Neil Robertson is the defending champion after beating Michael Holt in the final a year ago, and as such his Last 128 tie with Daniel Ward has been held over to the 'Arena Riga'. World Champion Mark Selby's Last 128 tie with Alex Borg had also been saved for the venue, but Selby has since withdrawn after breaking his big toe by dropping glass onto it. Alex Borg therefore goes into the Last 64.
Along with this, there are two further held over matches to take care of on Friday morning with the two Latvia wildcards. Tatjana Vasiljeva will take on Anthony McGill while Rodion Judin faces Chen Zhe.
There are a few top players that chose not to enter this event as the first of the season, while a couple of others did not come through the last 128 stage that was held in Preston three weeks ago. Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, Marco Fu, John Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ali Carter and Liang Wenbo were all non-entries while Shaun Murphy lost out to Luca Brecel at the Guildhall while Mark Allen fell to Jack Lisowski.
Last year's runner-up Holt did not make it through either, though he had a rather tough draw against Barry Hawkins. Young Chinese Yan Bingtao and former German Masters champion Martin Gould did not make it either, while Ricky Walden was whitewashed in both last 128 ties he played that week.
With so many players missing and a draw that was completely unseeded for the event it offers big opportunities for guys down the rankings to have a good week, collect some much needed prize money and a first-time ranking winner is also a big possibility.
Quarter 1
Last 128 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Vs Michael Georgiou
Anthony McGill or Tatjana Vasiljeva Vs Stuart Carrington
Kurt Maflin Vs Alan McManus
Eden Sharav Vs Jimmy White
Gary Wilson Vs Ken Doherty
Robin Hull Vs Chen Zhe or Rodion Judin
Zhang Anda Vs Alex Borg
Tom Ford Vs Hammad Miah
This is clearly the most open quarter of the draw, especially now that Mark Selby has withdrawn. Anthony McGill has the advantage of getting some match practice in and getting to know the conditions in Riga before the main stages. He has a decent record in this event as well making the semi-finals in 2014 and the quarter-finals last year. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh is certainly a contender every time he brings his best game, but his inconsistency is often the issue, and it showed last season as he finished 67th on the one season money list despite making two semi-finals. I think he could find trouble against Michael Georgiou who scored a big victory against Kyren Wilson in the China Championship last 128 round. Zhang Anda is another name that could come through the draw, but he seems to struggle for consistency in his game. A heavy scorer on his day, but often he cannot back up big breaks, as he showed by making the highest break of the China Championship last 128 round but losing 5-2 to Shaun Murphy.
I have picked out two European players in this section though that could certainly get on a good run this week and make the semi-finals. The first is a firm favourite of the blog in Robin Hull. Watching Hull in the China Championship up close he did very little wrong in defeat to an increasingly solid Anthony Hamilton. I think this could be a very good tournament and start off a good season for the Finnish potter, with two new sponsors on board and offering support that should see him enter as many events as possible. Starting from £0 on the ranking list is easier than it would have been two or three years ago before events like this and the home nations along with other events that are largely unseeded. It shows that, as long as players have a certain quality, they can come through quickly as the likes of Anthony Hamilton, Yan Bingtao and Scott Donaldson demonstrated by shooting up the rankings last season. Hull certainly has the quality to do the same.
Kurt Maflin is the other who often performs well in making the last 16 or quarter-finals of events without kicking on and fulfilling his potential as someone who could become a ranking winner. A tough draw against Alan McManus in round one is not necessarily what you would want, but McManus struggled last season and is certainly not unbeatable. I would expect him to make the last 16 if he beats McManus and if he plays well he could certainly go a long way beyond that too.
My opening quarter choice though is Tom Ford. Ford was a runner-up here in 2015 to Barry Hawkins and early on last season he took advantage of top player absentees by performing well to make the final of the Paul Hunter Classic. Ford certainly has the talent to win a ranking title, and these results show that he is perhaps edging closer to making that a reality. At times his demeanour at the table when things are not going well allows opponents to take full advantage, rather than knuckling down and grinding out the result. If he is on top scoring though, he is certainly a contender for the title, just as he was two years ago.
