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It's time for another snooker week! 
The Welsh Open is not usually one of my favourite events of the season, and the introduction of the best-of-7 matches in the early rounds is certainly not going to help. We've had them in events before, and unfortunately they are not quite as entertaining as the usual best-of-9s. Comparing this event to the recent German Masters, the atmosphere will probably seem underwhelming as well, with the smaller arena and the usual mediocre attendance.
But on the plus side, it's seven days of snooker. And this time, I don't need to hope that certain matches make it on TV, as every match will be televised.
The on-table action promises to be very interesting as well. The format will probably favour fast starters, as there is less time for players to get back into the match from behind, and there are no intervals to change the momentum. Let's see what the draw looks like...
Quarter 1:
John Higgins v. Jack Lisowski
Ricky Walden v. Dave Harold
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. R.Day/J.White
Shaun Murphy v. M.Stevens/A.Hamilton
Quite a strong first quarter, but not as strong as it promised to be when the draw came out, as Gould and Liang failed to qualify. I suppose John Higgins finds himself as favourite again. It will be interesting too see how well he plays after the death of his father. He's had so much to deal with in the last year or so, but his snooker has somehow remained intact. He looked quite sharp in Germany, in the one match he played, so I don't think his form is in doubt. But it may come down to whether his head is in the right place this week. I'm looking forward to seeing Jack Lisowski's TV debut, but I doubt that he is ready to take a big scalp like Higgins' at this point in his career. On the other hand, Ricky Walden could be a good bet to get through this part of the draw. I remember him causing Higgins some problems way back in 2004, when he knocked him out of both the Grand Prix and the UK Championship. He came very close in the UK last season as well, so he knows he has what it takes to compete against Higgins.
The other half of this quarter is a very interesting part of the draw, with two qualifying matches still to be played. I suppose Ryan Day will finally be playing in front of a full house at this event, being up against Jimmy White, then Ronnie O'Sullivan. It's tough to see him losing to White, but it will be interesting to see if he can take out O'Sullivan, a player who hasn't seriously challenged for any title since September. I suppose there are two ways of looking at it... On one hand, O'Sullivan might be a bit rusty, having played less snooker than his opponents, and having lost in the 1st round of the two big tournaments recently. But then again, I can't see his absence at the business end of tournaments lasting for much longer. With his recent slide down the rankings, he desperately needs a good performance here, and the Welsh Open has been quite a successful tournament for him in the past. Shaun Murphy, the third really big name in this quarter, is facing a difficult draw this time. Both of his potential 1st round opponents could prove tricky. Stevens knocked him out of this event last year, whereas Hamilton played some good snooker in Germany last week, and this is also the place of Hamilton's last really good run, having reached the SF two years ago. There is a bunch of combinations for the 2nd round match here, with a Murphy-O'Sullivan clash being the most exciting prospect. They've developed quite a rivalry in recent years, meeting each other in the last two Premier League finals, as well as two ranking semi-finals a couple of seasons ago. There are quite a few players who could potentially come through here, but I would give O'Sullivan the best chance.
Quarter 2:
Allister Carter v. Barry Hawkins
Peter Ebdon v. Dominic Dale
Mark Allen v. Rod Lawler
Ding Junhui v. Marcus Campbell
Some interesting clashes in the second quarter... Carter and Hawkins played two memorable matches a couple of seasons ago. One was in the 2007 UK Championship, where Hawkins came from a long way behind to win in the decider. The other was in the WC later that season, a similar pattern, with Carter surviving on that occasion. I'm not sure if they've played each other since. In any case, it should be a good match. Hawkins played some good snooker in the World Open, but then failed to produce anything similar in subsequent tournaments. Carter has also been in underwhelming form recently, failing to reach the QF of any of the last three tournaments. The Ebdon-Dale match could be equally interesting. Ebdon always seems to be somewhere near Ding or Carter in the draw, and it usually ends with an early exit. But having finally beaten Carter at the Masters, I wouldn't rule him out this time. Dale could also be dangerous, the draw is not too difficult if he finds some form. But with Carter reaching the final of this event in the last two years, he has to be the favourite to go through.
