Snooker World Open draw produces some cracking showdowns
The draw for the last 16 of the snooker World Open in Glasgow was made last night, and the stand-out tie will be Stephen Hendry taking on either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Jimmy White.
The seven-time world champion will find out who his opponent will be today as O’Sullivan and White do battle.
All eyes will be on O’Sullivan after his 147 maximum break madness on Monday, where he refused to pot the final black after being told there was no extra prize-money available. The talk off the table has been about O’Sullivan wanting to have a bit of fun rather than protest about the money. Once again, the Rocket has spoken about quitting the game after speaking with World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn.
O’Sullivan’s focus must be on the table today, as White will be up for the battle as he is enjoying playing in front of the television cameras once again thanks to strong performances. A world finalist six times, White has found his love for snooker again, partly due to competing in the TV hit series I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here last year.
Even though it is the first to three frames, a match which sees the Rocket against the Whirlwind will produce fireworks, and the reward for one of these players is a match against the most successful player of all time.
Stephen Maguire’s win over Judd Trump enabled him to set up an all-Scottish affair with Alan McManus in the last 16. Maguire edged out Trump 3-2 last night, while McManus also won 3-2 against Matthew Stevens.
Another Scottish player Marcus Campbell beat Mike Dunn 3-1 in the previous round, but he will have a tough match on his hands against the reigning UK champion Ding Junhui, who has looked impressive so far in this event, dispatching Jimmy Michie comfortably 3-1.
Barry Hawkins has been the surprise package of the World Open. He stunned the current Masters champion Mark Selby in the first round, and continued his good form by beating 1997 world champion Ken Doherty yesterday. He is full of confidence, but so is his next opponent, Mark Williams.
The Welshman has been in scintillating form in the last few weeks. He beat Selby in the Premier league, and defeated recently-crowned Shanghai Masters champion Ali Carter 3-1 here in the last round. Many didn’t expect Hawkins to get this far, but it could be the end for him as Williams is playing extremely well at the moment.
Peter Ebdon has been quietly going about his business, and he will take on Liu Song in the last 16. Ebdon lost his place in the top-16 rankings last season for the first time in 16 years, but wins over Steve Davis and Fergal O’Brien are exactly what he needed to try and get the place back.
Jamie Cope will play Ricky Walden, while Stephen Lee takes on Martin Gould, who was a 3-0 winner over Matthew Couch last night.
Reigning world champion Neil Robertson has yet to play at his best, but he is doing enough, and a match against either Marco Fu or Andrew Higginson awaits the Australian.
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