With qualifying rounds for the world snooker championship completed, 16 qualifiers are set to join the sixteen highest ranked players in the world for the most prestigious (and lucrative) competition in the snooker calendar. The qualifiers were compacted into eight days, with each player having to win three matches to reach the final stages.
The tournament is contested in Sheffield, U.K. and the first prize is £330,000 ($470,000). The first staging of the tournament was in 1927.
With the first round matches due to start, with two players battling it out over the best of nineteen frames, are any surprises expected?
The most dangerous qualifier of all is the Chinese snooker sensation Ding Junhui. Junhi, who has had a slight dip in form (otherwise he would have been among the 16 seeds), was certainly the draw any top 16 would wish to avoid. Junhi, ranked 17 in the world, has 11 major titles to his name, although he has yet to win the world championship. He face Martin Gould in the first round and I think Junhi will win this one.
Another dangerous qualifier is Ali Carter. Carter has been hampered by illness in the past few years, but his recent results have been encouraging. The danger falls on defending champion Stuart Bingham. I think Bingham will edge it, but expect a tight 10-7 or 10-8 finish.
Of the others, Mitchell Mann is a young player with lost of talent. He may not win his opening match (his opponent Mark Allen is a strong player), but it will be good to see him in action. He could be a winner in a few years time. Kyren Wilson is also another young hot prospect. Dave Gilbert, a good all-rounder, has drawn tournament favorite Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Of the older generation, former world champion Peter Ebdon is in the draw. Ebdon is known for his slow, ponderous (but often effective) grinding style of play. Ebdon plays Marco Fu, and there is a good chance of Ebdon winning this game given Fu’s recent poor form. Another former world champion to qualify is Graeme Dott (who beat Ebdon to claim his title). Dott plays twice-former world champion Mark Williams. Tough call, but I think Williams will come through 10-5 or 10-6.
A further veteran to qualify is the Scottish player Alan McManus. McManus has won some big tournaments, but never the world championship, although he has twice reached the semi-finals stage.
So, some interesting first round ties. The full draw is (seeded players first, qualifiers second):
Stuart Bingham v Ali Carter
Stephen Maguire v Alan McManus
Ricky Walden v Robbie Williams
John Higgins v Ryan Day
Judd Trump v Liang Wenbo
Martin Gould v Ding Junhui
Mark Williams v Graeme Dott
Neil Robertson v Michael Holt
Shaun Murphy v Anthony McGill
Marco Fu v Peter Ebdon
Barry Hawkins v Zhang Anda
Ronnie O’Sullivan v David Gilbert
Mark Allen v Mitchell Mann
Joe Perry v Kyren Wilson
Michael White v Sam Baird
While I think the favorites for the tournament are: O’Sullivan, Robertson, Trump and Higgins (in that order), I’ll reserved judgement until the even longer (best of 25 frame) second round matches begin. My prediction for first round winners goes mainly with the seeds: Bingham, Maguire, Walden, Higgins, Trump, Junhui, Williams, Robertson, Murphy, Ebdon, Hawkins, O’Sullivan, Allen, Perry and White. You can see how poor my predictions are over the course of the next few days.
The schedule for day one is:
Saturday April 16
Morning session – 1000
Stuart Bingham v Ali Carter (Match 1)
Marco Fu v Peter Ebdon (Match 10)
Afternoon session – 1430
Stephen Maguire v Alan McManus (Match 2)
Shaun Murphy v Anthony McGill (Match 9)
Evening session – 1900
Stuart Bingham v Ali Carter (Match 1) – to a finish
Marco Fu v Peter Ebdon (Match 10) – to a finish
Further updates from the world snooker championship will be posted on Digital Journal.
