2018 World Championship

[blahblah01]

I’m pretty sure that’s just the TV lights playing tricks on your eyes.

Maybe, but it is always in the same place ie where his chin is on backwing

[vilkrang]

Maguire looks relaxed and confident. Two top seeds will be out in the next few hours, mark my words.

[Dark]

Well, considering yesterday after Ronnie won three on the trot including two centuries and Maguire won the last two.... I think he'll probably still be alright?

What do you think will happen if Ronnie loses the first frame? Can you see him coming back from 7-3?

Yes he can come back from 7-3.

[vilkrang]

Someone like Maguire is exactly the player who could easily lose 3 frames lead tomorrow. Just imagine if they come out tomorrow and O' Sullivan knocks in century in the first frame and nice frame winning break in the second, what do you think will happen inside that good old Maguire's head?

Well, considering yesterday after Ronnie won three on the trot including two centuries and Maguire won the last two.... I think he'll probably still be alright?

What do you think will happen if Ronnie loses the first frame? Can you see him coming back from 7-3?

[JimMalone]

I don't like to wish a loss on anyone, but I think with these two giants gone it could make for a wonderful and exciting championship.

Or it could make for a low quality championship with a low quality winner.

Both could be happen if (and that's a big if) O'Sullivan loses. The other players might not play the extreme high standard of Selby and O'Sullivan, when they are on their best. But the likes of Ding, Higgins, Williams, Robertson, Murphy, Hawkins and Co. can play splendid snooker as well.
And maybe somebody can draw motivation from the favorites out and play the best snooker of his life like in 2015 when Bingham played excellent.

And also contrary everybody of them can have bad days and play bad snooker - just as Selby showed yesterday.

So it's really just relatively spoken and we don't know yet how this would effect this year's World Championship.

[JimMalone]

I just don't see it. It's Maguire's temperament that's always in question for me. Even with a decent lead going into tommorow's session, I do feel he will struggle to get over the line. Not taking anything away from Maguire today, as he looked solid in amongst the balls. But there were one or two times today, where the odd crack started to appear in his game.

Should be a very interesting session tommorow all the same.

I feel exactly the same way. I really hope Maguire gets over the line, but I'm afraid he will throw it away once again. In the late frames yesterday there were already signs of his frustration visible, when O'Sullivan put pressure on him, but the World Number 2 couldn't utilise his chances.

[Dark]

Can you explain what low quality snooker is and tell me which of the best snooker players in the world play it?

Missing shots, playing bad safety, poor white ball control, bad shot choices. They all play bad shots, just the better ones do it a bit less often those who are not as good when they are playing their best. When the very best play less then their best then the overall quality declines, not greatly but by a little bit.

[travisbickle]

Think ronnie could do with a refinish for his cue, grain fillers virtually gone from his chin grinding against it.

I’m pretty sure that’s just the TV lights playing tricks on your eyes.

[jonny66]

Or it could make for a low quality championship with a low quality winner.

Can you explain what low quality snooker is and tell me which of the best snooker players in the world play it?

[Billy]

Or it could make for a low quality championship with a low quality winner.

There's always that chance, but I very much doubt it with the quality of line-up.

Then again I suppose it's all down to taste. I'd rather watch snooker than century upon century.

[Dark]

I don't like to wish a loss on anyone, but I think with these two giants gone it could make for a wonderful and exciting championship.

Or it could make for a low quality championship with a low quality winner.

[Billy]

If Ronnie goes, with Selby already gone, it opens it right up as others will think they can actually win, Judd, Wilson, Ding, Allen must fancy it now, Perry will be buzzing as well now!

I don't like to wish a loss on anyone, but I think with these two giants gone it could make for a wonderful and exciting championship.

[adebisi10]

If it was against any other qualifier then I'd still think Ronnie would have a good chance but I'd be very surprised if someone of Maguire's class let slip a 6-3 lead, even against ROS.

Happy to be proven wrong but Ronnie was very hot and cold today whereas Maguire looked pretty decent and played well in the qualifiers.

Someone like Maguire is exactly the player who could easily lose 3 frames lead tomorrow. Just imagine if they come out tomorrow and O' Sullivan knocks in century in the first frame and nice frame winning break in the second, what do you think will happen inside that good old Maguire's head?

[Dark]

The record for fewest seeds advancing to the second round under this format is 8. It's happened twice. In 1992 and 2012.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_W...r_Championship
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_W...r_Championship

In 2012 Mark Selby (2), Shaun Murphy (5), Ding Junhui (7), Graeme Dott (9), Mark Allen (10), Martin Gould (11), Stephen Lee (12), and Stuart Bingham (16) all lost to a qualifier and John Higgins (1) barely survived 10-9. Higgins, Mark Williams (3) and Judd Trump (4) all lost in the second round. So going into the quarter-finals the highest seeds left were Neil Robertson (6) and Stephen Maguire (8)

I think that's the closest we've come to losing the top two seeds in the first round in recent years and it was definitely the year of the upset. Ronnie won as the the 14th sees. It could happen tomorrow and the way things have started, losing at least 8 seeds is definitely possible. If O'Sullivan, Fu, and Carter go on to lose we'll be half way there in the first 5 matches.

2012 is also the last time the seed in the Maguire first round match won. Maguire was seeded and lost in 2013-16 and last season was a qualifier and beat McGill. If he beats O'Sullivan the trend continues.

[Dark]

Surely you mean Joe Perry deserved to win?

Joe Perry deserved to win. Mark Selby deserved to lose. Both are true.