Young Sam Baird looking to play Ding Junhui in Round 1: 2012 Haiku World Open at Haiku
England’s Sam Baird is looking forward to see China’s Ding Junhui in the first round clash of 2012 Haiku World Open.
The tournament will be commencing from February 27 and will conclude on March 4, a couple of months before the 2012 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre. The young Baird is determined to play his potential Chinese opponent of Round 1.
Baird has a wild card round match against China’s Jin Long on the opening day of the event. The winner of wild card clash will face the 2012 Welsh Open champion, Junhui in the first round. However, the Uffculme potter is still a bit afraid of Junhui’s performance
in the recently finished 2012 Welsh Open snooker tournament at the Newport Centre arena in Newport.
Speaking to the local media, Baird said, “I have to get through the wild card round first but if I do win, it should set me up quite well and give me a taste of the atmosphere there. I have to be careful because the guy I am playing is good and I have to
make sure I take it seriously.”
He added, “Ding has just won in Wales so I would rather he was not in such good form, but there's nothing you can do about that. I am looking forward to it but I hope he gives me a chance because the way he played in Wales almost frightened me a little bit.”
The 23-year-old Baird also took part in the 2012 Welsh Open after he made his way into the first round beating Thailand’s Passakorn Suwannawat 4-1, China’s Li Yan 4-1, England’s Nigel Bond 4-3 and Wales’ Dominic Dale by 4-2 in the qualifying session. He
faced the World Number one, compatriot Mark Selby in his first round but crashed out of the event after he lost to Selby 4-3.
Meanwhile, two of the world top 16, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter, have pulled out of the 2012 Haiku World Open due to some medical reasons. The former three-time World Snooker Champion, O’Sullivan was suffering from glandular fever while Carter caught
the Crohn’s disease which made him withdraw from the event.
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