There are two strong contenders for the other QF spot. Mark Allen was in good form in the UK and the Masters, but lost in the 1st round in Germany. It's tough to predict what kind of form he is likely to show here, but I would be surprised if he lost to Lawler. On the other hand, Ding Junhui has a trickier opponent in Campbell, a player who has been playing some very respectable snooker recently. I think Ding is generally less vulnerable than Allen, as his scoring is very dependable, even when he is not quite at his best. But then again, this is not exactly Ding's favourite event, he has never gone past the 2nd round here. Allen against Ding would be a repeat of their match in the UK earlier in the season, a close win for Allen on that occasion. I would put Ding as slight favourite this time, but I also think this quarter could possibly prove to be a weak one in the context of the tournament.
Quarter 3:
Mark Williams v. Marco Fu
Jamie Cope v. Rory McLeod
Stephen Hendry v. Joe Perry
Stephen Maguire v. Gerard Greene
An intriguing third quarter, with Mark Williams the only big favourite here. His match against Marco Fu is undoubtedly the most exciting prospect of the 1st round. They've both been in excellent form recently. Williams played some of his best snooker in Germany, so he comes to this event as the winner of the previous one. That usually means a fairly early exit, especially when one is up against the toughest qualifier as well. But you could think along similar lines with Fu. He played two strong tournaments recently, which is great for a player who struggles with inconsistency so badly, but at the same time, it's a big question whether he can make it three in a row. The player who could profit from this is Jamie Cope. He faces a very tenacious opponent in Rory McLeod in his opening match, and another tough opponent in the 2nd round, whoever comes through. Playing at his best, I think Cope has enough firepower to come through here, especially if Williams underperforms. But if Williams is up for it, it's tough to look past him.
The fight for the other QF place should be quite interesting as well. I suppose Hendry and Maguire are the main contenders. After his disastrous play at the UK, Hendry is looking much better in the second part of the season, just as I suspected. His record in 1st rounds in still pretty good, it usually takes a good player to beat him. After a period in the top16, Perry is a now in a position of a "tricky qualifier", so he could be a tough opponent for Hendry, especially after his good performance in Germany. Still, it took a very good Selby to knock Hendry out of the German Masters last week, so I expect him to be up for this one as well. He has been struggling to beat the really top players in recent times, but Stephen Maguire has not been a common opponent for him. Maguire is another player with a good week behind him. His appearances at the business end of tournaments are still coming along quite consistently, even though he is not quite hitting the form that saw him win a number of tournaments in the past. A Hendry-Maguire clash would definitely be a very intriguing one, and I have a feeling Hendry could go through.
Quarter 4:
Mark Selby v. Stuart Bingham
Mark King v. Michael Holt
Graeme Dott v. Jamie Burnett
Neil Robertson v. Nigel Bond
And we conclude with another interesting quarter, with another couple of big names. Starting with Selby, his period of good form has come after the Masters this year, and I suspect he can hold it through this tournament as well. The German Masters saw him reach the final in his usual style, with some great tactical play and good scoring when he needed it. I don't know how much last week's final drained out of him, but I have a feeling he is very determined to win another title. Of the players who could stop him in his part of the draw, two names stand out. First there is Stuart Bingham, a player with some good scalps in his career, not least O'Sullivan's from two months ago. His confidence must he quite high after reaching the QF of the UK Championship. He has also proved to be a tricky opponent for Selby in the past, beating him in Shanghai in 2009. The other potentially tricky opponent for Selby is of course Mark King. He gets himself up for matches against Selby for some reason, and if he plays the way he played against him in the Masters, or indeed the 2008 WC, there is no reason why he can't beat him again. But ultimately, I think both King and Bingham already reached their peak this season, so I expect Selby to go through.
And once again, Robertson and Dott find themselves next to each other in the draw. Dott has been playing some good snooker this season, showing pretty consistent form, and not losing to any outsiders. Not that Burnett is an outsider of course, especially not at this moment in time, as he has a ranking final to his name this season. Bond is not without chance either, even though his performance in the German Masters was pretty mediocre. As for Robertson, well, he certainly doesn't have Dott's consistency. He played ok in the two biggest tournaments, won the World Open, but also lost in the 1st round in Shanghai and Berlin. I think he is due another good tournament soon, and the Welsh Open has been quite successful for him in the past. Dott and Robertson have had some good matches in the past, but Robertson has definitely had the better of their rivalry recently. I expect a strong performance from him.
Possible QF lineup:
John Higgins v. Ronnie O'Sullivan
Allister Carter v. Ding Junhui
Mark Williams v. Stephen Hendry
Mark Selby v. Neil Robertson
So there we are, a bunch of potentially interesting matches to look forward to. I'll be watching every minute of it.
