Masters - QF Discussion

[montoya10]

In general, it was the favourites that have gone through the first round.

Let's see what the quarter-finals will bring.

[coomsey76]

Looking forward to today's match up of Ronnie v Trump....:snooker:

[montoya10]

Here's my pre-game predictions for today.

Judd Trump v Ronnie O'Sullivan Neither of them has played in a sensational way, but looked quite in control. It nearly looked like his temperament was getting better of him for Ronnie again, but he held his composure at the end. Meanwhile, Stuart did not play as sharp as he could have and a confident Judd tried to be as punishing as possible. The way they played in their first round matches, it would seem as if this could be a match that is going to go all the way through for a tense final. But if Ronnie keeps up the positives from his match against Ding and gives his head to this match ( which is, for me, a sure thing, considering this is perhaps the tournament he loves the most), Judd is the type of attacking player Ronnie will raise his game for. A fast start for him and a win without having to play a decider is what I expect from Ronnie today. Then again, he is the one that surprises the most. I might end up as a fool with this prediction pretty easily : )


John Higgins v Graeme Dott On paper, this is the most battling match in the quarter-final lineups. John was not tested at all against Matthew Stevens, whose play was really disappointing, and it will be hard to see him getting away from Graeme easily. Last night against Captain, Mr. Dott was his usual self again. This is JH's bogey tournament from a perspective. Then again, his opponent possesses even a worse record at the event, and is not the type of player to go on a scoring burst to keep him cold. I expect him to hold off Dott's challenge fairly easily than it looks on paper.

Looking forward to the matches now : )

[Mr P]

Only one game interests me today and I can't watch it.

I might catch the end when I come back but Higgins vs Dott is hardly one to get excited over.

[Odrl]

Judd Trump v Ronnie O'Sullivan Neither of them has played in a sensational way, but looked quite in control. It nearly looked like his temperament was getting better of him for Ronnie again, but he held his composure at the end. Meanwhile, Stuart did not play as sharp as he could have and a confident Judd tried to be as punishing as possible. The way they played in their first round matches, it would seem as if this could be a match that is going to go all the way through for a tense final. But if Ronnie keeps up the positives from his match against Ding and gives his head to this match ( which is, for me, a sure thing, considering this is perhaps the tournament he loves the most), Judd is the type of attacking player Ronnie will raise his game for. A fast start for him and a win without having to play a decider is what I expect from Ronnie today. Then again, he is the one that surprises the most. I might end up as a fool with this prediction pretty easily : )

I had a feeling O'Sullivan might get through this part of the draw before the tournament started, mainly because he has a good record over Ding, and Trump should be past his peak form from December. You could say O'Sullivan has delivered in his first match, but it was a somewhat unusual performance. His long potting was well over 80% accurate, and it wasn't like he was avoiding the shots. Potting tricky balls isn't usual his forte, so when this element is also there, he is very dangerous indeed. On the other hand, his greatest strength is usually clinical scoring, but he broke down quite a few times against Ding when the balls were there for the taking. I think he will raise this part of his game today, as he gets more used to the table.

Trump played quite well against Bingham, no sign of his form declining. But I guess we have seen this scenario many times recently, when the winner of the previous event plays another good match or two, but then runs out of form when really challenged. It will be interesting to see if Trump can avoid this. After all, he is much younger than the usual winners, so there is more chance of him holding a good level of play through a sustained period. His last two matches against O'Sullivan were good entertainment, at times it was brilliant snooker. I guess one could say they are evenly matched, considering it was two deciders, but with Trump winning both of them, he is bound to have the psychological edge. The atmosphere should be fantastic... I think O'Sullivan will probably have slightly more support, as you could argue he is the underdog here. I will go for a 6-4 win for O'Sullivan.

I might catch the end when I come back but Higgins vs Dott is hardly one to get excited over.

John Higgins v Graeme Dott On paper, this is the most battling match in the quarter-final lineups. John was not tested at all against Matthew Stevens, whose play was really disappointing, and it will be hard to see him getting away from Graeme easily. Last night against Captain, Mr. Dott was his usual self again. This is JH's bogey tournament from a perspective. Then again, his opponent possesses even a worse record at the event, and is not the type of player to go on a scoring burst to keep him cold. I expect him to hold off Dott's challenge fairly easily than it looks on paper.

Hardly one to get excited about? Perhaps it's the least interesting of the four matches, but it's a great prospect in its own right, which just shows you what an excellent lineup it is.

I will stick with my pre-tournament prediction here as well. As you say montoya10, two players with an average record at the Masters, but whoever wins here will have two wins behind them, and we know Higgins grows stronger and stronger as the tournament goes on. It was a fascinating match between Carter and Dott last night, a lot of the frames decided with one safety battle on the colours, and it's no surprise Dott prevailed, as Carter prefers a cleaner game. Dott won't have that advantage against Higgins though. He is well capable of beating him, as he showed in the 1st round last year, especially if Higgins is slightly off his game. It was easy to predict a poor Masters performance from Higgins in the past, when he came to the event as the UK or Grand Prix champion, but he has played very poorly for some time now, so I am sure he is getting quite hungry. I think he will be looking to build up his form in this second part of the season, possibly peaking for the WC again. I fancy him to win this about 6-4.

Looking forward to both matches today, although it looks like I won't be able to watch the first match live. But I am sure as hell going to watch it when I get back.

[SnookerFan]

I'm going to be controversial. I am looking forward to tomorrow's matches more than I am looking forward to todays. I'm sure that'll get me some stick.

[eaoin11]

Dott vs Higgins should be good if Dott is fired up. I really like both players.

[Odrl]

I'm going to be controversial. I am looking forward to tomorrow's matches more than I am looking forward to todays. I'm sure that'll get me some stick.

Not from me, Williams-Robertson is probably the one I'm most excited about.

[montoya10]

Hardly one to get excited about? Perhaps it's the least interesting of the four matches, but it's a great prospect in its own right, which just shows you what an excellent lineup it is.

It's quite safe to say that this is the match that carries the least potential for high break exchanges, not because of Higgins' or Dott's lack of scoring power, but mainly due to heavy tactical play that will take over as the match progresses.
This could well be a midnight finish for you, Odrl.

[Odrl]

Yeah, it's about time we had one.

If not sooner, at least the final should go past midnight. It starts an hour later, and I don't see much potential for a thrashing this year.

[SnookerFan]

Not from me, Williams-Robertson is probably the one I'm most excited about.

Me too. I'm tempted to buy ticket.

[montoya10]

What electrifying crowd. Wow.

[Ronnie's tip]

Unlucky there for Ronnie. Poor positional shot but he put a red over the pocket leaving him with a hard, long blue.

I hope Ronnie get's a bit of luck today after what happened at the UK. Should be an epic match though. Fancy Trump to win 6-3.

edit:

Sloppy shot by Trump allows Ronnie back in. Now a poor shot by Ronnie to let Trump back in. Ronnie seems to miss a lot of blacks from the spot these days.

[jonnylovessn8ker]

am i the only one who cant see any live streaming link on the bbc iplayer?

[Ronnie's tip]

Trump 1-0 Ronnie.