Shanghai Masters

[DeanH]

Wrong forum brother :biggrin-new:

whoops, slipped there for a mo :wink:

[mikeyd100]

whoops, slipped there for a mo :wink:

DONT WINK AT ME DEAN !!!! ............. ( not in the main forum anyway haha )

[DeanH]

Flat to some, chamfer to others, I swing both ways in this regard

"A hyperbola by any other name would smell as sweet"

[DeanH]

Just finished watching the Holt/ROS match. Holt is continuing his improvement in his game, his concentration, his mental wherewithal - time with TG paying off
Hope it continues, got Ding next - gulp :wink:

[mikeyd100]

Just finished watching the Holt/ROS match. Holt is continuing his improvement in his game, his concentration, his mental wherewithal - time with TG paying off
Hope it continues, got Ding next - gulp :wink:

His game has improved of late, controlling his temperament too by the looks of it. Maybe Mags is too ?

[Big Splash!]

DONT WINK AT ME DEAN !!!! ............. ( not in the main forum anyway haha )

He is a little winker isn't he, no consideration for forum etiquette.

[cueman]

[bold] could say this of Maximus :biggrin:
I thought the Maximus was a previous cue for Maguire? Do you have a link to their facepage with Maguire please
Who are the five? I currently have two.
A lot of players are trying out new cue makes recently

https://www.facebook.com/maximuscues...type=3&theater

The 5 are Mcmanus, Gill, Gilbert, Maguire and most recently Luca Brecel, just outside the 32 Dale is back using one and Joe Swail. Many pros have used them or own them too, far too many to mention.

[DeanH]

https://www.facebook.com/maximuscues...type=3&theater

The 5 are Mcmanus, Gill, Gilbert, Maguire and most recently Luca Brecel, just outside the 32 Dale is back using one and Joe Swail. Many pros have used them or own them too, far too many to mention.

Thanks for the link.
yep McGill and Gilbert previously noted.
So Luca finally gave up the Acuerate!
I gave up trying to keep up with Dale's cue some time ago :biggrin:

[Odrl]

Nice win for Holt, a very solid performance against an out-of-sorts O'Sullivan. It was a similar match to O'Sullivan-Liang, except that Holt took what was offered and Liang didn't. I caught a bit of Ding's match as well, expected it to be a little closer. :smile:

Carter beating Higgins again was a surprise for me, as was White's win over Trump. We have some big names in the quarter-finals, but also a few players who have not won a major title for a while, so this is a good chance for them. Michael White in particular has the chance to get on the right track again here and reach his first-ever major ranking semi-final. :smile:

[motorhead]

You realise it's Michael White, not Jimmy?

yes, it would have probably been less embarrassing if it were vs Jimmy.

[mikeyd100]

He is a little winker isn't he, no consideration for forum etiquette.

Haha, good lad is Deano, just got watch where he puts his tip and shaft :P

[Odrl]

A few words ahead of the quarter-finals then...

As I said earlier, it's a nice mix of top players and players who have not been winning titles in recent times. None of them had really close matches today, but there were no thrashings either. In fact, it would be interesting to know if there has ever been a last16 round with all matches finishing either 5-2 or 5-3 before today. I would guess there hasn't. :smile:

Ding Junhui v. Michael Holt: Not a common pairing at all. They have only played twice in major matches over the years, Ding winning both of them, and they met in one PTC final, also won by Ding. I think those results are a little dated now though. Holt certainly seems to be playing some of his best snooker in recent times. His win over O'Sullivan was an impressive one, especially for a player who used to be known for his mental weakness. He did nothing ill-advised all match and his tactics were spot on. He is not scoring particularly heavily though, so he might need to find another gear to progress further in this tournament. A win tomorrow would equal his best-ever result in a major event, after his run to the semi-finals here three years ago. Ding, on the other hand, isn't playing quite at the top of his game. He scraped through his match against Donaldson and was quite lucky to avoid defeat, so his comfortable win over Allen today was something of a surprise. He made a break of at least 50 for five frames in a row at the end of the match, so perhaps his scoring form is returning. He has the class and the experience here, as well as support from the crowd, so I am going for Ding to win 5-4.

Stephen Maguire v. Michael White: Also not a common pairing, just one match between them outside of the short format, and it was Maguire who won it. Maguire didn't have the best record in China prior to this week, but his run to the semi-finals of the China Open at the end of last season and this run here are encouraging signs. His scoring in the first two matches here was ridiculous, eight breaks over 50 in ten frames, and that's without losing a single frame. He had a tougher game against Hawkins, but that was to be expected. He has a habit of sometimes putting in a poor performance once he gets to the business end of an event, but I'm hoping that doesn't happen here. White is the least experienced player still in the tournament, having never played in the semi-finals of any major event with matches of at least medium length, so this is a big occasion for him. In all honesty, I don't have much confidence in him at the moment. He gave Walden so many chances to take him out in the 1st round and showed a real lack of nerve at the end of the match. He must have played a lot better against Trump though, especially to come back from 3-0 down, so perhaps his confidence is returning. Can he do what Wilson did here last year and capture a proper major title? My guess is probably not, and I will go for Maguire to win 5-2.

Stuart Bingham v. Allister Carter: Unlike the first two pairings, Carter and Bingham have played each other many times over the years in all kinds of formats. Carter actually has a very dominant record over Bingham, including four major wins against him in China, most recently in the World Open this season. He also beat Bingham in dramatic fashion at the Crucible this year, to end his title defence in the 1st round. Winning the World Open was a great achievement for Carter, and I kind of expected him to take his foot off the gas for a while, but it looks like he is determined to continue his run of good form. I didn't see much of Bingham's game against Jones here, so I'm not sure how well he is playing, but a comfortable win against and in-form Gilbert is a good sign. He seems to like this tournament for some reason. I think it's fair to say he has been a stronger player than Carter in recent years, so if he can get past his very poor record against him, he should have a good chance here. The head-to-head says Carter, but my gut feeling is that Bingham will win, 5-4.

Mark Selby v. Ryan Day: The head-to-head here is 2-1 to Selby in major matches, but the one that sticks in my mind the most is Day's 5-4 win in the 2008 Grand Prix. Selby was very much the favourite on that occasion, as the reigning Masters and Welsh Open champion, but he had an uncharacteristic lapse of judgement in the decider. I think he was something like 50 points in front, needing just one more red for frame and match, and he took on a slightly tricky pot, running into a cluster of safe reds in the process and developing the table for his opponent. Day took what was offered and cleared up to win on the black. Eight years later, Selby is still one of the men to beat, while Day is no longer a top16 player and is not such a common participant in major quarter-finals. They have both played well at times here, and both struggled at times as well. Day certainly scored very well in two of his matches, but his match against Robertson was an awful scrap. Selby also opened with a series of good frames against Carrington, but then his standard dropped and he struggled over the line. I have no idea how this match is likely to go. It seems like it could be really high quality, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was scrappy either. I will go for Selby to win 5-3.

Should be a good day of snooker. :smile:

[mikeyd100]

What's happening with Robertson these days, looks to be fading away ?

[gavpowell]

yes, it would have probably been less embarrassing if it were vs Jimmy.

Michael White's a very talented player, when his game actually comes together - very harsh.

[JimMalone]

What's happening with Robertson these days, looks to be fading away ?

Well to be fair, this season he won the Riga Masters, which admittedly is still a smaller ranking event, but still. And he also made the Semifinals of the World Open. These were the two only ranking events he played before this tournament. It was just here in Shanghai, that Robertson had a surprisingly early exit.