Welsh Open 2010 QF Discussion

[SebastianZ]

just out of curiosity, why is o'sullivan's match always been put in the afternoon instead of prime time at night???
not that I dont like that, coz 1pm in england is midnight here in australia which is better than 6am start. but to uk, wouldnt it attract more audience if it starts 7pm???
or bbc takes chinese audience into consideration?

[shepy]

dominic dale is going to shock the snooker world again and get to atleast the semi finals
]but i tip mark williams to build on his performances at the grand priz, uk and master and take home the trophie to cwm. lol

[montoya10]

just out of curiosity, why is o'sullivan's match always been put in the afternoon instead of prime time at night???
not that I dont like that, coz 1pm in england is midnight here in australia which is better than 6am start. but to uk, wouldnt it attract more audience if it starts 7pm???
or bbc takes chinese audience into consideration?

Very good question. I don't have the answer, but I do know that he likes the evening sessions more

By the way, shepy, Mark didn't hit top form in UK, in fact, if he turned it on there, he would have had a shot at the title, as well..

[Odrl]

Right, as promised, a more detailed prediction of how I see the Welsh Open going... I've been getting better at these. I got 4 out of 8 quarter-finalists at the Shanghai Masters, 5 out of 8 in the UK Championship, and 3 out of 4 semi-finalists at the Masters. So it's time for 6 out of 8 here.

Quarter 1:

Allister Carter v. Mark Davis
Neil Robertson v. Liu Song
Stephen Hendry v. Dave Harold
Ryan Day v. Tony Drago

We're in for a very likely Carter-Robertson encounter in the 2nd round, which would be a repeat of their 2nd round match at the WC. They were both a bit unlucky with the draw at the Masters, and they perhaps deserved more than a 1st round exit. But I think Robertson played a bit better than Carter. This is probably not the event either of them are targeting, but it's an event they have both done well at in the past, even winning it. I'll go for Robertson to prevail out of these two. The other player I see in the QF is Stephen Hendry. He played very well in the Masters, while Ryan Day played one good match and one terrible match. Day has been known to play poorly at this event, I even remember him being whitewashed in the 1st round a couple of years ago. The two qualifiers also have a chance here, but realistically, Hendry is the favourite.

Quarter 2:

Marco Fu v. Andrew Higginson
Mark Williams v. Fergal O'Brien
Peter Ebdon v. Barry Hawkins
Stephen Maguire v. Dominic Dale

A very interesting quarter for me. Mark Williams is an obvious favourite, but Fu mustn't be underestimated. Yes, he has been playing poorly this season, the Masters included, but he can come out of nowhere and find a bit of form. In fact, he played pretty well in the Championship League during the week, although I don't usually consider that event to be of any importance as far as these predictions go. Higginson could be a tricky opponent if Fu is not at his best. He's a former finalist at this venue, and could find some inspiration here. Ebdon and Maguire are another two players who could be in trouble in the 1st round. In fact, none of these players have impressed lately, Hawkins and Dale included, so it could be a question of who finds a bit of form here. Or is it going to be another case of a mediocre Maguire going through?

Quarter 3:

Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Stuart Bingham
Ding Junhui v. Jamie Cope
Mark Allen v. Tom Ford
Shaun Murphy v. M.Stevens/B.Pinches

An O'Sullivan-Ding match would have been a good one a couple of weeks ago, but Ding is already past his form peak now, and I expect him to have another one in the last two events of the season. His Masters performance suggests he could be in trouble against Cope in the 1st round. I think O'Sullivan will come through. This has usually been a good event for him, and he might be out to prove a point. If it's not his form, I think it will be his class that gets him through. I'm also looking forward to a possible Murphy-Allen match. It took two very good players to take them out of the Masters... I find it tough to call. Murphy's form seems to be pretty even throughout the season, whereas Allen usually plays a good tournament followed by a bad one. Maybe Allen will want this one more, because he hasn't actually won a ranking event yet, so let's go for him. There is also Stevens, but I can't see him getting past Murphy. He lost to Murphy in the 2005 World final, despite establishing a good early lead, and also in the QF of the 2007 WC, where he lead 12-7 before losing 12-13. I don't think he's a player who can easily overcome such a mental barrier.

Quarter 4:

Mark Selby v. Judd Trump
Mark King v. Marcus Campbell
Joe Perry v. Graeme Dott
John Higgins v. Michael Judge

Another interesting part of the draw. I wonder where Selby will go out, being the winner of the previous event. Two immediate chances here. He's got quite a tricky 1st round opponent in Judd Trump, and could easily lose if he underestimates him. I think that's exactly what he did in the 2008 WC against King in the 1st round, where he went out early, despite being one of the tournament favourites on that occasion. King is likely to be his 2nd round opponent here, but I'm not sure he's playing well enough to get past Selby this time. On paper, John Higgins is the overwhelming favourite for the other QF spot, but I suspect he could go out early. He had been playing well for a long time before the Masters, and it finally caught up with him. He is clearly a bit drained, physically and emotionally, and he could do with a good rest before the WC. He's got a reasonable draw here, so he could still make the business end of the tournament. But if he doesn't, I think Graeme Dott will be the player who benefits from that. He's got a 1st round opponent whose morale is probably the lowest out of any top16 player at the moment. Kind of where Dott himself was a year or two ago. But he's back now, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the QF.

