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Well, no psychological edge either way here. They've played a number of big matches recently, and they seem to be taking it in turns to win. It doesn't always go according to expectations either. For instance, I thought Ding would prevail in the 2011 China Open, and then Selby played almost perfect snooker to take him out. Selby then looked untouchable at the WC, but was completely outclassed by Ding early on in the match. Who's turn is it? Well, Selby did win at the Wuxi Classic, but I would consider their WC match the last really major one.
Ding has become a very solid early-frame safety player over the last couple of seasons. By early-frame safety, I mean the safety battles with most of the balls still on the table, which is something you have to be good at against the "non-flashy" players such as Selby or Higgins. Ding has also shown remarkable patience against Selby in the past, playing that sort of game without going for anything too ambitious. I say this because I expect that sort of match today, more percentage snooker than looking for quick openings, such as in the O'Sullivan-Trump or O'Sullivan-Williams encounters. And this is where Ding needs to hold his own, because his scoring is very solid. He is not going to be breaking down and having to play safe all that much.
I would sooner expect that from Selby. Maybe not in general, but certainly from what we've seen this week. His match against O'Sullivan was a real scrap, not because of negative play this time, but mainly the result of mediocre breakbuilding and some luck with leaving things awkward after missing, especially from Selby. So, the fluency may not be quite there, but his fighting qualities are beyond question. If he can stick with Ding, maybe steal a couple of frames here and there, he could become stronger and stronger as the match goes on. Certainly in an evening session of a major final, Selby should have the edge. We've seen in the past that Ding can sometimes get a bit tired towards the end, such as in his loss to Robertson in the 2009 Grand Prix final, or against Williams in the 2010 China Open final. On the other hand, Selby's three big wins against O'Sullivan are great examples of his late-evening potential.
Ok, let's leave it here, because I'm not going to convince myself either way. There just isn't a clear favourite here. They will both want this title badly, but with Selby already winning a ranking event this season, is it possible that Ding wants it more?
As for me, I just want a 9-8 either way, and finally a midnight finish!
Ding has become a very solid early-frame safety player over the last couple of seasons. By early-frame safety, I mean the safety battles with most of the balls still on the table, which is something you have to be good at against the "non-flashy" players such as Selby or Higgins. Ding has also shown remarkable patience against Selby in the past, playing that sort of game without going for anything too ambitious. I say this because I expect that sort of match today, more percentage snooker than looking for quick openings, such as in the O'Sullivan-Trump or O'Sullivan-Williams encounters. And this is where Ding needs to hold his own, because his scoring is very solid. He is not going to be breaking down and having to play safe all that much.
I would sooner expect that from Selby. Maybe not in general, but certainly from what we've seen this week. His match against O'Sullivan was a real scrap, not because of negative play this time, but mainly the result of mediocre breakbuilding and some luck with leaving things awkward after missing, especially from Selby. So, the fluency may not be quite there, but his fighting qualities are beyond question. If he can stick with Ding, maybe steal a couple of frames here and there, he could become stronger and stronger as the match goes on. Certainly in an evening session of a major final, Selby should have the edge. We've seen in the past that Ding can sometimes get a bit tired towards the end, such as in his loss to Robertson in the 2009 Grand Prix final, or against Williams in the 2010 China Open final. On the other hand, Selby's three big wins against O'Sullivan are great examples of his late-evening potential.
Ok, let's leave it here, because I'm not going to convince myself either way. There just isn't a clear favourite here. They will both want this title badly, but with Selby already winning a ranking event this season, is it possible that Ding wants it more?
As for me, I just want a 9-8 either way, and finally a midnight finish!
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