2017 World Championship - Main Event

[Nym]

I'm not feeling much love for Robbo on this forum.

[Dark]

Selby over Fu (13-10)
O'Sullivan over Ding (13-11)
Higgins over Wilson (13-9)
Maguire over Hawkins (13-12)

I have a feeling there's going to be one upset. I'm just not sure which match it'll happen in. Let's go with Maguire setting up an all Scottish semi-final.

Surely one upset

Selby 13 - 11
Ding 13 - 9
Higgins 13 - 6
Hawkins 13 - 8

[Odrl]

That was a tense evening of snooker. It would have been a boring session if it was the first one, but as a deciding session it was very enjoyable, and all the mistakes were understandable. :smile:

Robertson's season ends on another low note then... He is just not playing well enough at the moment to be anything higher than the 9th seed. When he was winning major titles, one of his most impressive attributes was his composure under pressure, but in this match he looked nervous right from the start. There was always something that annoyed him, either a kick, or the white moved, or a disturbance in the crowd... He wasn't dealing with the setbacks in a very positive way, in my opinion, and he made quite a lot of mistakes as a result. Hopefully we see him back to his best next season. :smile:

[Odrl]

Okay, since it looks like we are having a mini prediction contest, let's have a look at the QF matches before they start... :smile:

Mark Selby v. Marco Fu: This looked like the quarter of death before the tournament started, but I think the standard of play hasn't been all that great so far. The big match between Robertson and Fu was quite entertaining, but it was a bit of a scrap in the final session, without any real fireworks. As for Selby, he had a pretty easy job in his first two matches, so he hasn't really been pushed to play to his full potential yet. So, how do we see this one going? The head-to-head is comfortably in Selby's favour, although they've only met twice in multiple-session matches. The first was in the UK Championship back in 2007, a lovely match that included what was at the time the longest televised frame of snooker ever, a record that has since been well beaten. The other long match between these two was of course the semi-final at the Crucible last year, and that too included a fascinating long frame. Selby won both of these matches, but Fu has beaten him a number of times in matches of medium length, including a 5-2 win in the Players Championship this season. I think Fu in his Scottish Open form would be a really tough opponent for Selby here, because his scoring in that tournament was almost flawless, and it would be very difficult to consistently keep him away from the table in such a long match. But I also think that Fu is not in such great form here, and it's doubtful whether he can reach those heights before the tournament is over. Selby is the favourite in the vast majority of his matches simply because of how strong he is on an average day, which is a quality Fu doesn't really have. If this match turns into the kind of grind we saw 12 months ago, there can only be one winner. And if the match is a little more fluent, I think Selby still has another gear or two, and I suspect he will raise his game at the business end of this Championship. Selby to win 13-9.

Ding Junhui v. Ronnie O'Sullivan: This match stands out as the one where the head-to-head is the most one sided. Ding hasn't beaten O'Sullivan in a proper match in almost 11 years, so even though he is the higher seed here, he is not really expected to go through. He's had a couple of real thrashings against O'Sullivan, although to be fair, they haven't met as many times as one would think, so it's still a relatively small sample size. After losing 9-3 in the final of the 2014 Welsh Open, Ding admitted to being nervous at the start of the match, and he said playing O'Sullivan was a good opportunity for him to learn and improve his game. It doesn't really sound like a winning mentality, does it? Well, this time Ding was a little more determined in his comments ahead of the match, so I hope he can produce the kind of snooker he is capable of. I don't think either player is really playing at the top of their game here. Ding started well enough against Liang, but after the first session he was on the back foot for most of the match, in the sense that Liang was the more impressive player and Ding was just barely holding onto his lead. He then finished with a couple of nice breaks in the last two frames, which was a good sign for him. O'Sullivan had a fairly easy game against Murphy, which was kind of expected, but of course it was easy because he was able to apply the pressure early on and take a comfortable lead. I think the first session will be very important here as well. O'Sullivan will be looking to put the fear in Ding early on, and if he succeeds he should win fairly comfortably, but if Ding holds his own I think they could be fairly evenly matched. I am hoping for the latter scenario, but since the former one is very plausible as well, I will play it safe and go for O'Sullivan to win 13-10.

