2017 World Championship - Main Event

[Cue crafty]

Great win for KW, I thought Bingham might just be too wise for him.

Good ain't he. Love his cue action, looks like one that will stand the test of time. Good temperament that I'm sure will get even better as time goes on. McGill obviously in this space too isn't he. Good to see.

[Odrl]

A quick prediction of the two matches that start tomorrow...

Stephen Maguire v. Rory McLeod: The only 2nd round match that features two qualifiers, although Maguire getting through was not much of a surprise. I think this is the best chance Maguire has had in the World Championship for a long time. Three of the four seeds in his quarter are already out, and only Hawkins remains. John Higgins, the 6th seed, is the highest seed left in the entire bottom half, and even he is behind after the first session of his match. On one hand, this situation could put Maguire under pressure a little, because he knows the draw has opened up in a major way, but on the other hand, it just might give him the focus he needs to play to his potential and get through. He played quite well for most of his match against McGill, but McGill was awful in that match, so it wasn't the kind of test that would tell us how well Maguire is really playing here. McLeod played a little better than I expected, but he too had an opponent who was completely out of sorts, so his win wasn't particularly impressive. Still, getting to the last16 of the World Championship is a major result for him, so it's a good sign that he was able to hold his nerve at the business end of the match. There is no real history between Maguire and McLeod, only one match outside of the short format, and even that was more than 15 years ago. A lot of people are expecting McLeod's particular style and pace of play to frustrate Maguire here, and we know that Maguire gets frustrated extremely easily. I'm not sure this is going to be the case though, because Maguire seems to get angry about bad luck or his own poor play more than anything else. He isn't really known for struggling against slow opponents, so I think he will be alright here. The first couple of frames should set the tone of the entire match. If Maguire takes the early lead, I think he will win quite easily. But if McLeod goes in front early on, we could have a close and nervy match, and McLeod would then have every chance. I have a feeling it will be the former scenario, so I will go for Maguire to win 13-6.

Mark Selby v. Xiao Guodong: Another pairing where there isn't much history between the two players. Obviously Selby has to be a big favourite here. He came through his 1st round match very comfortably, then had a nice long rest before having to play again. His B-game is usually strong enough to get him through matches like this one, so I think it will either take a top player to knock him out, or someone like Xiao playing absolutely out of their skin. Could it happen here? Well, Xiao beat Ryan Day very comfortably as well, showing the kind of form he had three or four years ago when he briefly got himself on the verge of the top16 in the rankings. It is definitely nice to see him playing well again, so I hope he continues his resurgence next season. As for this match, I think Xiao's top game is ultimately a little too weak for Selby, so I don't think we'll see any surprises. We mostly associate Selby with great comebacks, but he is actually a great front-runner as well, and he has a habit of taking control and dominating matches like this one right from the start. I expect him to take the early lead, then only increase his advantage as the match goes on. Selby to win 13-7.

Tomorrow should be one of the better days of this WC. I'm particularly looking forward to the conclusion of Ding-Liang and Higgins-Allen. :smile:

[VillaGuy]

They are two really exciting games to look forward to later on today now, that's a good preview Odrl and nothing to argue with. It'll be interesting to see what kind of form Guodong brings to the table, how attacking or reserved he plays it, I think he'll go all out as he knows Selby is tactically brilliant and he knows he doesn't stand any chance if he tries to just play percentage snooker. Maguire can be hot and cold, if he starts off cold then frustration can set in quickly, add to that Mcleods style and that match is the more unpredictable out of the two.

[Dark]

Murphy is simply not playing well enough and Ronnie looks good despite the one miss.

[Odrl]

There goes my 13-6 prediction... Still, I'm already closer than my mother was, because she predicted O'Sullivan would win 13-2. :wink:

Nice mini comeback from Higgins on the other table, got it back to 5-5. I seem to remember Higgins winning the second session 7-1 the last time these two met at the Crucible, with some tremendous snooker. Can he take control of the match here? :smile:

[peterpackage]

Someone needs to get some University Physics and Chemistry PHD students to do a research project on kicks in snooker. It would be interesting

[Dr_Doctor]

Match ruined for me. Horrendous kick

[vilkrang]

Match ruined for me. Horrendous kick

Shaun might not have got through his first round were it not for a fluke. Swings and roundabouts.

[Hello, Mr Big Shot]

Someone needs to get some University Physics and Chemistry PHD students to do a research project on kicks in snooker. It would be interesting

That was not a kick. Murphy hit the ball poorly and put unintended side on, which threw the object ball to the left. Clear as day when you know what you are looking for.

Incidentally, any flat earthers out there, who still don't know what happens when balls collide, are advised to look carefully at the shot wilson played at 9-7 against bingo. Clearest example of spin induced throw you could ever seen.

[Dr_Doctor]

Shaun might not have got through his first round were it not for a fluke. Swings and roundabouts.

Good point. I don't feel so bad now :P

[Dark]

Ronnie was clearly the better player in the match so whatever happened with that shot made no real difference in the match.

Higgins seems to have come out in great form against Allen, 4 frames in a row.

Getting to watch O'Sullivan and then Higgins, it cannot get much better than that.

[Tufbo]

This was a nice start of the day! To those complaining about kicks: have another look, that ball wasn't going kick or no kick, happens to me all the time when I try to apply to much side spin.

[Dark]

That has got to hurt. Higgins back to two in front. Allen needs at least one of the next two frames, losing both would make it extremely difficult.

[Odrl]

A lovely clearance from Higgins to win on the black. Allen was on the verge of nullifying most of the work Higgins had done this morning, but with this clearance Higgins is winning the session 5-1, and he has a chance to get a nice lead ahead of this evening. :smile:

[jw147]

Match ruined for me. Horrendous kick

Wasn't a kick, it didn't ruin match cause Ronnie already won, it was pressure and unwanted side, he talked himself up too much and didnt do his talking on the table....