2023 World Championship

[Cue crafty]

I would like to see McGill go through now especially after what happened against Kryton in the semis a few years back. .

Got thrown too many bones!!

[Starsky]

The best player won …well done Si 👏🏻

[neuronic]

Well, that was a lovely day of snooker. Godlike Luca, relentless Selby and lots of proper battling... nice one.

[Cue crafty]

The best player won …well done Si 👏🏻

Gutted for McGill, so near but so far.

[itsnoteasy]

Well done Si, hopefully we get a cracker against Brecel.

[Odrl]

A good old midnight finish, nice.

I would not have predicted this development in the top half of the draw. I guess Brecel has to be the favourite to make the final, but you never know.

[GeordieDS]

McGill will never ever get a better chance to make a World final, someone's cat is getting toe punted into oblivion tonight

[Starsky]

Gutted for McGill, so near but so far.

I know mate.
I called out for Si to get through earlier in the week but was rooting for McGill in the end.
That was a proper match of snooker and took me back to why I enjoy watching snooker so much . It really is not about relentless breaks for me but more about match play and tension.

So my semi match to attend will be Selby v Allen . That will be a proper tactical match and I’m looking forward to it .

[trains]

Quite impressive run from Si, Ford, Brown,Murphy,MIlkins,McGill.
And he lead Florian Nuessle 8-0 which is no mean feat either.

[Cue crafty]

I know mate.
I called out for Si to get through earlier in the week but was rooting for McGill in the end.
That was a proper match of snooker and took me back to why I enjoy watching snooker so much . It really is not about relentless breaks for me but more about match play and tension.

So my semi match to attend will be Selby v Allen . That will be a proper tactical match and I’m looking forward to it .

You got a great match to watch there!! I'm really interested to see how Marks style competes against the Dementor! I think Mark's got the armour to deal with Selby but just not quite convinced he is in the best form to get a win at this time over him. Gonna be good match either way. Hope you have a great experience there! 😉

[Zelig]

Lots of popcorn ready for the Allen-Selby semi...

...for the other semi, Si-Brecel, vodka

[Neil Taperell]

Thoroughly enjoyed that match ….gripping to watch .

would like to see Si in the Final

[cueman]

Only just caught the Ronnie match and to say he was not interested is an understatement. Everyone waxing lyrical about brecel a d yes he did play some great recovery shots and potting was excellent but did Ronnie even try?

I've seen some poor performances from Ronnie down the years but often it's when he's been in a bad way mentally. Today he was passive, like he'd already accepted he wasn't interested.

My theory is he sees the form Selby is in and simply doesn't want the torture of a potential 4 session final again. If Selby went out early, I'm convinced Ronnie would have put everything into trying for an 8th.

I can't see anything other than Selby going on now to win it. Allen will be a tough opposition but he's not strong enough to beat Selby over this distance. Hard to call the other semi as it's completely unchartered territory for both. Luca probably played the better but again I'm not sure he's built for this stage and length of matches. Si seems to be able to go on and on without it affecting his concentration, probably as the Chinese tend to spend all day practicing, that may pay off in terms of stamina.

[Odrl]

I have avoided making any kind of predictions this year, so I'll skip them for the semi-finals too. Really looking forward to it though. Allen has displayed incredible calmness and willingness to fight throughout the season, so I think he will be up for four difficult sessions against Selby. Could see some turnarounds in that one. Or, could be close throughout.

The other match is just such a weird surprise... I'd almost given up any hope of two players in their 20s contesting a WC semi-final ever again, now that even the likes of Wilson and McGill are over 30, and of course a few of the young Chinese players are gone for the moment. Also weird to say that Brecel has the advantage in experience here. As I said yesterday though, he must be hard to watch if you are a fan of his, just rushing through the breaks without a care in the world. I hope they keep going in for him, otherwise it won't be very pleasant viewing.

[itsnoteasy]

Good post by Odrl about Brecel, it feels like he's a streak player, when he's having a good day he can be unplayable but it only takes his game to drop five percent and he's gifting chances left right and centre. I hope I'm wrong as I'd love to see a new face and an attacking player win it.
I'm very much in the Stephen Hendry camp about the game, when he said "Some people think this games not all about potting balls, I'm here to tell them they're wrong"