11.1.11

CAN ALLEN STEP UP TO THE MARK?

So after four results at the Ladbrokes Mobile Masters, four top eight seeds are out.

Ding Junhui potted a great green using the rest to shake off a below par Mark Williams 6-4 and Graeme Dott was very strong in seeing off John Higgins by the same score.

This afternoon Ronnie O’Sullivan enters the Wembley fray. This is a tournament that inspires O’Sullivan. He has won the title four times and been in nine finals.

But Mark Allen beat him at the Crucible two years ago and the feisty Northern Irishman tends to play well against the top players.

Last year Allen sent John Higgins packing in the first round but he knows he will have to make the most of every chance that comes his way to threaten an upset today.

One thing to look out for: O’Sullivan is poised on 49 Masters centuries. In this regard he is ahead of Stephen Hendry, who has made 43 in the tournament.

Tonight it’s Stephen Maguire against Marco Fu, who has actually dropped out of the elite top 16 but was in it when the Masters seedings were done.

Maguire is capable of top drawer performances but that little bit of inconsistency means that you never really know when they are going to come along.

Fu is a difficult player to play against when he’s in form. He plays to a solid rhythm and it’s hard to knock him out of it.

The decisive factor could be whether Maguire can keep a lid on any frustrations and just concentrate on the job in hand.

We’ve had a few shocks at Wembley Arena this week but I think this is in part because of recent changes in the game.

The top players now play each other so often that some of the fear factor has gone. More players are in form and more fancy their chances.

All of which makes it interesting, but hard to predict.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

theres a interesting Scenario this season. although 4 of the top 8 seeds is out Mark Williams World no 3 Actually Lost to Ding Junhui the World no 4.

Anonymous said...

The usual clichéd nonsense: "All of which makes it interesting, but hard to predict."

No it's not, here's my prediction. RoS will win 6-2. There, not very difficult was it?

Dave H said...

Yes, what I meant was that it's hard to make a correct prediction

As you've proved

Anonymous said...

Epic fail at 1:25 :)

Anonymous said...

"There not very difficult was it?". How does it feel being wrong 1.25?

Alpha

Anonymous said...

1:25PM and by win 6-2 did you mean lose 6-4?
ha ha ha

Anonymous said...

Dave, fanzy picking the two finalists? If the matches keep turning out the way they do we might see Hendry win it all!

Betty Logan said...

I don't think we're heading for a vintage Masters, and I've noticed that Ding often wins these things when the other top players are playing sub-par.

Anonymous said...

@5.11pm How is it an "epic fail"? Did I say I would make a correct prediction?
@Alpha - Feels good to make a prediction, as I said it's not difficult.

So, yes, I made a prediction - it was wrong. In no way did I say it would be correct.

As Dave has pointed out, he meant to say it was difficult to make a correct prediction. So to all of you who scoff, try and understand the English language. It's not as difficult as you're all making out!