John Higgins v. Kyren Wilson: No real history between these two, so it will be interesting to see how it goes. Wilson is the kind of player who doesn't really get intimidated by anyone. He beat Trump to win his first ever major title, he's beaten O'Sullivan on TV this season, he's beaten Bingham at the Crucible, held his own against Selby as well, so I think he will definitely play his part here. An in-form Higgins is as tough as it gets though... Looking at the stats, it's funny how misleading they can be sometimes. Higgins played brilliantly against Allen, but the stats show he only made seven breaks over 50 in the entire match, whereas Selby only played alright against Xiao, but he made 12 half-centuries in the process! Higgins' game is not all about high breaks though. He really knows how to pace himself over multiple sessions, and he recognizes the key moments where he has the chance to take control. The two clearances he made against Allen to win frames on the black were just superb. I think Higgins in top form is superior to Wilson in almost every element of the game, but I guess youth has to count for something, and where it counts the most is the consistency from day to day. Higgins himself talked about how difficult it is for him to hold this kind of form over 17 days, and we saw him struggle a little against McManus last year when everyone expected him to come through. I think this match could have a nice mix of everything that makes snooker great, and I'm hoping it goes as close as possible. I wouldn't be surprised if Wilson came through, but I will go for Higgins to win 13-11.

Barry Hawkins v. Stephen Maguire: Probably the weakest quarter of the draw now, but no less interesting. Hawkins is appearing at the business end of the World Championship for the fifth year in a row, while Maguire is returning after a five-year absence. Hawkins beat him 10-9 in the 1st round six years ago, which is the only previous time these two have met in the longer format. As for the shorter games, the momentum is with Maguire after his two wins over Hawkins this season, 4-3 in the Indian Open and 5-3 in the Shanghai Masters. I have to confess I only kept one eye on these two players in the first two rounds, because their matches were always less interesting than the other table. Maguire has barely dropped a frame so far, but his two opponents played shockingly poorly against him, so we shouldn't be too optimistic about his chances just yet. Especially as he still found the need to rage around the table at times, even when he was comfortably in front. Hawkins had a slightly tougher job in his two matches, but only slightly. He is a clear favourite if rankings are to be believed, but I think he actually plays better against higher-ranked opponents at the Crucible, at least in recent years. These two both play a similar game, a nice balance between attack and defence, and they both score well when they find their rhythm. Hawkins is perhaps more dangerous from distance these days, so I think his game is slightly stronger, but he also has that unwanted habit of letting his opponents back in the match after he goes in front. Maguire, on the other hand, is a great front-runner, but he can lose his focus quite quickly if things go against him. If he has any sense, he will really give it his all here, because this is the best chance he's had in the World Championship in ages. I think this match is the toughest of the four to call... It's quite easy to imagine either player winning comfortably, but a close match seems just as possible. I will go for Maguire to win 13-12.

Should be a great couple of days. :smile:

[Byrom]

Well Robbo played garbage my last hope is Ding and he is playing a motivated O Sullivan - Its easy to say Ronnie or Selby or Higgins will win - they are the best after all but I love an underdog.

It's the theatre of dreams ....That's why I'm hopeful Fu, Ding, Wilson, Maguire, can hopefully they can overturn the favourites they face in their respective matches and win through and then we can have a new champion who has never won it before, changing their own lives by reaching the summit of the sport and making Crucible history on the 40th anniversary by achieving their dreams.

[cueman]

On paper the line ups for the quarters don't look that great however I actually think the actual match ups have contrasting styles. You have Fu the break builder against Selby the tactical master, this should be interesting as neither has performed well yet but this could spark into life and be very high quality. Selby 13-9

Wilson v Higgins is a clash of generations, the young up and coming player against the old master. Arguably the two form players of the tournament so far, Wilson showed he isn't afraid of anyone and has produced some good clearances under pressure, Higgins was in superb form against Allen, this could be another great match if they play to anything near their best. Higgins 13-10

Hawkins v Maguire really is a great match up. Both very attacking and good scorers, nice to see Maguire playing a big game so just hope he performs, the only qualifier to make it this far, could be hard for him but then again he's had two easy wins so I think he should still have enough left in the tank to run Hawkins close. Hawkins 13-8.

And finally Ding vs O'Sullivan, without doubt the best match probably of the entire tournament. This could be one of the greatest scoring matches ever seen at the crucible if they both play to their best. I predict 10 or more centuries in this match and a very close 13-11 scoreline to Ronnie.

