Welsh Open 2016 - Discussion

[daffie]

Ouch...5-2 behind now. Looking ominous for Gentleman Joe.

[daffie]

What a wonderful frame to pinch...Cmon Joe!!!

[DeanH]

lovely bout of safety, and Joe comes out on top
keep it up Joe

[itsnoteasy]

Ah ! The unexpected age related miss from Osullivan
Well played Ronnie, Perry made a decent job of it.

[daffie]

Yes pretty decent effort from Joe, but as expected really ROS through. Should be some Final!

[vilkrang]

Robertson battered Ronnie the last time they played, he has the game to do it again. But then he bottled it in last year's Masters final but as Ronnie alluded to (and as I've said myself) he reminds me of Hendry sometimes the way he composes himself and methodically pots ball after ball.

If it's close then I'd fancy Ronnie to take it, but if Robertson gets an early lead then he's got a great chance, he's one of only 2 or 3 people who can consistently beat Ronnie at the moment (relatively so, I think Ronnie has a winning head to head record against every top player, past and present).

[Odrl]

I didn't expect much of a match tonight, but this was a pleasant surprise. Some very good snooker played by both players, particularly O'Sullivan. I know his scoring has been pretty reliable throughout his career, but this week it's been particularly impressive. I would say this is his best tournament in the last two years, at least since the 2014 Welsh Open.

But of course he hasn't won it yet, and tomorrow's match is just about as difficult as it gets. Two of the four best players in the world at the moment, meeting in a proper major final for the first time. I've been looking forward to this occasion for a while, and I plan to enjoy every second of it tomorrow. :smile:

[acpc89]

So its the final I've been wanting and waiting for quite some time, Ronnie vs Robertson. Last (and I think only) time they were in one was the world open in 2010 (5:1 Robertson). But again, surprisingly the event was talked about the 147 that wasnt going to be when Ronnie was going to leave the black on table again, over prize money!

Can't wait for tomorrow now, if its anything like their previous games we could see 6+ centuries and some top clearances. I can see Robertson pinching it, but I think it will be like 9:6 or 9:7 Ronnie. Gonna be good!

[itsnoteasy]

Robertson is the only one of today's players that at his best has the talent and temperament to stand toe to toe with Ronnie and ask, let's see what you've got, but he has to be in top form.

[PaddyLowson]

Could well be a fantastic final tomorrow - the best two players in the tournament are contesting it that's for certain.

O'Sullivan hasn't faced any danger at all in the tournament whilst Robertson with the exception of Monday against Fraser Patrick hasn't really been in overly much bother either

I think Ronnie will go 5-3 up and then win 9-5 or 9-6 ish. It's well worth remembering that O'Sullivan isn't frightened of winning these easily and if he does get 4-1 or 5-1 we could be looking at another rather convincing scoreline

[tetricky]

Could go either way, but I'll probably favour a couple of quid on Robertson, as the odds will favour that.

[vilkrang]

Robertson is the only one of today's players that at his best has the talent and temperament to stand toe to toe with Ronnie and ask, let's see what you've got, but he has to be in top form.

Agreed.

Although Robertson tends to produce better form in the rounds leading up to finals. He didn't score a single century when he won the World's for example and got battered by Murphy in the Masters last year. I'd say it would be nearly 50/50 in the early rounds in the shorter format but I'd give a slight edge going in to tomorrow, it won't be a procession as most of the BBC commentators seem to think it will be ("Your name is on the trophy this year isn't it?" was the first question asked after his win tonight).

I do love watching him play but this isn't the 80s or the 90s anymore, there are plenty of players who can regularly beat the man regarded as the best player in the world. Davis or Hendry losing in the 80s and 90s respectively was massive whereas Ronnie losing is quite common (despite Ronnie having a better overall match winning percentage than any other player including Hendry).

[stephenm2682]

Robertson battered Ronnie the last time they played, he has the game to do it again. But then he bottled it in last year's Masters final but as Ronnie alluded to (and as I've said myself) he reminds me of Hendry sometimes the way he composes himself and methodically pots ball after ball.

If it's close then I'd fancy Ronnie to take it, but if Robertson gets an early lead then he's got a great chance, he's one of only 2 or 3 people who can consistently beat Ronnie at the moment (relatively so, I think he has a winning head to head record against every top player, past and present).

Ronnie is 10-6 so not sure what that comment is about?

[vilkrang]

Ronnie is 10-6 so not sure what that comment is about?

I meant Ronnie has a winning record against every top player past and present, have edited as I can see it was a bit ambiguous.

[Odrl]

I meant Ronnie has a winning record against every top player past and present, have edited as I can see it was a bit ambiguous.

What about John Parrott?