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I don't usually get excited by the minor events, but it looks like this one will be an exception. I'm always intrigued by events with a strong Chinese presence, especially when these players don't have the disadvantage of playing abroad. The lineup is quite interesting, as is the new format. It's gone to a standard knockout system, with a best-of-9 opening round, and a best-of-17 final. This is a pleasant surprise for me, with all the cheap minor events that are scheduled to take place this season. But this event seems to be growing, and is now actually the third best event of the first half of the season, behind the UK Championship and the Shanghai Masters, and ahead of the World Open, in my opinion.
So, let's look at the draw:
Top Half:
Marco Fu v. Liang Wenbo, winner to play Mark Allen
Stephen Hendry v. Xiao Guodong, winner to play Shaun Murphy
Some very intriguing prospects. Mark Allen is the defending champion here. He has had some good results in China recently, and is one of the favourites to win this event. But he will face pretty strong opposition. Fu against Liang should be a great match in its own right, and I suppose Liang now has to be favourite here. He will start the season way ahead of Fu provisionally, and as a top16 player for the first time. There was a strong summer event in Beijing last year, which Liang won, and then went on to reach the final of the Shanghai Masters. I would not be surprised to see something similar happen this year as well.
We also have a very vulnerable Stephen Hendry, who seems to be a pretty popular invitee in these minor Chinese events, up against a player who has already had some success on TV as a wildcard. I'm sure Xiao will be highly motivated, considering how big of a draw Hendry is in China. Shaun Murphy is kind of unpredictable, in the sense that he used to be very consistent in getting through the opening rounds of tournaments, but he seems to be quite vulnerable in 1st rounds recently. He had some good post-WC results last year, so I'm sure he'll try to avoid any embarrassment here.
Bottom Half:
Ryan Day v. Yu Delu, winner to play Ding Junhui
Mark Selby v. Tian Pengfei, winner to play Joe Perry
The bottom half is interesting as well, with two players who look like being off the MT this season, while a less deserving player got a wildcard. But at least this a chance to see them play. Ryan Day didn't have the best season, and finds himself provisionally outside the top16, so this will not be a priority event for him. But he could still do with a good result, which is something he usually has in China. Tricky opponent in Yu Delu though. But in any case, Ding Junhui is the big favourite here. He had a very strong season, and this is his home event, not just from a nationality point of view, but also locally. I expect most players took a bit of a break from training after the WC, but Ding is so natural that I expect him to play well anyway.
Selby against Tian should be another great match, and I expect Tian to be up for it. It will be interesting to see if he is any different now, having made a name for himself by beating O'Sullivan at the China Open. He seemed pretty relaxed and nonchalant to begin with, which is slightly unusual for a Chinese. It will also be interesting to see which Selby turns up, but Selby is pretty tough to beat even if he plays poorly. Joe Perry was a late replacement for Carter, and he has his own redeeming to do, after dropping out of the top16 last season.
On one hand, an event such as this is always unpredictable, but there is also a big difference between players' ranking in some pairs. I'll avoid giving a straight prediction here, but Ding meeting Selby in the bottom SF seems like a strong possibility. The top half is more uncertain, but I have a feeling that it could be either Allen or Liang that comes through it.
Anyway, this starts in a couple of hours with Fu-Liang and Hendry-Xiao. It should be a fun four days.
So, let's look at the draw:
Top Half:
Marco Fu v. Liang Wenbo, winner to play Mark Allen
Stephen Hendry v. Xiao Guodong, winner to play Shaun Murphy
Some very intriguing prospects. Mark Allen is the defending champion here. He has had some good results in China recently, and is one of the favourites to win this event. But he will face pretty strong opposition. Fu against Liang should be a great match in its own right, and I suppose Liang now has to be favourite here. He will start the season way ahead of Fu provisionally, and as a top16 player for the first time. There was a strong summer event in Beijing last year, which Liang won, and then went on to reach the final of the Shanghai Masters. I would not be surprised to see something similar happen this year as well.
We also have a very vulnerable Stephen Hendry, who seems to be a pretty popular invitee in these minor Chinese events, up against a player who has already had some success on TV as a wildcard. I'm sure Xiao will be highly motivated, considering how big of a draw Hendry is in China. Shaun Murphy is kind of unpredictable, in the sense that he used to be very consistent in getting through the opening rounds of tournaments, but he seems to be quite vulnerable in 1st rounds recently. He had some good post-WC results last year, so I'm sure he'll try to avoid any embarrassment here.
Bottom Half:
Ryan Day v. Yu Delu, winner to play Ding Junhui
Mark Selby v. Tian Pengfei, winner to play Joe Perry
The bottom half is interesting as well, with two players who look like being off the MT this season, while a less deserving player got a wildcard. But at least this a chance to see them play. Ryan Day didn't have the best season, and finds himself provisionally outside the top16, so this will not be a priority event for him. But he could still do with a good result, which is something he usually has in China. Tricky opponent in Yu Delu though. But in any case, Ding Junhui is the big favourite here. He had a very strong season, and this is his home event, not just from a nationality point of view, but also locally. I expect most players took a bit of a break from training after the WC, but Ding is so natural that I expect him to play well anyway.
Selby against Tian should be another great match, and I expect Tian to be up for it. It will be interesting to see if he is any different now, having made a name for himself by beating O'Sullivan at the China Open. He seemed pretty relaxed and nonchalant to begin with, which is slightly unusual for a Chinese. It will also be interesting to see which Selby turns up, but Selby is pretty tough to beat even if he plays poorly. Joe Perry was a late replacement for Carter, and he has his own redeeming to do, after dropping out of the top16 last season.
On one hand, an event such as this is always unpredictable, but there is also a big difference between players' ranking in some pairs. I'll avoid giving a straight prediction here, but Ding meeting Selby in the bottom SF seems like a strong possibility. The top half is more uncertain, but I have a feeling that it could be either Allen or Liang that comes through it.
Anyway, this starts in a couple of hours with Fu-Liang and Hendry-Xiao. It should be a fun four days.
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