The Welsh Open is not usually one of my favourite events of the season, and the introduction of the best-of-7 matches in the early rounds is certainly not going to help. We've had them in events before, and unfortunately they are not quite as entertaining as the usual best-of-9s. Comparing this event to the recent German Masters, the atmosphere will probably seem underwhelming as well, with the smaller arena and the usual mediocre attendance.
But on the plus side, it's seven days of snooker. And this time, I don't need to hope that certain matches make it on TV, as every match will be televised.
The on-table action promises to be very interesting as well. The format will probably favour fast starters, as there is less time for players to get back into the match from behind, and there are no intervals to change the momentum. Let's see what the draw looks like...
Quarter 1:
John Higgins v. Jack Lisowski
Ricky Walden v. Dave Harold
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. R.Day/J.White
Shaun Murphy v. M.Stevens/A.Hamilton
Quite a strong first quarter, but not as strong as it promised to be when the draw came out, as Gould and Liang failed to qualify. I suppose John Higgins finds himself as favourite again. It will be interesting too see how well he plays after the death of his father. He's had so much to deal with in the last year or so, but his snooker has somehow remained intact. He looked quite sharp in Germany, in the one match he played, so I don't think his form is in doubt. But it may come down to whether his head is in the right place this week. I'm looking forward to seeing Jack Lisowski's TV debut, but I doubt that he is ready to take a big scalp like Higgins' at this point in his career. On the other hand, Ricky Walden could be a good bet to get through this part of the draw. I remember him causing Higgins some problems way back in 2004, when he knocked him out of both the Grand Prix and the UK Championship. He came very close in the UK last season as well, so he knows he has what it takes to compete against Higgins.
The other half of this quarter is a very interesting part of the draw, with two qualifying matches still to be played. I suppose Ryan Day will finally be playing in front of a full house at this event, being up against Jimmy White, then Ronnie O'Sullivan. It's tough to see him losing to White, but it will be interesting to see if he can take out O'Sullivan, a player who hasn't seriously challenged for any title since September. I suppose there are two ways of looking at it... On one hand, O'Sullivan might be a bit rusty, having played less snooker than his opponents, and having lost in the 1st round of the two big tournaments recently. But then again, I can't see his absence at the business end of tournaments lasting for much longer. With his recent slide down the rankings, he desperately needs a good performance here, and the Welsh Open has been quite a successful tournament for him in the past. Shaun Murphy, the third really big name in this quarter, is facing a difficult draw this time. Both of his potential 1st round opponents could prove tricky. Stevens knocked him out of this event last year, whereas Hamilton played some good snooker in Germany last week, and this is also the place of Hamilton's last really good run, having reached the SF two years ago. There is a bunch of combinations for the 2nd round match here, with a Murphy-O'Sullivan clash being the most exciting prospect. They've developed quite a rivalry in recent years, meeting each other in the last two Premier League finals, as well as two ranking semi-finals a couple of seasons ago. There are quite a few players who could potentially come through here, but I would give O'Sullivan the best chance.
Quarter 2:
Allister Carter v. Barry Hawkins
Peter Ebdon v. Dominic Dale
Mark Allen v. Rod Lawler
Ding Junhui v. Marcus Campbell
Some interesting clashes in the second quarter... Carter and Hawkins played two memorable matches a couple of seasons ago. One was in the 2007 UK Championship, where Hawkins came from a long way behind to win in the decider. The other was in the WC later that season, a similar pattern, with Carter surviving on that occasion. I'm not sure if they've played each other since. In any case, it should be a good match. Hawkins played some good snooker in the World Open, but then failed to produce anything similar in subsequent tournaments. Carter has also been in underwhelming form recently, failing to reach the QF of any of the last three tournaments. The Ebdon-Dale match could be equally interesting. Ebdon always seems to be somewhere near Ding or Carter in the draw, and it usually ends with an early exit. But having finally beaten Carter at the Masters, I wouldn't rule him out this time. Dale could also be dangerous, the draw is not too difficult if he finds some form. But with Carter reaching the final of this event in the last two years, he has to be the favourite to go through.
