Ladbrokes World Grand Prix Semi-Finals !!!

Monday 19th - Sunday 25th of February at The Guild Hall, Preston

It's a fascinating Semi-Finals line-up, first up it's 5 time World Champion and already 3 time ranking event winner this season Ronnie O'Sullivan, who dispached Xiao Guodong 5-0 with 4 centuries and another 50+ break, ending that match with 99% pot sucess! He's up against Stephen Maguire, in a rematch of their recent UK Championship Semi-Final meeting, Maguire himself trying to get back to good form and avoid having to qualify for The Crucible.

The 2nd Semi sees WN1 and World Champion Mark Selby against the player he has beat in his last 2 World Champs, Ding Junhui, the latter who also seems to be playing well, despite not having a main TV match yet in this tournament.

Will WN1 Mark Selby and WN2 Ronnie O'Sullivan collide in yet another Final, or will Maguire and Ding spoil that for them? All to see Friday evening and Saturday evening.

Semi-Finals

Ronnie O'Sullivan v Stephen Maguire O'Sullivan leads 17-4
Mark Selby v Ding Junhui Selby leads 14-11

DRAW

ORDER OF PLAY

Based on what I've seen so far it's looking more and more likely a Selby / Ronnie final, which would be the icing on the cake.

Ding has been more convincing than Selby from what I've seen

Ronnie has to be hot favourite but Ding v Selby is 50/50 for me.

Selbo will destroy Ding. Easy for Selbo.

When the weak link of a semi final line up is Stephen Maguire, you know it's a pretty damn good line up.

Good luck Maguire

Mags is certainly not the type of player to be phased by what Ronnie yesterday. If anything, that will make him focus even harder.

Needs to get off to a better start than he did at the UK last year though. Yes he did well to make it close and only lose 6-4, but at 4-0 down the damage was pretty much done.

Hopefully Ronnie can play well, replicating what he did yesterday is nearly impossible, even for a genius like him.

Selby today post-match with M.White:

“I was practising last night then at the interval I saw Ronnie had a 99% pot success rate,” Selby told ITV. “He came in to practise on the other table and I thought he must be looking for that extra 1%! Like Roger Federer he seems to be getting better with age, which is worrying for the rest of us. If I end up meeting him in the final I would prefer that because I’d know if I don’t play well I’d have no chance.

Two things to note... one is that if Ronnie was practising at the MSI, then he's really up for this tournament, and not just happy with one great performance... and the other thing is Selby's mindset is the right one. I doubt many players on Tour would relish playing ROS on that kind of form, but Selby relishes it, and that's one of the main reasons he's one of Ronnie's biggest rivals.

Andre147 wrote:Selby today post-match with M.White:

“I was practising last night then at the interval I saw Ronnie had a 99% pot success rate,” Selby told ITV. “He came in to practise on the other table and I thought he must be looking for that extra 1%! Like Roger Federer he seems to be getting better with age, which is worrying for the rest of us. If I end up meeting him in the final I would prefer that because I’d know if I don’t play well I’d have no chance.

Two things to note... one is that if Ronnie was practising at the MSI, then he's really up for this tournament, and not just happy with one great performance... and the other thing is Selby's mindset is the right one. I doubt many players on Tour would relish playing ROS on that kind of form, but Selby relishes it, and that's one of the main reasons he's one of Ronnie's biggest rivals.

The best always want to prove themselves v the other top players/teams. That's the way it should be. These alpha male,snooker top dogs didn't get where they are by being timid or mentally weak and hoping to avoid certain players in the draw. If they meet in the final, allowing for Ronnies outrageous form last night and Selbys abysmal match v Jimmy Robbo, i'd make it 50/50. Two great players. It's on the day.

Selby v ROS is pretty much 50/50.

But one thing is that Ronnie is way more likely to destroy Selby and beat him confortably. Selby can never beat Ronnie confortably in big matches. The only time he did it was at the Welsh Open semis, 6-2. All his other wins were tight ones.

But firstly ROS and Selby have to reach the Final so certainly I'm not getting carried away...

CMON RONNIE!

Jill Douglas dressed as a carrot.

Not sure who I want to win out of Selby vs Ding.

I prefer Ding as a player. But Selby vs Ronnie will be a closer match.

I'm assuming Mags won't win.

Angles dissing Mags.

Barely heard any of Everton this weekend.

why can ITV games start on time and BBC lag behind? the beeb are hopeless.

What was that Ronnie?

Is he friends with the ref?

Mags wins the walk on music.

What was the point in Yates' Led Zeppelin annecdote?

Quiet tonight.

Remember when Maguire was World Number 2?

SnookerFan wrote:Remember when Maguire was World Number 2?

Remember when people tipped Maguire to rule the sport for a decade?

SnookerFan wrote:Remember when Maguire was World Number 2?

How did the ultrasound go? All vital organs in their correct positions and firing on all cylinders?

Great break

Hendry falling for the same ole claptrap. Bigging Ronnie up like hes unbeatable. I've heard him do it so many times. And against top players like Selby in the past. He'll never learn. Ronnie can easily be beaten here if he's not on form or Mags plays out of his skin.

Yesterdays four tons and 99% pot success means nothing tonight.

At least Maguire has started better than he did at the UK.

I certainly wont be fooled by yesterday's performance. He was crap against Allen after being terrific v Fu.

Chalk McHugh wrote:Hendry falling for the same ole claptrap. Bigging Ronnie up like hes unbeatable. I've heard him do it so many times. And against top players like Selby in the past. He'll never learn. Ronnie can easily be beaten here if he's not on form or Mags plays out of his skin.

Magiire can beat him without either of those scenarios.

The idea that Ronnie can only be beaten on an off day, or if his opponent plays at his best, has been disproven so often over the years that I can't believe it still gets mentioned.

I get what you're saying, though. Disprespectful of Hendry to speak like Maguire's some amateur who's fluked his way to this semi.

Chalk McHugh wrote:

SnookerFan wrote:Remember when Maguire was World Number 2?

How did the ultrasound go? All vital organs in their correct positions and firing on all cylinders?

Apparently so.

No suggestion as to why I have had chest and stomach pain since before Christmas.

He said it was all okay.