I have picked out two European players in this section though that could certainly get on a good run this week and make the semi-finals. The first is a firm favourite of the blog in Robin Hull. Watching Hull in the China Championship up close he did very little wrong in defeat to an increasingly solid Anthony Hamilton. I think this could be a very good tournament and start off a good season for the Finnish potter, with two new sponsors on board and offering support that should see him enter as many events as possible. Starting from £0 on the ranking list is easier than it would have been two or three years ago before events like this and the home nations along with other events that are largely unseeded. It shows that, as long as players have a certain quality, they can come through quickly as the likes of Anthony Hamilton, Yan Bingtao and Scott Donaldson demonstrated by shooting up the rankings last season. Hull certainly has the quality to do the same.
Kurt Maflin is the other who often performs well in making the last 16 or quarter-finals of events without kicking on and fulfilling his potential as someone who could become a ranking winner. A tough draw against Alan McManus in round one is not necessarily what you would want, but McManus struggled last season and is certainly not unbeatable. I would expect him to make the last 16 if he beats McManus and if he plays well he could certainly go a long way beyond that too.
My opening quarter choice though is Tom Ford. Ford was a runner-up here in 2015 to Barry Hawkins and early on last season he took advantage of top player absentees by performing well to make the final of the Paul Hunter Classic. Ford certainly has the talent to win a ranking title, and these results show that he is perhaps edging closer to making that a reality. At times his demeanour at the table when things are not going well allows opponents to take full advantage, rather than knuckling down and grinding out the result. If he is on top scoring though, he is certainly a contender for the title, just as he was two years ago.
Best of the Rest: Robin Hull and Kurt Maflin
Quarter Choice: Tom Ford
Quarter 2
Last 128 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Jimmy Robertson Vs John Astley
Andrew Higginson Vs Jamie Barrett
Stuart Bingham Vs Mark Davis
Jamie Jones Vs Sam Craigie
Jack Lisowski Vs Matthew Stevens
Neil Robertson or Daniel Ward Vs Lukas Kleckers
Oli Lines Vs Christopher Keogan
Stephen Maguire Vs Gerard Greene
This quarter is also filled with quality starting with 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham. Bingham has a tough first task against Mark Davis, but if he gets through that he could well get on a big run this week, as he strikes me as one of the players who will be prepared to his the ground running. Jack Lisowski overcame Mark Allen to make it to Riga and he needs these positive results to continue after finishing 75th on the one season money list after the 2017 World Championships. However, despite these promising signs against Allen he could not back it up against Allan Taylor in the China Championship last 128 round shortly after. Matthew Stevens is now with a new cue after the one he used for his entire professional career to this point was stolen in the off season. How he adapts to the new cue will be key to how things go in the new season. It could offer the Welshman a fresh start and improved results, or it could take him some time to adapt such was his lengthy relationship with the former cue. Stephen Maguire meanwhile will be wanting to build on a quarter-final at the World Championships to close out a season that was largely disappointing and saw him drift down the ranking list and well outside of the top 16. Maguire is long overdue a ranking success and this may be the week that things turn in his favour.
My dark horse of the second quarter is Jimmy Robertson. Robertson made three centuries in nine frames won at the Preston qualifiers as he made it through to Latvia as well as the China Championship final stages. Robertson did make it to the last 16 of this tournament 12 months ago, before going to have a hit and miss season. However, it did end with a little success as he qualified for the Crucible once again. His heavy scoring best can make him a match for most, and the draw has offered him a route to the last 16 that does not involve playing any of the world's top stars, and I think he has the tools to take advantage and maybe go on further and challenge for the title, as a former European Tour semi-finalist.
Another Robertson is my second quarter choice, defending Riga Masters champion Neil Robertson. The Australian having his last 128 round match held over could again offer an advantage to him. You would certainly not expect him to lose that match, so it should offer extra match practice and a chance to adapt to the playing conditions that the players will face over the weekend. From there I think Stephen Maguire will be his main challenger for the quarter, and after a season that did not necessarily pan out the way he would have liked after the early season victory in Latvia, Robertson will be prepared and determined to kick things off in style, just as he did a year ago.
