Who will win the UK Championship?

[The Boss]

Murphy
strange he's not on the list

Not strange. Nobody has retained the title since 1996

[montoya10]

Perry reached the quarters in the Grand Prix.

Thanks for the help, I remembered now that he had lost to Neil there..

Robbo is not going to be the favourite going into this tournament, but he will be one of the players that stand a good chance to win..

My predictions were O'Sullivan,Williams and Robertson, but I had to choose one and therefore voted for other.

[spike]

Robbo is not going to be the favourite going into this tournament, but he will be one of the players that stand a good chance to win..

At present Robertson's odds are rather generous with Bookmakers William Hill at 14/1. He has a tricky first round match, and an even harder second round match if he progresses to the last 16, so it's not so surprising i suppose.

[Odrl]

It's a tough call, as the last proper event was more than a month ago. We've seen Murphy, Higgins and O'Sullivan in shot clock snooker, but other than that I can only speculate what kind of form other top players are in.

Here is how I see it going...

Quarter 1:

Shaun Murphy v. Gerard Greene
Ding Junhui v. Mike Dunn
Mark Allen v. Stephen Lee
Allister Carter v. Rory McLeod

Potentially a great match between Murphy and Ding in the 2nd round. Murphy was in great form last weekend, so I would think it will take a very good player to beat him over two sessions. As long as he didn't peak to early. Ding played two good tournaments at the start of the season, but that was some time ago. If he's in good form it could go either way, but I suspect Murphy will be stronger.

Another tough call for the other spot. Allen was a quarter-finalist in the Grand Prix, although he didn't impress. Carter lost in the 1st round and hasn't played well for some time. At this point in time Allen is a slight favourite here, but I also wouldn't rule out Stephen Lee entirely.

Quarter 2:

Marco Fu v. Peter Lines
Mark Williams v. Graeme Dott
Joe Perry v. Stuart Bingham
Stephen Maguire v. Michael Holt

Another tricky part of the draw. On this season's form, Williams should be the strongest player out of the first four. Whether he's improved on his form from the first two events remains to be seen, but this has been a pretty strong tournament for him in the last couple of seasons. It wouldn't be a shock if he went out early though, because Dott is a tough opponent over two sessions. Dott is a player who could easily reach the business end of the tournament if he's in form, although I suspect he won't be here. Then there is Fu, who is the highest ranked player in this part of the draw. He's been underwhelming so far in the season, but he's shown some improvement in his last Premier League match. He's a good player in this format and could go through.

It's pretty open for the other QF spot. Maguire has had his troubles this season, so he won't be a heavy favourite here. Also, I don't think Perry is his favourite opponent, should they meet in the 2nd round. I wouldn't rule out either Bingham or Holt, but I do think Maguire could find some inspiration here and go through.

Quarter 3:

Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Matthew Stevens
Peter Ebdon v. Judd Trump
Stephen Hendry v. Steve Davis
Mark Selby v. Jamie Cope

This is in my opinion the strongest quarter of the draw. O'Sullivan could be in trouble early against Stevens. They wouldn't have met this early in the past, and Stevens is obviously not same player anymore. Still, he's a specialist in this format, so O'Sullivan will need to improve a lot to get through. Ebdon against Trump in another good 1st round match. I have a feeling Ebdon will prevail, and if he's in form, he could be tough to beat in the 2nd round as well. Still, I'll go with O'Sullivan here.

Hendry and Selby scheduled to meet in the 2nd round, which is the case for the WC as well. But firstly, Jame Cope is quite an obstacle here, especially as he seems to be strong in 2nd sessions. With two 1st round defeats this season, Selby won't be a heavy favourite here. But I expect him to be up for it. I think Hendry will prevail over Davis in two sessions, but unless he's in good form, it could be tough for him to reach the QF.

Quarter 4:

Ryan Day v. Liang Wenbo
Mark King v. Anthony Hamilton
Neil Robertson v. Tom Ford
John Higgins v. Ricky Walden

The first two pairs combine arguably the weakest part of the draw. Liang Wenbo has been the best this season, so he'll fancy his chances here. But Ryan Day is the kind of opponent that might not suit him, as he whitewashed him in last season's Shanghai Masters. Also a chance for either King of Hamilton here, as they will avoid the very top players at least until the QF.

Robertson against Higgins could potentially be the most exciting 2nd round match. I actually don't remember Robertson ever playing two good tournaments in a row, so I'd make Higgins favourite this time. Although I have my suspicions about Higgins' form as well. It's tough to hold it for a long time. Then there is Ricky Walden who could well cause an upset. It wouldn't be the first time he's beaten Higgins over two sessions. I'll go with Higgins, but I'm not really confident about that prediction.

Possible QF lineup:

Shaun Murphy v. Mark Allen
Mark Williams v. Stephen Maguire
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Mark Selby
Liang Wenbo v. John Higgins


Once we get to the QF stage, I think we'll find it easier to predict the winner from there, when we'll have seen each player play two matches. But if I have to commit now... I have a feeling Maguire will play a good tournament here, so I'll vote for "other".