[JimMalone]

Mark Selby – Marco Fu
This is the quarterfinal I hoped we would have up there in the draw, not only cause those are two of the in my opinion most likeable players, but it’s definitely one of the most interesting matches possible. The world number one and defending champion against a player, who has shown he can beat anyone on his day and who actually has been the fifth-best player in ranking events this season. And it’s really no surprise to see them here. Selby and Fu gave us a fantastic fight in last year’s semi-final and I hope this match will be equally good.
Though so far Selby hasn’t played impressive Snooker here overall. He had quite easy components and won comfortably. Fu on the other hand began disastrous against Brecel, which got him 1-7 behind. He recovered to win and I liked his play against Robertson much better already. At least partially. Cause he was still missing some easy pots and there was not much consistency again. He held himself together much better than Robertson and this was the decisive factor in the end. Against Selby this will be indispensable, but not enough, he also needs to play better.
Will Fu be mentally tired after the tense match yesterday? I actually think he has an advantage here, because he had two big tests already, whereas Selby was not tested at all. And it can be very helpful to have played already under pressure before going into a tough match.
But history also has shown us, that the two-time world champion usually is able to lift his game in the later stages of a tournament. Fu definitely has the great all-around game to bring Selby in big troubles, but so far the man from Hongkong wasn’t good enough, that I would make him the favorite here, even if Selby plays well below his highest level. Selby wins 13-11.

Ronnie O’Sullivan – Ding Junhui
This is the duel of two of the world’s very best players. And by this I mean Top 5 or for me probably Top 4 players. And one that could of course go either way. Both have similar strengths, or to say it better, top strengths, cause they don’t have many weaknesses. A fantastic cue ball control and a great break-building. Both rely much on a good feeling for the ball and if they “feel” it, they like to play quite aggressive, but both also have a good tactical game.
For O’Sullivan, whose play I liked a little bit better so far, his long pots will be important. His long game isn’t always the most reliable and if he misses a lot and gifts Ding to many chances, the Chinese could take a decisive advantage out of this. For the runner-up of last year’s edition the big question is a much more important one. It’s the mental aspect of the game, which so often decides the outcome of the top players meetings. Can he bring his best game, when he needs it? Can he bring it against O’Sullivan.
So far the duels between those two – as pointed out several times before – have been sadly and surprisingly one-sided. They met in nine ranking or some of the bigger invitational events and O’Sullivan won eight of these encounters. Ding’s only win was all the way back in 2006 at the Northern Ireland Trophy. The results in the last meetings have become a little bit closer, but still Ronnie is clearly in Junhui’s head. And that’s a huge problem to overcome. What should give him a little hope though is that he got one burden of the back last year, when he finally made it to the final at the Crucible. Maybe this has freed him a bit here. There were some signs this year, when he produced some of his best snooker to win the Shanghai Masters, though the rest of the season good and bad play changed for Ding, while O’Sullivan, though not always in best form, played with much more consistency.
Of course there is one other mental burden for Ding of which we don’t know how it will affect him. The death of his mother. Often it helps athletes to focus on other things and they somehow can produce their best performances.
I think this is a duel where the first few frames will already point out where this quarterfinal is heading. If O’Sullivan the game’s best frontrunner grabs an early lead, the demons of former meetings will catch up with Ding again. If the Chinese keeps it close I’d guess him to come out as the superiors. For me this is the most difficult quarterfinal to call.
Before the start of the World Championship I picked Ding to win the title this year. But while he remained cool under pressure, when trailing Liang 11-12 in the second round I wasn’t totally impressed with his two appearances at this tournament so far. So as sad as it makes me to say this, cause Ding is one of my favorite players as opposed to O’Sullivan, I think he still hasn’t vanquished this mental handicap. And O’Sullivan seemed much more focused here so far so I pick him to win 13-10.

