ricky Walden is a top 16 seed for this event due to the non-entries of Neil Robertson and Mark Allen, but he needs a huge run this week to actually get back into the top 16 and avoid going to Ponds Forge for World qualifying. Walden needs to make at least the final this week, though that is certainly doable, after making the final in Beijing a year ago. With all of his three ranking titles coming in China, Walden could easily grab another this week and get himself back into the top 16. David Gilbert is another player hoping to make the final this week and get into the top 16, and he would play Walden in the Last 32 if both win their opening round games so it is a tough route for both players. Gilbert has had some decent runs this season, but has not gotten close to a final, much like Walden, which makes it a tough task for both players. 

However, my final quarter choice is slightly more outside the box in the shape of Stephen Maguire. Maguire has a very good record at the China Open. In the last two years he has managed to keep his top 16 place by getting the job done here in Beijing, and last year he had to make it all the way to the semi-finals to do so. This year he has the unlikely task of having to win the event but that is not an impossibility. Maguire is a former champion if you go back as far as 2008, and he was also a finalist in 2012 as he lost out narrowly to Peter Ebdon. His best performance of this season has come on Chinese soil as he made a 147, thrashed Shaun Murphy before beating Barry Hawkins and Michael White on the way to the Shanghai Masters semi-finals. Maguire is long overdue another big run and it is over four years since he last won a full ranking title which is far too long for someone of his quality. 

Quarter Choice: Stephen Maguire

Winner Selection: Ding Junhui

That is all the information you need ahead of the China Open, but the big one is not too far away. The draw for the World Championships should be made on Monday April 3rd following the China Open final, with qualifiers getting underway at Ponds Forge on Wednesday April 5th.