2016 World Championship discussion

[Chappy5]

Yes, because we don't want to see a run away victory like The Masters. Ronnie and Hawks one was so boring. The game yesterday evening was fantastic, how posters can say the tactical frames are boring is beyond me. I still did not rule out ROS in that last frame, even when he was behind by 50 odd. But the blue in off was just hit with too much screw due to pressure and adrenaline.. Wow, its so hard to pick a winner now..

Exactly.

I find 20min safety battles enthralling and i love this aspect of the game. I always try to compare myself as to what i would do in that situation etc and learn heaps watching the Pros playing a deadly safety game when pots are not on.

The 1st 15mins of the Hawkins V Ronnie deciding frame was great viewing IMO.

[Rane]

History isn't on Higgins side. No 40+ year old has reached the final since 1988.
And with 3 of them in the top half its looking good for Ding to make the final.

Around 2008 and 2009 there were lots of talking of a young mans game, you couldn´t win the WC, when you were older than 30. O´Sullivan and Higgins has proven that wrong. There has been lots of discussion of decline going on regarding both Higgins and O´Sullivan, but together with Robertson those two have been the most succesful players this season, so I see no reason why he can´t win. That said I think we will see them decline within the next 5 years.

[P.Smith]

Higgins has beaten O´Sullivan too many times, and then there are the newspaperstory in 2010? I don´t remember the exact year.

I suppose but if you know anything about that story then you would know that Higgins didn't actually do anything wrong and it was just a dodgy newspaper fishing for a story.

[ghost121]

I agree about the newspaper being dodgy, typical British press, but to say Higgins did nothing wrong is just plain naive. Any other player outside the top 16 would have been dealt with much more severely. He dodged a bullet because of who he was and went on to win another World Championship when he shouldn't even have been allowed to play. Superb player, yes, but I have no respect for the man. And yes, I have read and seen all there is on the subject. That is my personal opinion and my last word because I realise other people feel differently and that's fine by me. Each to his own.

[Odrl]

As I said last night, it's a really interesting quarter-final line-up. Only Higgins remains from my big favourites, but most of the others were in an extended group of title contenders before the tournament started, so we can't really say this line-up is particularly surprising. Let's have quick prediction...

John Higgins v. Alan McManus:

As has been mentioned, Higgins has converted his last three WC quarter-finals to titles, and he is probably the tournament favourite at this point. For some reason he tends to struggle against players older than him though. In the time I've been watching snooker more closely, Higgins has had a poor record against the likes of Doherty, Ebdon and Mark Davis, and he famously lost to Hendry and Steve Davis in the WC just recently. He has also lost his last two matches against McManus, one in the WC two years ago, the other in the Wuxi Classic at the start of last season. Higgins was struggling in general that year though. He is quite clearly back to good form now, and he very rarely loses at the business end of tournaments when he is a clear favourite. He didn't play as strongly against Walden as he did against Day in his opening match, while McManus actually finished very strongly against Carter. McManus has also had a longer rest, which is bound to make a slight difference for old men like these two. :smile: I expect McManus to annoy Higgins by sticking with him for most of the match, but ultimately I think Higgins will prove a couple of frames stronger. Higgins to win 13-9.

Ding Junhui v. Mark Williams:

Some good matches between these two in the past. Williams has won their most important one, in a major ranking final, but Ding clearly has the better record apart from that. I think this is going to be an interesting match. The prevailing opinion on this forum seems to be that Williams has quite a good chance, and I wouldn't necessarily disagree, even though I basically dismissed his chances before the tournament started. He has played surprisingly well so far, with good safety and strong scoring, but the two players he beat are not all that impressive on paper. Ding had a much tougher job in that respect. He finished his match against Gould really strongly, then couldn't quite reproduce that form against Trump, but he was still solid enough to be in control for most of the match. He has impressed with his composure and resolve so far, whereas his form on the table is still not as good as we know he is capable of. He also looked a bit tired against Trump, and we know Williams had the longer rest... I don't know, Williams has a habit of playing a horrible match or session at the wrong time these days, so I wouldn't be surprised if he lost comfortably, but at the same time I can see him making it very difficult for Ding as well. Ding to win 13-10.

Barry Hawkins v. Marco Fu:

Probably the most balanced pair of all, with 13-12 written all over it. It's hard to say how Hawkins will be affected by what he achieved last night. On one hand, beating O'Sullivan on the big stage is bound to give him great confidence, especially as he has had such a poor record against him over the years. He is in the same position as Bingham was a year ago, with the World title only three matches away, and no really enormous obstacles left to overcome. On the other hand, he could be a little drained after last night, and there is a chance he struggles to get it together again early on against Fu. Fu produced one of the best performances in the Championship so far in his thrashing of Ebdon in the 1st round, but like most other players still left in the tournament, his 2nd round performance wasn't his very best stuff. I suppose inconsistency is something we have come to expect from Fu, and perhaps it's now time for a good performance again. There isn't much between them really, both score really heavily when on form, and neither really has any major weakness in his game. The head-to-head is close as well, although it's worth noting perhaps that Fu has won both of their previous matches played over multiple sessions. It was before Hawkins really became a top player though... Hawkins to win 13-12.