Kyren Wilson – John Higgins
The future versus the past? Contrary to some other young players (think Trump or Brecel) Wilson doesn’t own an aggressive style. His long potting is actually very good, but in his breaks his control of the cueball isn’t exact enough to be called among the game’s elite yet and he also misses a lot of pots. He rarely won frames in one-visits so far, but needed more chances. He is a fine decision maker though and beat Stuart Bingham mostly with his tactical game and his safeties.
Odrl recently pointed at certain similarities between Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby. And there are some. But if anything Wilson reflects a Mark Selby on his B-Game or probably even B-minus-Game, cause as we all know the World Champion is an excellent break-builder as well.
But now Wilson is to meet the one player, who bears the most resemblance with Selby. John Higgins is the master of the tactical game, he has a snooker brain like probably nobody else. So I think it will be pretty difficult for Wilson to beat the Scotsman in this part of the game. Of course he will win frames this way as well, but this alone won’t do. I think he needs to score heavier against Higgins.
The four-time World Champion wasn’t playing well since the start of 2017. But in the first two rounds of the World Championship he was actually the player who impressed me the most. He had one of the toughest qualifiers first in Martin Gould and beat him comfortably. And in the second round he played some of his best Snooker in recent years, making some vintage clearances under pressure to beat a very strong Mark Allen, who stated afterwards: “Not quite sure what more I could’ve done.” If Higgins keeps this level I don’t see Wilson win, despite he has the game to bear big troubles for Higgins. 13-9 for Higgins.

Barry Hawkins – Stephen Maguire
Well, the least interesting match of the quarterfinals for me. Barry Hawkins has established himself among the, let’s call it, second-tier players among the elite and so far he has even been the fourth-best player of the season in terms of ranking points. Actually he is in a spot, where a few years ago you would have expected Stephen Maguire to be at the least. For some reason Hawkins always plays his best snooker at the World Championship. If we look over the last four years he was the most consistent player at the Crucible and, while I haven’t seen much of him in this tournament, he seemed to play pretty well again.
Maguire was even flying through the draw much quicker. He conceded only five frames so far, the least among all players (Selby is at 8, Hawkins at 9). I haven’t seen more than 1 or 2 of his frames. But I wouldn’t really have expected another outcome against McLeod. Maguire was always at his best, when he was playing full of confidence. But it will be interesting to see how he will do against a player, who will play well himself and I’m sure Hawkins will do this.
Maguire should hope he gets an early lead and can play confidently. As Odrl pointed out, he was always a good front-runner. If Hawkins goes along with him though I could see this match as a question of the better mentality. And there I don’t see Maguire with his anger temper win this battle. Hawkins always seems quite relaxed, but I always felt he had some fighter spirit and is very focused. These days he also has the better all-around game than Maguire. I’d like to pick a surprise somewhere among this quarterfinals and this match along with O’Sullivan – Ding would be the one that suggests himself for an upset. But I predict Hawkins to win 13-10.

[JimMalone]

Good start by Ding. Hopefully this will bring him some composure. He needs to know he can beat O'Sullivan and play with a bit safety in mind at the beginning.

[stephenm2682]

Not good for ronnie early on

[alabadi]

the dragon is breathing fire

[crocodile]

Well Robbo played garbage my last hope is Ding and he is playing a motivated O Sullivan - Its easy to say Ronnie or Selby or Higgins will win - they are the best after all but I love an underdog.

It's the theatre of dreams ....That's why I'm hopeful Fu, Ding, Wilson, Maguire, can hopefully they can overturn the favourites they face in their respective matches and win through and then we can have a new champion who has never won it before, changing their own lives by reaching the summit of the sport and making Crucible history on the 40th anniversary by achieving their dreams.

I'd love to see it too, though somehow I can't see Wilson or Maguire going the full distance .... Maybe Hawkins' turn this year?

[cueman]

Ronnie looking intimidated a little. I also think this match could expose Ronnie's lack of a long game. If Ding competes well in the safety and tactics, Ronnie is going to need to pot from distance to get in and I just don't think that part of his game is good enough against the best players.

[lennon11]

I'm a Ronnie fan,however if ding carries on like this he will win easily.think he will need to miss when in a bit more for Ronnie to compete.

[TheIslandProf]

Ronnie looked very up for it during that break. I'm not buying the idea that he played bad in the first session, Ding was just a force. Ronnie made one bad mistake, but otherwise didn't get a look-in.

[JimMalone]

Enjoyable frame with Ding coming back to win on a respotted black.
Important for him especially on a mental note, cause he lost the three frames before and it also shows him that he can have the edge in tight situations.