Minor Tournaments Discussion 2018/19.

Kevin Finnerty

Arthur Daley wrote: »

Poor standard by Lee here against Kyren Wilson. Hirani is ranked one below him at 122 but managed a fair shift yesterday.

I gave up at the start of the second frame when he missed an easy red to build any kind of a break. Must be nervous as hell.

zuutroy

Ronnie did his interview on BBC Wales (6 mins):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW2SjcyalcU

Joe_ Public

Bit of a culture shock for a lot of these guys to appear on the tv table. The lights are a lot brighter than on a regular tournament table and take adjusting to. Some of them never get used to it.

AllForIt

Just watched the Ronnie match on Youtube in snippets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCrBrotUGmk

In the controversial frame 4 he was utterly disrespectful to the ref. Early on in the break he hit the ref with his cue getting down to the shot way too quickly when the ref was simply replacing the black on it's spot, so that was Ronnie's fault and there was no need for the ref to apologize which he did. When you see what happened with the pink later you'd think he was having a little bit of a niggle with the ref just for fun.

I don't know what it is about Ronnie and the Welsh Open but I do recall in an after match interview some years ago he said to Dominic Dale live on air - "don't interrupt me'.

My opinion of Ronnie O'Sullivan as a snooker player would bear no resemblance to my opinion of him as a general geezer. As a snooker player he has oodles of class but as a human being he has no class at all.

Joe_ Public

Can’t disagree. Wasn’t a particularly edifying display from ronnie today. Certainly can’t read his tortured mind but I think a bit of it is resentment at having to play such an inferior player in a 6 or 8 table setup or whatever the case is there. While I wouldn’t seek to defend some of his behavior today I would have some sympathy for him on that score, maybe he should be professional about it but I can definitely understand a player of his calibre struggling for motivation in that scenario.

Frank O. Pinion

Unlike the other Home Nation events, there hasn't been any big shocks yet. 13 of the Top 16 seeds still in Round 2, (Stephen Maguire, Ryan Day, and Luca Brecel being the three that lost their opening match). Only four Welsh players left though, Mark Williams, Duane Jones, Jak Jones, and Dominic Dale.

Select Round 2 matches: Judd Trump plays Duane Jones today at 1pm, Ronnie plays Yuan Sijun around 2pm or after depending on earlier matches, Mark Selby (v Adam Duffy) and Jimmy White (v Michael Georgiou) at 7pm, also at 8pm or after, John Higgins (v Dominic Dale) and after making a 147 last night, Neil Robertson plays again tonight against Gary Wilson.

Ronnie has the luck of the draw again, strong possibility he makes the Quarter-Finals without having to play a Top 16 player or any high-ranked player. Although, his QF opponent will likely be Judd Trump.

Joe_ Public

Murphy beaten again. Was really awful in the bits of the match I saw. Worst slump of his career by a mile and no end in sight.

The Nal

Trump out. Simply down to tiredness. Can't just play every day in different competitions like that.

waynescales1

That's two tournament winners in a row who have struggled the following week.

Inviere

waynescales1 wrote: »

That's two tournament winners in a row who have struggled the following week.

Absolutely nuts that the winner of one event, was playing in the first round of a new event the very next day.

waynescales1

Inviere wrote: »

Absolutely nuts that the winner of one event, was playing in the first round of a new event the very next day.

Yes, and also surprising since I saw an interview with Barry Hearn last year saying this issue had been raised by players and subsequently addressed. Players in a Sunday final wouldn't have to play until Tuesday.

Frank O. Pinion

waynescales1 wrote: »

Yes, and also surprising since I saw an interview with Barry Hearn last year saying this issue had been raised by players and subsequently addressed. Players in a Sunday final wouldn't have to play until Tuesday.

Trump had that option but chose to play on Monday this week.

Inviere

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

Trump had that option but chose to play on Monday this week.

Maybe players need to be saved from themselves then. He's won the Masters a few weeks back, he'd just won the Coral Cup after destrying some big names again...he was likely full of confidence. If winners and runner ups had no choice but to wait until the Tuesday of the following event, it might be a bit better.

Joe_ Public

Judd didn’t look too bothered at the end of that match to me. A few days rest definitely do him no harm.

waynescales1

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

Trump had that option but chose to play on Monday this week.

Interesting, wonder why he didn’t take the day rest.

Wilson knocked out by world no. 103. Another player who could do with a break perhaps.

Frank O. Pinion

waynescales1 wrote: »

Interesting, wonder why he didn’t take the day rest.

Because by winning his Monday match, he had a day rest on Tuesday...but obviously still lost on Wednesday. Trump will now have 18 days off until he plays again.


Thursday, the day of these Home Nations where it's "double elimination". The day starts with 32 players, but as the winners of the morning/afternoon matches will play again this evening, by end-of-play tonight we will have the eight Quarter-Finalists.

