World Championship Qualifying 2024 - Judgement Day 2

A brilliant first day of matches was wrapped up with Ricky Walden coming through a decider with Mark Davis. One of two deciders on the opening day of Judgement Day part 1 among many other close battles. If today is even half as eventful and entertaining as yesterday, we are in for a treat!

Judgement Day 2

Jamie Jones 4-10 Neil Robertson

Already facing an uphill battle as draws don’t get much harder than Neil Robertson, Jamie Jones has an awful record against the Aussie. 7 defeats and no wins will hardly give him confidence going into this one but their last meeting was in 2017, Jones has improved considerably since then. It’s been a poor season on tour for Jones but his victory against Alfie Burden on Monday did show signs of regaining his form. Since the turn of the year, Robertson seems rejuvenated and is playing close to his best following a tough 2023, he’ll no doubt be one to avoid for all the seeds if getting through Judgement Day. I’ve been impressed with Jones over the past few seasons but can only see one result here with Neil Robertson coming through to make his 20^th consecutive Crucible appearance.

Hossein Vafaei 10-4 Jiang Jun

Vafaei can be a dangerous opponent for anyone in the world on his day and although he may not have the trophies to show for it this season, he has performed consistently making 2 semi-finals (UK Championship & British Open) and a quarter-final (World Open). His high scoring can match up with anyone and if his safety play can improve, I have no doubt he will be a top 16 player in the future. Chinese youngster Jiang Jun has had very little success during his first season on tour but his 3 victories this week have been very impressive (V Craigie, Zhengyi & Sarkhosh). His scoring has been solid throughout, especially against Sam Craigie where he made 7 breaks over 50. I feel this may be a step too far though and I expect his experienced opponent to have too much for him.

Joe O’Connor 8-10 Matt Selt

A tough match to call the winner of. Two players that I’ve been impressed with at different times over the past few seasons. Joe O’Connor promised so much last season but has failed to replicate the results this year and has struggled to make the latter stages of tournaments. His 10-1 victory over Julien Leclercq this week was impressive however and if playing to that level again today, will cause Selt lots of problems. Apart from his run to the quarter-final of the British Open, Selt has also had a quiet year and has shown patchy form up until this stage but will have his sights set on making his 5^th Crucible appearance. There is very little to separate the pair and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see 17,18 or 19 frames played in this one.

Cao Yupeng 10-6 Pang Junxu

Both players are aiming to make their 2^nd Crucible appearance and despite only meeting competitively once prior, will know each other's games very well. Yupeng’s season is a hard one to evaluate, he has exited several ranking events in the first round but has also made the shootout final and the World Grand Prix semi-final. He did show in his previous round victory over Ma Hailong when given the opportunity, he can score heavily making 2 centuries and 3 further 50+ breaks. It’s been a poor season for Junxu and he has struggled to get results throughout. How he played in his previous round win against Oliver Brown is a positive however and his 2^nd consecutive World Championship appearance is not out of the question. The form Yupeng has been in this season may be enough to tip the balance his way.

Jackson Page 7-10 Noppon Saenghkam

Judging by World Rankings, both players have reached the highest of their careers which is a sign they come here in good form. Noppon reached the Scottish Open final where he lost out to Gary Wilson and also made the quarter-finals of the German Masters. Even in those defeats, he played well and has shown he can compete with the best on multiple occasions over the last few seasons. His brilliant maximum break in the previous round win over Andy Hicks will no doubt boost his confidence as he aims to make his 5^th appearance at the Crucible. Page has had a relatively quiet season with his run to the semi-final of the World Open the highlight. His comfortable 10-5 defeat of Graeme Dott in the previous round was impressive given the Scotsman’s experience. The 2 centuries he made in that match are a sign that his scoring is in good order at the moment. I feel this will be a close match but Noppon is very underrated and if he is to qualify could make a deep run in this year's World’s. The Thai to qualify.

Si Jiahui 10-6 Wu Yize

Two of the biggest up-and-coming talents on tour. Jiahui got a major fright in the previous round from Ben Mertens and could’ve easily gone home. That can sometimes give a player a boost and we could see a different Jiahui on the table today. Some say his fairytale run to last year's semi-final was the story of the Championship and I’ve no doubt he would love to replicate it this year. To even get to the Crucible, he will have to come through against fellow Chinese player and world number 42 Wu Yize. His standout performance this season was his run to the final 4 of the Wuhan Open where he was defeated by eventual winner Judd Trump and he has performed very well to defeat Tian Pengfei 10-8 this week. Both players qualified for the Crucible last season so the Judgement Day nerves won’t be new to either player, that doesn’t mean they won't play a part in the outcome of this match though.

Xiao Guodong 5-10 David Gilbert

Gilbert’s form can change like the weather and he can be hard to rely on at the best of times but if keeping control of his temperament and gaining momentum throughout a tournament, he is more than capable of competing with the best in the world. His 4 quarter-final appearances in 2021/22 are an example of the quality he has. Apart from his British Open semi-final, Guodong has had a quiet season on tour. The vast majority of ranking events ended in early exits but his routine 10-2 win against Sanderson Lam in the previous round this week will give him confidence going into such a big match. Despite his inconsistent form at times, I can see the angry farmer coming through this and making his 10^th Crucible appearance.

Scott Donaldson 3-10 Ryan Day

A repeat of last year's judgement Day pairing and one Scott Donaldson will be keen to forget (10-0 Day). The Scotsman is yet to defeat Day in competitive action as of yet (5-0 Day). It’s a concerning stat going into such a big match but Donaldson has two good wins under his belt this week (V Lines & Perry) and may be building up some momentum as he aims to reach the Crucible for the 3^rd time. It hasn’t been the most consistent season on tour for Day making the latter stages of ranking events only once (German Masters Quarter-Final). But if the form he showed on Monday against John Astley is anything to go by, then his game is in good shape (He hit 4 centuries). A Day win is the likely outcome and with the H2H and the memory of last years victory in mind, this could be a landslide victory for the Welshman.