Mark Selby v. Kyren Wilson:

Another great prospect here. Unlike the other pairs, this one doesn't really have any history, as they have never even played any match of medium length, let alone a long one. Obviously Selby is the more experienced player and the bigger name. His hopes of remaining world number one for the fifth year in a row after the WC looked very slim, but now it's becoming a realistic prospect again. He has a habit of playing his best snooker when his back is against the wall. He came to this Championship slightly below the radar, but we are at the business end now, and Selby is still standing. I am not surprised at all to see Wilson here either. People are quick to praise young players after any sort of success these days, but so far Wilson is the only one who has actually backed it up and become a top player. He is a proven winner, a great battler, and he seems to have the nerve to play under great pressure as well. He played a great game against Allen and took control very early with a 7-0 lead, and if Selby is not careful, the same thing could happen to him. I can see a few close and perhaps scrappy frames here, and I expect the match to go close to full distance. Selby is a master in those positions though, so I will go for Selby to scrape through 13-12.


Unfortunately I will have to miss the first session, but looking forward to the rest of it. :smile:

[ghost121]

Great summery. Ding v Wilson would be my preferred final, fingers crossed it will work out that way but I doubt it. Odds are probably in favour of Higgins v Selby, but I wouldn't be surprised in it was Higgins v Hawkins. If that's the case, Barry will get blitzed.

[neuronic]

Gosh... doesn't it just feel like "the day after"...?

I love that, that is where great sport is at its best...

[daffie]

Ronnie's and Hawkin's press conferences if anyone is interested :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75bXKgratzM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qgVA6I3OqQ

Thank you for posting that.

As harsh as I can be re Ronnie sometimes, that interview has shown me the real Ronnie and his feelings. He spoke very eloquent and insightful as well as being very 'human' with honesty about his doubts, pressures and depression always lurking around the corner. It was heartfelt and made me feel for him. Gracious towards Barry as well.

Impressive interview.

[Rane]

I suppose but if you know anything about that story then you would know that Higgins didn't actually do anything wrong and it was just a dodgy newspaper fishing for a story.

I was just trying to give an explanation to your question. I don´t blame Higgins as I´m actually a great fan, but lots in here still judge him guilty.

[crocodile]

Great summery. Ding v Wilson would be my preferred final, fingers crossed it will work out that way but I doubt it. Odds are probably in favour of Higgins v Selby, but I wouldn't be surprised in it was Higgins v Hawkins. If that's the case, Barry will get blitzed.

Well, I'll go for Selby-Ding then (I don't think this combination has been suggested yet ....).

[Rane]

As always a great summary from ORDL. Just one comment: I simply can´t imagine Selby going 7 - 0 behind against any player.

[JimMalone]

Looking forward very much to every single quarter-final.

The Battle of Scotland between John Higgins and Alan McManus may be the least intriguing, because that's the only one where I see a clear favorite. Higgins was playing very strong so far and if he keeps that up I don't see McManus holding himself up against his countryman. I think Higgins wins this one 13-8 or similiar.

The second quarter-finale in the upper half of the draw is the most interesting for me. Mark Williams and Ding Junhui are two players which I both like very much. Ding can't allow himself to make as many errors against Williams as he did against Trump in the last session. Williams is known for being good in that scrappy frames and it will be very important I think, that Ding wins his fair share of these kind of frames. Williams was playing a bit better so far, but when it counted he didn't play his best level in recent times. Though you could say this counts for Ding in the Crucible as well. I can see this quarter-final going either way, but I expect it to be very close. 13-11 Ding.

Marco Fu and Barry Hawkins seem pretty similiar to me. Both are fluent break-builders, but both don't rely only on this quality, but have a very strong all-around game. Also think this will be a very close match. But with his recent good record at the World Championship I'd make the finalist of 2013 a slight favorite. 13-12 Hawkins

The last quarter-final could also go either way. Selby is the better player, but he doesn't seem to be full focused so far, maybe because of personal problems. He makes more errors that I am used to from his side and I don't think he can afford himself this against Wilson, who seems very confident and in good form. I'm calling an upset here. 13-11 Wilson.

[Cov86]

Edgy start but good for Williams fans such as me. He appears to be hitting the ball OK, hopefully he can relax and play well. I think this match will come down to who makes the most errors, or rather who is able to get away with any errors.

[mikeyd100]

Thank you for posting that.

As harsh as I can be re Ronnie sometimes, that interview has shown me the real Ronnie and his feelings. He spoke very eloquent and insightful as well as being very 'human' with honesty about his doubts, pressures and depression always lurking around the corner. It was heartfelt and made me feel for him. Gracious towards Barry as well.

Impressive interview.

My pleasure daffie, yes it was interesting.
I felt a real honesty from Ronnie, he spoke very well - we all know how he can be at times but this was the real deal.
The pressure he gets under from everyone and himself must be huge, then again thats how it is for a person of his abilities and talents.
Full credit to The Hawk though - he stood his ground.

[JimMalone]

Well, I'll go for Selby-Ding then (I don't think this combination has been suggested yet ....).

That would be my favorite final as well.