Round 3 (last 32), top half of draw:

John Higgins (1) v Craig Steadman
Jack Lisowski (16) v Sam Craigie
Joe Perry v Ding Junhui (9)
Jak Jones v Joe O'Connor
Duane Jones v Robbie Williams
Stuart Bingham (12) v Martin O'Donnell
Jimmy Robertson v Zhao Xintong
Alexander Ursenbacher v Ronnie O'Sullivan (4), at 1pm

Bottom half:

Mark Selby (3) v Noppon Saengkham
Lukas Kleckers v Hossein Vafaei
Scott Donaldson v James Cahill
Ian Burns v Mark Allen (6)
Barry Hawkins (7) v Michael Georgiou
Neil Robertson (10) v Paul Davison
Mike Dunn v Kurt Maflin
Elliot Slessor v Zhang Anda

8 of the 16 seeds left, evenly split in each half of the draw. The highest ranked player Ronnie can meet to get to the QFs is Stuart Bingham. One of Dunn/Maflin/Slessor/Anda will be a Quarter-Finalist and whatever happens after that will have had a good tournament run.

waynescales1

Noppon 147. Has a very slow measured style. Anyone know who got the 147th 147?

waynescales1

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

Because by winning his Monday match, he had a day rest on Tuesday...but obviously still lost on Wednesday. Trump will now have 18 days off until he plays again.

I see. Aren’t the China Open qualifiers on next week?

AllForIt

waynescales1 wrote: »

Noppon 147. Has a very slow measured style. Anyone know who got the 147th 147?

https://video.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/watch-david-gilbert-makes-the-147th-147_vid1156740/video.shtml

Joe_ Public

waynescales1 wrote: »

I see. Aren’t the China Open qualifiers on next week?

Yep.

Frank O. Pinion

waynescales1 wrote: »

I see. Aren’t the China Open qualifiers on next week?

Oh yeah, forgot about those, thought his qualifier might be held over to be played in China, but no, he'll be playing Jak Jones next week some day between 18th-21st. So not quite 18 days straight off, just that one match though.

Joe_ Public

Delighted for Hossein Vafaei - late of this parish - into last 16 after 4-3 win over selby. Great break in the decider to nick it.

Sorry into qf, that was last 16 match!

Frank O. Pinion

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Delighted for Hossein Vafaei - late of this parish - into last 16 after 4-3 win over selby. Great break in the decider to nick it.

All the other tables had finished, most people were gone, but Selby was there trying to grind out a victory until midnight. He hasn't won an event on UK soil in nearly 2 years (2017 World Championship), and his #1 world ranking is in jeopardy.

Quarter-Finals, best-of-9s

Stuart Bingham v Zhao Xintong, today at 12pm
John Higgins v Joe O'Connor, today at 2pm
Hossein Vafaei v Scott Donaldson, tonight at 7pm
Neil Robertson v Kurt Maflin, tonight at 7pm

At world #103, Joe O'Connor is the lowest ranked player left, and making the QFs of this tournament is his best ever run in any event so far. I'd like for him to knock out the defending champ. I'm hoping for a Xintong/Donaldson final, as I'm not a huge fan of the three remaining seeded players. I love Donaldson's "don't give a crap" attitude.

Rooting for an underdog win anyways, and to get in the Top 16 for the season, and the Players Championship.

AllForIt

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Delighted for Hossein Vafaei - late of this parish - into last 16 after 4-3 win over selby. Great break in the decider to nick it.

Sorry into qf, that was last 16 match!

Yeah just caught up with that match, great clearance from 58 - 12 behind to win it.

Joe_ Public

AllForIt wrote: »

Yeah just caught up with that match, great clearance from 58 - 12 behind to win it.

Super (near) clearance alright, quite impressed with that performance, vafaie going the right way. Joe O’Connor was mighty impressive too in beating higgins today. Taking out higgins, ding and kyren wilson in the same tournament in your rookie season is a feather in anyone’s cap. Hate blowing lads up but definitely have to be keeping a sharp eye on this lad.

liamoreilly

...Extremely poor semi final so far, that 2nd frame was a shocker!!!...Hope it picks up, and would love to see O'Connor go close...

Joe_ Public

O'Connor not up to scratch today, race already run but a fine week for him nonetheless. Hope for better from Vafaei this evening, but a fairly big ask for him to take down Robertson.

AllForIt

Looking ominous for Vafaei, Robertson 4 - 0 up at the internal. Robertson playing very well although has had a bit of run. Can't see much changing after the interval. Occasion has got to him I'd say.

Incidentally I didn't know Robertson has been playing with a new cue and apparently is very happy with it.

waynescales1

Bingham needs to get his act together in the interval.

The Nal

waynescales1 wrote: »

Bingham needs to get his act together in the interval.

Not happening is it? Hes all over the place.