My dark horse of the second quarter is Jimmy Robertson. Robertson made three centuries in nine frames won at the Preston qualifiers as he made it through to Latvia as well as the China Championship final stages. Robertson did make it to the last 16 of this tournament 12 months ago, before going to have a hit and miss season. However, it did end with a little success as he qualified for the Crucible once again. His heavy scoring best can make him a match for most, and the draw has offered him a route to the last 16 that does not involve playing any of the world's top stars, and I think he has the tools to take advantage and maybe go on further and challenge for the title, as a former European Tour semi-finalist.
Another Robertson is my second quarter choice, defending Riga Masters champion Neil Robertson. The Australian having his last 128 round match held over could again offer an advantage to him. You would certainly not expect him to lose that match, so it should offer extra match practice and a chance to adapt to the playing conditions that the players will face over the weekend. From there I think Stephen Maguire will be his main challenger for the quarter, and after a season that did not necessarily pan out the way he would have liked after the early season victory in Latvia, Robertson will be prepared and determined to kick things off in style, just as he did a year ago.
Best of the Rest: Jimmy Robertson
Quarter Choice: Neil Robertson
Quarter 3
Last 128 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Mark King Vs Hossein Vafei
Zhou Yuelong Vs Paul Davison
Joe Perry Vs David Gilbert
Tian Pengfei Vs Ben Jones
Robert Milkins W/O Wang Yuchen
Barry Hawkins Vs Ryan Day
Craig Steadman Vs Chen Zifan
Kyren Wilson Vs Ben Woollaston
As we move into the bottom half of the draw, this is the quarter that looks to have the most quality players. Robert Milkins is the beneficiary of a walkover that means he will not have to play until the last 32 on Saturday. Milkins should arrive in Riga with some confidence having won the Pink Ribbon pro-am event a couple of weeks ago, after a poor end to last season that saw him fall in the first round of world qualifying. Mark King faces Hossein Vafei in a repeat of the Northern Irish open quarter-final from last season. That one was an interesting affair to say the least and Hossein has come on in strides since then. A good end to last season for the Iranian will give him a lot of confidence and I could see him being a serious title contender by the end of this campaign. Joe Perry will be looking to get back into the top 16 after failing to reach the Crucible in April. Perry faces a tough last 64 draw against David Gilbert who himself has been edging closer to the 16 and the winner of that match could easily be the quarter winner. Ryan Day also has a tasty tie against Barry Hawkins who we will come to later on. That one is a repeat of the World Grand Prix final where Day came close again to breaking his ranking title duck, and if we get two or three first time ranking winners this season, I would expect him to finally get on that list.
The outsider I have my eye on here though is Chinese Zhou Yuelong. Zhou finished 24th on the one year money list last season after qualifying for the Crucible and making the Welsh Open quarter-finals. That remains his best finish in a ranking event, and after a few years on tour now I think he will kick on and potentially make a semi-final or final. The close relationship that some of the young Chinese players have, thanks as well to being looked after by the Victoria Snooker Academy, is helping all of them grow and I can only see their steady progression continuing along with this.
My next quarter choice though is another former winner of this title in 2015 champion Barry Hawkins. Hawkins continues to quietly go about his business and impress in a number of tournaments. Last season he was the fifth best money earner and only £12,000 behind third place John Higgins who he fell to in the World Championship semi-finals. He added to his ranking title tally in February in what was a pretty dominant display at the World Grand Prix and one of the most impressive performances of the whole season in my view. Add to that one more final, three semi-finals including the World's and two further quarter-finals and Hawkins is displaying that he is much more than simply the solid player that he is seen as. In a venue where he has reached the semi-finals and won the tournament on his only two visits I expect him to start this season as he means to go on and challenge for the silverware.
The outsider I have my eye on here though is Chinese Zhou Yuelong. Zhou finished 24th on the one year money list last season after qualifying for the Crucible and making the Welsh Open quarter-finals. That remains his best finish in a ranking event, and after a few years on tour now I think he will kick on and potentially make a semi-final or final. The close relationship that some of the young Chinese players have, thanks as well to being looked after by the Victoria Snooker Academy, is helping all of them grow and I can only see their steady progression continuing along with this.
