Tweet
Ssb - the last 16
Nine members of the top 16 (including Jamie Cope, who was seeded 16th) have made it through to the last 16 of the Roewe Shanghai Masters.
Matthew Stevens was dealt two devastating blows by Shaun Murphy, first when he lost 18-16 to him in the 2005 world final and second when Murphy came from 12-7 down to beat the Welshman 13-12 in their 2007 Crucible quarter-final and thus relegate him from the elite top 16.
Stevens did get one over on Murphy at last season's Welsh Open
Mark Williams and Graeme Dott are two former world champions who rediscovered their best form at the World Championship last season.
Dott played some of the best snooker of the tournament but seemed done in by his exhausting 17-14 semi-final defeat by Mark Selby.
Williams was my tip before the Shanghai event began, which makes it all the more surprising he beat Ricky Walden in the first round.
I've seen Mark start slowly before, scrap out a couple of wins and then suddenly hit top gear to secure the silverware. Dott, though, represents a seriously tough challenge.
Local hero Ding Junhui only just came through the first round, 5-4 against Jin Long.
Ding still looks a little rusty to me having not competed in any of the PTCs during the summer. Rustiness against Jamie Cope could cost him dear.
Selby faces Martin Gould, whose defeat of Stephen Hendry sent the seven times world champion down to 12th in the latest rankings with the danger he may fall further depending on how the rest o0f the week pans out.
Ali Carter and Stephen Maguire will be favourite to get past Stuart Bingham and Mark Davis respectively but I suspect neither match will be cut and dried.
Jamie Burnett and Andrew Higginson each have reason to be grateful Ronnie O'Sullivan didn't travel to China with the big prize of a quarter-final place up for grabs.
I don't expect Peter Ebdon v Mark King to be quick.
So here's my prediction for the quarter-finals...
Higginson v Maguire
Williams v Ding
Carter v Stevens
Selby v Ebdon
What could possibly go wrong?
More...
Matthew Stevens was dealt two devastating blows by Shaun Murphy, first when he lost 18-16 to him in the 2005 world final and second when Murphy came from 12-7 down to beat the Welshman 13-12 in their 2007 Crucible quarter-final and thus relegate him from the elite top 16.
Stevens did get one over on Murphy at last season's Welsh Open
Mark Williams and Graeme Dott are two former world champions who rediscovered their best form at the World Championship last season.
Dott played some of the best snooker of the tournament but seemed done in by his exhausting 17-14 semi-final defeat by Mark Selby.
Williams was my tip before the Shanghai event began, which makes it all the more surprising he beat Ricky Walden in the first round.
I've seen Mark start slowly before, scrap out a couple of wins and then suddenly hit top gear to secure the silverware. Dott, though, represents a seriously tough challenge.
Local hero Ding Junhui only just came through the first round, 5-4 against Jin Long.
Ding still looks a little rusty to me having not competed in any of the PTCs during the summer. Rustiness against Jamie Cope could cost him dear.
Selby faces Martin Gould, whose defeat of Stephen Hendry sent the seven times world champion down to 12th in the latest rankings with the danger he may fall further depending on how the rest o0f the week pans out.
Ali Carter and Stephen Maguire will be favourite to get past Stuart Bingham and Mark Davis respectively but I suspect neither match will be cut and dried.
Jamie Burnett and Andrew Higginson each have reason to be grateful Ronnie O'Sullivan didn't travel to China with the big prize of a quarter-final place up for grabs.
I don't expect Peter Ebdon v Mark King to be quick.
So here's my prediction for the quarter-finals...
Higginson v Maguire
Williams v Ding
Carter v Stevens
Selby v Ebdon
What could possibly go wrong?
More...
Comment