2023 UK championship

[fkhan]

Who do you gents think will win the UK title? Looks like one of the 3 semi finalists except ROS based on current form.

ROS v Vafaei
DIng v Judd

[DeanH]

two great matches, hope this evening is as good

my wish came true - for once

may it continue!

[cueman]

Bit of anti climax this event for me. Players playing well until they come up against O'Sullivan and then literally play like a lowly ranked qualifier. In these big events the whole pull of them is the latter stages we should be watching peak snooker, yet its been so average. I don't hold much hope that Trump or Ding put up a fight against O'Sullivan in the final, neither been playing great, just doing enough to win and due to them both being ill, will probably struggle in a two session final. Ronnie has all but sealed an 8th UK and to be honest its not great for snooker that nobody seems close to challenging him in the big majors, despite the fact he's just a couple of years off 50.

[neuronic]

I wonder if there ever was an easier run to the UK's finals than Ronnie's this year... again.

[cueman]

I wonder if there ever was an easier run to the UK's finals than Ronnie's this year... again.

I'd say 2018 the last win he had when it was a 128 event was easier, certainly nobody came close to him. I think his last 64 match against Doherty was the only opponent to take more than a frame off him on his way to the final. But yeah, for all O'Sullivan's accolades and success, it often goes unquestioned how easy he's had it in many of these events down the years. For me his record is somewhat flawed in that respect because if nobody is competing, is it really worthy of all the praise? People criticise others records in these so called triple crowns, yet if they had the luck of O'Sullivan and had players rolling over, how many titles could others have won!

[terrytibbs]

Ronnie gifted another win again today by yet another player who under performs against him and cant take the numerous chances Ronnie gives them. Some good match play in parts by Ronnie but again like yesterday mixed in with too many easy misses. If he doesn't improve he will be annihilated in the final if he plays Judd with the fotm he has been in. I just dont see Judd's current high level dipping.

[fkhan]

Nice to see Ding show some emotion after winning that match. He is up for the final.

[cueman]

It's the only event he ever plays well in. However I stand by what I said earlier, I cannot see him putting up a fight to O'Sullivan. I don't think ding has ever beaten Ronnie in a final before and he'll probably struggle with the occasion just as everyone else has against him this week. Ronnie win 10-5.

[neuronic]

Ronnie will be so happy...

[ken147]

Ding 10 - 7 O'Sullivan.

[DeanH]

It's the only event he ever plays well in. However I stand by what I said earlier, I cannot see him putting up a fight to O'Sullivan. I don't think ding has ever beaten Ronnie in a final before and he'll probably struggle with the occasion just as everyone else has against him this week. Ronnie win 10-5.

Apart from one Premier League group final, Ding has beaten Ronnie once in a Final
2006 Northern Ireland Trophy - Ding was fresh on the scene

H2H in Finals - ROS 4-1 Ding

[Nifty50]

250k ranking points should keep Ronnie at numero uno for a while longer but there’s a few snapping at his heels.

[vmax]

To be fair all the greats have had their share of opponents falling down before them, Reardon, Davis, Hendry in many matches missed balls only to have their opponent give it straight back to them. It's hard not to play the man rather than the table as you expect the best and then are given chances that you don't expect and that can upset your focus, being dragged down is a prime example of that. Also the greats do tend to get the run of the balls, you can't win without it no matter how well you play and all those little bad nudges, poor splits, hampered bridging, table rolling off and poor contacts can get to you in the end.
The greats can simply shrug it off and start again because it's a rare thing for them but the likes of Carter see it happen to them far too often and it builds up in the memory, Ronnie's refusal to use Taom chalk is in his favour too, he takes the bad contacts as they come but that Triangle chalk is in the head of his opponents now even though it's a fallacy that it prevents bad contacts, players are still missing easy balls on the thick side more often than the thin side which is the obvious sign of poor cueing.

[fkhan]

The portal was down earlier today. Admins, any idea why?

[cueman]

To be fair all the greats have had their share of opponents falling down before them, Reardon, Davis, Hendry in many matches missed balls only to have their opponent give it straight back to them. It's hard not to play the man rather than the table as you expect the best and then are given chances that you don't expect and that can upset your focus, being dragged down is a prime example of that. Also the greats do tend to get the run of the balls, you can't win without it no matter how well you play and all those little bad nudges, poor splits, hampered bridging, table rolling off and poor contacts can get to you in the end.
The greats can simply shrug it off and start again because it's a rare thing for them but the likes of Carter see it happen to them far too often and it builds up in the memory, Ronnie's refusal to use Taom chalk is in his favour too, he takes the bad contacts as they come but that Triangle chalk is in the head of his opponents now even though it's a fallacy that it prevents bad contacts, players are still missing easy balls on the thick side more often than the thin side which is the obvious sign of poor cueing.

I could get behind that back in the days when Hendry and Davis were dominant because they truly were dominant players. Ronnie has never been a dominant force, sure he's played events where nobody has been able to get close to him, but his form over the last few years has been average at best. He's been there for the taking and yet despite players all having plenty of matches to shake off the nerves, they still perform like rookies against him which is what I think shows this generation isn't really that great. Its the reason Higgins and Williams are still top 16 players too, for me, the lack of mental strength from the generation below them is why they can still compete now. Only trump has shown anything like the mental fortitude and yet even he has weaknesses that hinder his chances of winning multiple worlds, UK's or Masters. A lot of players need to focus more on the mental side of the game, get a sports psychologist in their corner, because snooker has far more demand on the mental aspect than most sports. Too many focus on technique and practice, but ultimately if you can't handle or cope when the pressure is on, then you'll never reach your potential or win much.