Possible QF lineup:

Neil Robertson v. Stephen Hendry
Mark Williams v. Stephen Maguire
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Mark Allen
Mark Selby v. Graeme Dott


I think this could be a very good event. There are a lot of players who could possibly play somewhere near their best, it's just a shame that this is the event with the lowest prize money and ranking points on offer. But in any case, this is the last week of proper snooker before April, so I'll make sure to enjoy it.

[montoya10]

Great predictions.. You made a good summary of my ideas.. But I would play it a bit more conservative to say that Higgins will be against Selby in QF..

Only point that I think differently is I expect a bounce back from Ding here, he'd like to send a message to the everyone before the Worlds.. Or maybe he would do it in China

Speaking on the event, this one is one of my favourites in the whole season.. And generally I enjoy watching Welsh Open more than I do any of the Far East tournaments or even the Grand Prix

[brendan147]

Possible QF lineup:

Neil Robertson v. Stephen Hendry
Mark Williams v. Stephen Maguire
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Mark Allen
Mark Selby v. Graeme Dott

Great post Odrl. I really enjoy reading it. Will keep my eyes on your prediction here. A little different from mine:-

Possible QF lineup

Neil Robertson v. Ryan Day
Mark Williams v. Stephen Maguire
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Mark Allen
Mark Selby v. John Higgins

Cheers

[stuartfanning]

Just a reminder to satellite viewers in the UK. As well as Eurosport the Welsh Open will be on BBC2 Wales. For viewers outside Wales BBC2 Wales is on Sky channel 991 and Freesat channel 971.

[brendan147]

Just wondering where I can watch all PRO LIVE MATCH through internet? Watching the LIVE RESULT boring me as the only thing I can see is some digits "movement".

[Mr P]

I am sure someone will get a stream from somewhere and post it on here for you Brendan.

[hotpot]

Williams to win tournament is a good shout at 14/1 I think these odds are quite generous . I,ve put a few quid on him myself and with the bookies matching your opening bet for free , i,ve put the same stake on Robertson .

[brendan147]

Williams to win tournament is a good shout at 14/1 I think these odds are quite generous . I,ve put a few quid on him myself and with the bookies matching your opening bet for free , i,ve put the same stake on Robertson .

How much is a quid, really? Yeah, both Williams and Robbo are still my favourites too. ROS is top in my list for now.

[hotpot]

How much is a quid, really? Yeah, both Williams and Robbo are still my favourites too. ROS is top in my list for now.

quid means pound ,did,nt just have one on him though I had a few , if he wins i,ll have enough back to buy a cue off Trev . Brendan how many favs have you got , and who is your favourite of favourites , I like a lot of players but only one fav ,

[brendan147]

Brendan how many favs have you got , and who is your favourite of favourites , I like a lot of players but only one fav ,

As mentioned above (3), but if either Williams/Robbo playing against ROS, I'm bias to ROS...

[Odrl]

Neil Robertson v. Stephen Hendry
Mark Williams v. Stephen Maguire
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Mark Allen
Mark Selby v. Graeme Dott

But I would play it a bit more conservative to say that Higgins will be against Selby in QF..

Only point that I think differently is I expect a bounce back from Ding here, he'd like to send a message to the everyone before the Worlds.. Or maybe he would do it in China

Neil Robertson v. Ryan Day
Mark Williams v. Stephen Maguire
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Mark Allen
Mark Selby v. John Higgins

Robertson (played so well against Ronnie at the Masters) vs either Hendry or a qualifer
Williams (worth a bet to win the tournament actually) vs Ebdon or qualifier
Ding Junhui vs Mark Allen (O'Sullivan I think will be out of sorts, hopefully Murphy won't get past Allen)
Selby vs Higgins (the former on a roll, the latter determined to make up for his masters exit)

Right, I make that 5/8 for montoya10, an impressive 7/8 for brendan147, 4/8 for ThePhantomPotter, and 5/8 for myself. We have a clear winner for this one. Congratulations brendan147, the crown is yours.

[brendan147]

Right, I make that 5/8 for montoya10, an impressive 7/8 for brendan147, 4/8 for ThePhantomPotter, and 5/8 for myself. We have a clear winner for this one. Congratulations brendan147, the crown is yours.

Yeah. Thanks. Only Robbo let me down. It is Ali Carter who steal the show. I think he is the favourite into the semi now.

But again, here is my shout:

Com'on Ronnie...!!!
Com'on Williams...!!!
Com'on Selby...!!!

Head up and fight...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!