[montoya10]

Thanks for great analysis, Odrl I'm always looking forward to your predictions, because you mix them with details..

Here is mine:

Quarter 1

Shaun Murphy is going to be very confident with his latest Premier League triumph, also he's the defending champion and would be determined to avoid an early exit. Although Ding has been playing a lot better, I will go with Murphy for the first QF spot. Meanwhile, I expect Stephen Lee to have a good run at this tournament, as he has been in good shape in the qualifiying against Robert Milkins.

Quarter 2

An interesting part, for sure. Marco Fu has been off, but finally registered a win in the Premier League, so he's likely to do at least enough to avoid an upset. But I can't see him getting past Mark Williams v. Graeme Dott winner, in my opinion and latest forms, Williams. For the other part, I think Maguire will prevail against Michael Holt, will be the favourite going against Perry v. Bingham winner, a match that could well go the distance.

Quarter 3

I expect a very interesting second round tie, O'Sullivan vs Ebdon, and depending on the result, we'll have a more clear view of the favourite. I think Selby will break his duck and get a win, but Hendry will be up for the challenge, though.

Quarter 4

Ryan Day has not been doing an impressive job recently, and I expect nothing different in this tournament. I expect Anthony Hamilton to get into a good run and come through.
In the second part, I don't think there will be a major upset,so Robertson v. Higgins, I'm slightly in for Higgins, will be right there.

Possible QF Lineup:

Shaun Murphy v. Stephen Lee
Mark Williams v. Stephen Maguire
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Stephen Hendry
Anthony Hamilton v. John Higgins

If Ronnie reaches the quarter finals by beating Peter Ebdon, then it means that it will be tough to stop him afterwards..

[glove147]

Selby wins final against Murphy

[Rane]

I think Murphy has a reasonable chance to win it. The finalist from the bottom draw could easily be exhausted after a lot of tough matches.

[spike]

Selby wins final against Murphy

By what score?

[Odrl]

Thanks for great analysis, Odrl I'm always looking forward to your predictions, because you mix them with details..

Thanks, I like to do a little preview before the "snooker week" starts. It gets me in the right mood. Shame I couldn't do it for the Grand Prix, because of the random draw. Although I don't often get it right. I seem to do better with mid-tournament predictions, when I see how the players are playing. It's not great for the prediction contest though, because the first two rounds have the most points available.

Anyway, thanks for playing.

Let's see where we differ...

Shaun Murphy v. Stephen Lee
Mark Williams v. Stephen Maguire
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Stephen Hendry
Anthony Hamilton v. John Higgins

Stephen Lee to reach the QF? Well, he did it last year. He's fresh from the qualifiers, so he could well prevail over Allen and Carter.

Hendry over Selby? I find it very difficult to predict Hendry's form. But he does sometimes respond well when he's considered the underdog. Tough call either way.

And Hamilton over Liang? Yes, there's no obvious favourite in this part of the draw, nor is there any outsider. Day is the top player, but his ranking might be a bit higher than his current form. So I won't be defending my prediction here, as it's not a particularly confident one. Just a gut feeling...

[RocketRoy1983]

My ££££££ is on John Higgins but id love to see Murphy retain it.

[superaussie]

i hope robbo will win it the one thing that concerns me is robbo doenst like playing in the cubicles and he will be on a non tv table v ford and this will suit ford as he is used to the qualifiers in the last few seasons.

If he can beat ford then he has higgins and that will be a tough test as well

[spike]

If he can beat ford then he has higgins and that will be a tough test as well

At least he has the satisfaction of beating Higgins in one of the best semi-finals seen in a long time at the Grand Prix. Of course if Robertson and Higgins meet in the 2nd Round you can guarantee John will want to avenge that defeat of course.

I just hope they come face to face again and give us another amazing match..

[superaussie]

At least he has the satisfaction of beating Higgins in one of the best semi-finals seen in a long time at the Grand Prix. Of course if Robertson and Higgins meet in the 2nd Round you can guarantee John will want to avenge that defeat of course.

I just hope they come face to face again and give us another amazing match..

that match was amazing in that last frame i was so tense i thought robbo had lost when higgins was on the brown

high quality snooker during the whole match from both players

what a match

[Haitch]

I think the gap between the top 2 or 3 and the next 16 or so is getting smaller by the month.

I have done my tourny prediction and have Selby, Holt, Ding and Day in the semis. I think Michael Holt will shock a few people next week and if he gets past the nonchalant Maguire in round one will be full of confidence to beat Bingham and Dott to reach the semis.

I am looking forward to seeing the Hendry v Davis match, that will be entertaining.

I think Ding will get a 147 next week.

[Anastasia]

HENDOOO :snooker: :snooker: :snooker: