Tuesday November 26th 2024
John Higgins V He Guoqiang 13:00
The pair have only met once with Higgins coming through comfortably (4-1) in last years Scottish Open. To be honest I can see today's match taking a similar pattern with the Scotsman having too much for his Chinese opponent.
Credit to Guoqiang however, he has come through 3 tough qualifiers to get to this stage against Robbie McGuigan (6-2), Anthony McGill (6-5) & Stan Moody (6-5).
He will have to have taken confidence especially after defeating seasoned pro Anthony McGill. He also dug deep in the final round of qualifying to come through a decider with Stan Moody when the youngster had all the momentum.
These results have come off the back of very little form on tour where he has struggled to put wins together at times.
For that reason, I think the experienced Higgins will have too much for Guoqiang today.
Without picking up any silverware, Higgins has gone about his business efficiently this season with an appearance in the British Open final a highlight.
He will also take confidence from his fellow class of 92 compatriot Mark Williams picking up the Champion of Champions title last week.
The Scotsman may not be at the peak of his powers but is still a tricky draw for anyone on tour.
Prediction: 6-2 Higgins
Judd Trump V Neil Robertson 13:00
A repeat of the 2020 UK Championship final that the Australian took after a decider. (10-9).
After last week's Champion of Champions quarter-final between the pair, Trump wasn't pleased with the luck Robertson had during the match and wasn't shy in airing his frustrations after the match.
There may be a rivalry brewing between the pair.
Up until last week's victory for Robertson (6-4), he was on a 4 match losing streak against the world number 1, a stat that won't sit well with the Aussie.
It's been well-documented how poor his 2023/24 season was but since then he looks to be the force he once was, winning the British Open while also making deep runs in the Champion of Champions & Northern Ireland Open.
As was his form last season, Judd Trump has threatened to dominate the World Snooker Tour again this season. He has picked up ranking titles in Shanghai and Saudi Arabia while also taking the runner-up prize in the Northern Ireland Open and Xi'an Grand Prix.
Deservedly he is top of the World Ranking but there is the feeling he needs to add more Triple Crown titles to his cv. He also made his 1,000 century at this years British Open, a fantastic achievement for the 35 year-old.
I feel Trump's frustration with the manner of last week's Champion of Champions loss may be the catalyst for him to put down a marker in today's match.
If both players play to the standard we know they can, we could be in for a classic.
Prediction: 6-4 Trump
Mark Williams V Stuart Bingham 19:00
In over 25 years in the professional game, the pair have met 20 times but the head-to-head gives us very little clue as to who will come out on top tonight, the score is level at 10-10.
Their most recent meeting was in Saudi Arabia in September with Williams winning 6-2.
The Welshman comes into tonight in great form after picking up the Champion of Champions title last week having defeated Xiao Guodong 10-6 in the final.
Having moved up to 6th in the world, he will have his eyes set on a deep run in York this week.
However he has a tricky first assignment tonight in former World Champion Stuart Bingham.
He's had very little success in York and a run to the semi-final in 2018 has been his best run in recent years.
It's been a quiet few seasons for Bingham that has seen him drop to 25th in the world rankings. He is definitely a better player than the rankings show but with the quality on show lately, it's no surprise he has dropped so low.
The way both have been playing lately, it's hard to look past Williams progressing but if Bingham can gain some momentum we know he can reel frames and high breaks off in the blink of an eye.
Prediction: 6-3 Williams
Zhang Anda V Lei Peifan 19:00
Since Zhang Anda's rise up the rankings in the 2023/24 season and his first ranking title, things haven't really gone to plan for the 32 year-old.
He has found it difficult to regain that form this season and has yet to make a semi-final of a ranking event this term.
Being tipped as China's next World Champion may have weighed heavily on the shoulders of Anda.
Fellow Chinese player Peifan came through 3 qualifiers against Hammad Miah (6-2), Tom Ford (6-5) and Ben Woollaston (6-2) to make this stage as he aims to gain his first victory in 3 attempts at the Barbican.
Especially in his judgement day victory over Woolaston, he showed his quality in making 2 century breaks (131, 129) on his way to a comfortable victory.
But tonight's match may be a step too far for the 21-year-old, the experience and composure of Anda may overpower the impressive youngster.
The winner will play whoever comes through between Mark Williams and Stuart Bingham.
Prediction: 6-2 Anda
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