There are two strong contenders for the other QF spot. Mark Allen was in good form in the UK and the Masters, but lost in the 1st round in Germany. It's tough to predict what kind of form he is likely to show here, but I would be surprised if he lost to Lawler. On the other hand, Ding Junhui has a trickier opponent in Campbell, a player who has been playing some very respectable snooker recently. I think Ding is generally less vulnerable than Allen, as his scoring is very dependable, even when he is not quite at his best. But then again, this is not exactly Ding's favourite event, he has never gone past the 2nd round here. Allen against Ding would be a repeat of their match in the UK earlier in the season, a close win for Allen on that occasion. I would put Ding as slight favourite this time, but I also think this quarter could possibly prove to be a weak one in the context of the tournament.
Quarter 3:
Mark Williams v. Marco Fu
Jamie Cope v. Rory McLeod
Stephen Hendry v. Joe Perry
Stephen Maguire v. Gerard Greene
An intriguing third quarter, with Mark Williams the only big favourite here. His match against Marco Fu is undoubtedly the most exciting prospect of the 1st round. They've both been in excellent form recently. Williams played some of his best snooker in Germany, so he comes to this event as the winner of the previous one. That usually means a fairly early exit, especially when one is up against the toughest qualifier as well. But you could think along similar lines with Fu. He played two strong tournaments recently, which is great for a player who struggles with inconsistency so badly, but at the same time, it's a big question whether he can make it three in a row. The player who could profit from this is Jamie Cope. He faces a very tenacious opponent in Rory McLeod in his opening match, and another tough opponent in the 2nd round, whoever comes through. Playing at his best, I think Cope has enough firepower to come through here, especially if Williams underperforms. But if Williams is up for it, it's tough to look past him.
The fight for the other QF place should be quite interesting as well. I suppose Hendry and Maguire are the main contenders. After his disastrous play at the UK, Hendry is looking much better in the second part of the season, just as I suspected. His record in 1st rounds in still pretty good, it usually takes a good player to beat him. After a period in the top16, Perry is a now in a position of a "tricky qualifier", so he could be a tough opponent for Hendry, especially after his good performance in Germany. Still, it took a very good Selby to knock Hendry out of the German Masters last week, so I expect him to be up for this one as well. He has been struggling to beat the really top players in recent times, but Stephen Maguire has not been a common opponent for him. Maguire is another player with a good week behind him. His appearances at the business end of tournaments are still coming along quite consistently, even though he is not quite hitting the form that saw him win a number of tournaments in the past. A Hendry-Maguire clash would definitely be a very intriguing one, and I have a feeling Hendry could go through.
Quarter 4:
Mark Selby v. Stuart Bingham
Mark King v. Michael Holt
Graeme Dott v. Jamie Burnett
Neil Robertson v. Nigel Bond
And we conclude with another interesting quarter, with another couple of big names. Starting with Selby, his period of good form has come after the Masters this year, and I suspect he can hold it through this tournament as well. The German Masters saw him reach the final in his usual style, with some great tactical play and good scoring when he needed it. I don't know how much last week's final drained out of him, but I have a feeling he is very determined to win another title. Of the players who could stop him in his part of the draw, two names stand out. First there is Stuart Bingham, a player with some good scalps in his career, not least O'Sullivan's from two months ago. His confidence must he quite high after reaching the QF of the UK Championship. He has also proved to be a tricky opponent for Selby in the past, beating him in Shanghai in 2009. The other potentially tricky opponent for Selby is of course Mark King. He gets himself up for matches against Selby for some reason, and if he plays the way he played against him in the Masters, or indeed the 2008 WC, there is no reason why he can't beat him again. But ultimately, I think both King and Bingham already reached their peak this season, so I expect Selby to go through.
And once again, Robertson and Dott find themselves next to each other in the draw. Dott has been playing some good snooker this season, showing pretty consistent form, and not losing to any outsiders. Not that Burnett is an outsider of course, especially not at this moment in time, as he has a ranking final to his name this season. Bond is not without chance either, even though his performance in the German Masters was pretty mediocre. As for Robertson, well, he certainly doesn't have Dott's consistency. He played ok in the two biggest tournaments, won the World Open, but also lost in the 1st round in Shanghai and Berlin. I think he is due another good tournament soon, and the Welsh Open has been quite successful for him in the past. Dott and Robertson have had some good matches in the past, but Robertson has definitely had the better of their rivalry recently. I expect a strong performance from him.
Possible QF lineup:
John Higgins v. Ronnie O'Sullivan
Allister Carter v. Ding Junhui
Mark Williams v. Stephen Hendry
Mark Selby v. Neil Robertson
So there we are, a bunch of potentially interesting matches to look forward to. I'll be watching every minute of it.
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