Grand Prix 2009 - Most Disappointing Player So Far

[Monique]

i think sometimes though some people who support a player who loses may say its a rubbish evnt i know i have done that in the past when robbo has lost

You are probably right, indeed. Some feel that way undestandably. But really this tournament has been disapointing in so many ways.

[superaussie]

You are probably right, indeed. Some feel that way undestandably. But really this tournament has been disapointing in so many ways.

you have a valid point the crowds have been very poor hopefully the will improve for the quarters today

[RocketRoy1983]

The attendance figures is the only thing for me.

[RocketRoy1983]

I disagree Monique Ive really enjoyed this tournament and ive watched almost every ball of most matches. Aside from the attendance figures Ive enjoyed the matches.

[Matt_2745]

I've not particularly enjoyed the tournament either really, or indeed Shanghai. Think it has been quite a flat start to the season in many ways though there have been a few good stories.

[RocketRoy1983]

Can I ask why you havent enjoyed it Matt?

[Matt_2745]

Hard to put my finger on it, though from what I've seen I don't think that the standard has been great this year. And even discounting that, I can't think of too many matches that I would want to watch again in terms of entertainment. Higgins/ROS was decent, Fu/Davis had a good finish and King/Walden had a good finish but other than that...

In generally it just doesn't feel like the season has really got going yet, though bizarrely we are already 1/3 through the ranking event schedule. Probably being a bit harsh on Shanghai as I didn't see as much of that as I usually would.

[Templeton Peck]

No-one has played brilliantly. Higgins and Robertson have played good solid stuff but nothing spectacular. Should have been the final really but at least the best two players this week actually get to play each other. I'm not sure the standard is that much worse than in recent tournaments, I think maybe the second round was hugely anticipated and with the exception of one match was an anticlimax.

[RGCirencester]

I would agree it hasn't been the best tournament ever but I don't think it has been that bad. I actually prticularly enjoyed the Ding Ebdon match today. And I do like the FA cup style draw.

The tables have been playing on and off though.

[montoya10]

Well, if the semi final line-up doesn't get the crowd in, I guess they'll be losing their tournament for next year..

I'm looking forward to both matches, at least, we will not have one-sided semi finals and the final should be exciting, too. Only 3 matches left to save the relatively disappointing tournament..

[Matt_2745]

I do like the random draw format, no beef with that.

[spike]

I have enjoyed having the random draw too more than i thought i would. It has made what has turned out to be a rather disappointing tournament just that little more exciting..

[Odrl]

I don't share the disappointment at all.

OK, there's a couple of things to be disappointed about. The attendance in most matches was disgraceful, and the random draw made it impossible for both O'Sullivan and Higgins to progress to the QF. But that's the only matchup that went "wrong" in the draw. There was no other top8 pairings in the 2nd round, and no two qualifiers pairings. The draw made it possible for 4 of the best 6 or 7 players to progress to the SF.

But I don't find anything disappointing about the play itself. Not all matches can be classics, so you'll always get a couple of less interesting matches. But there were a number of matches I enjoyed a lot: Murphy-Pinches, Maguire-Bond, King-Walden, Selby-Doherty, Williams-Bingham and O'Sullivan-Higgins. That's the first two rounds, and the four QF matches really pushed forward the four players that are worthy of the title this week.

The SF lineup is one of the best in recent times, and I can hardly wait.

But of course, if you wanted to see the likes of Burnett and McLeod (no disrespect intended) score three centuries in a row, this tournament was not for you.

[Templeton Peck]

Well that Higgins-Robertson match was stunning. They've been the best players throughout but have only produced workmanlike performances so far, but they really brought the best out of each other today. You were starting to get the feeling that this wasn't Higgins' day though with two rotten strokes of luck in the decider. Probably the best match of 2009. I fear the final will be a bit of an anticlimax after that. Just a shame I missed the first half hour because the BBC started the coverage half an hour early today!