My next quarter choice though is another former winner of this title in 2015 champion Barry Hawkins. Hawkins continues to quietly go about his business and impress in a number of tournaments. Last season he was the fifth best money earner and only £12,000 behind third place John Higgins who he fell to in the World Championship semi-finals. He added to his ranking title tally in February in what was a pretty dominant display at the World Grand Prix and one of the most impressive performances of the whole season in my view. Add to that one more final, three semi-finals including the World's and two further quarter-finals and Hawkins is displaying that he is much more than simply the solid player that he is seen as. In a venue where he has reached the semi-finals and won the tournament on his only two visits I expect him to start this season as he means to go on and challenge for the silverware.
Best of the Rest: Zhou Yuelong
Quarter Choice: Barry Hawkins
Quarter 4
Last 128 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Nigel Bond Vs Jackson Page
Xiao Guodong Vs Mark Joyce
Noppon Saengkham Vs Cao Yupeng
Michael White Vs Sam Baird
Elliot Slessor Vs Alexander Ursenbacher
Robbie Williams Vs Ashley Carty
Mark Williams Vs Peter Ebdon
Luca Brecel Vs Lee Walker
Finally, the concluding quarter of the draw is again a little light on top stars. Mark Williams is the biggest name of the 16 here by far and he will be hoping to back up April's China Open final with a solid start here in Latvia, where he made the semi-finals last season. Williams has made the switch to SightRight coaching techniques, possibly after persuasion from practice partner Lee Walker (who could meet Williams in the last 32) and will be keen to make a telling start to the season with this in mind. Fellow Welshman Michael White is the second highest ranked player in this quarter but faces a dodgy opener against Sam Baird in Riga. Baird has won the last three meetings between the pair, all of which came in 2016 and included wins at the World and International Championships. White has not quite kicked on as many would have expected him to after he won the Indian Open in 2015, and perhaps this season will be one where he can put some much more consistently impressive results together. Thai Noppon Saengkham qualified for the Crucible in April to avoid slipping through the tours trap door, and he has a reasonable draw that could see the former China Open quarter-finalist pick up a few wins this week. It is also worth giving a special mention to Jackson Page who won his last 128 match against a fellow Q-School top-up and will learn a lot from these experiences this season. Whatever the result, he will probably be able to pick up something playing an experienced pro in Nigel Bond, and it would not be a surprise to see him come through.
The best of the rest for this section is Xiao Guodong. The Chinese player had a resurgence last year as he made the last 16 of the World Championships in April and finished last season at 25th on the one year money list. Xiao also started the season by making the quarter-finals last season in Riga before losing out to Darren Morgan and that set him on the way. Xiao also made the Shoot-Out final for the second time, having never recovering from the manner in which he lost the first in 2015. Say what you like about the tournament, but defeat in 2015's dying seconds saw him go on a downturn of form that saw him finish some 45 places lower on the one year money list in 2015/2016 than he did last season.
Someone else who I expect to learn a lot from disappointment and move forward to better things is Luca Brecel. Defeat from 7-1 up in the last 32 of the World Championship could be a potentially big learning curve and career changing moment for Brecel. From such a turnaround I think he'll be able to identify much more easily the improvements that are needed to become a better player and close out these big matches in the best tournaments against the top players. He has recovered at the start of this season by scoring another win against Shaun Murphy to make the last 64 here and coming through comfortably in the last 128 of the China Championship a couple of days afterwards. Brecel is also someone who has not quite kicked on from making the German Masters and Shoot-Out finals of 2016, but defeat at the Crucible may be the wake-up call he needs to kick on and continue climbing the rankings. The Belgian finished outside of the top 40 in last years money list despite Crucible qualification and a run to the UK Championship quarter-finals for the second time. Therefore, this year is going to be one where he needs to find greater consistency in order to stay in the world's top 32. Good early signs in Preston three weeks ago suggest no reason why he cannot have a deep run in the draw in Latvia.
Best of the Rest: Xiao Guodong
Quarter Choice: Luca Brecel
Tournament Winner Selection: Barry Hawkins
Coverage of this event on Eurosport TV is a little hit and miss but it will be on Eurosport Player throughout the three days. Matches are played over the best-of-7 frames up until the semi-finals and final which are the best-of-9 as the players ease themselves into the 2017/2018 snooker campaign.
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