My World Championship preview: part one
In the first of a four part series, I will assess the hopes of all 32 players partaking at the Crucible this year. In part one: John Higgins, Barry Hawkins, Mark King, Steve Davis, Marco Fu, Martin Gould, Neil Robertson & Fergal O'Brien.
John Higgins vs Barry Hawkins
Mark King vs Steve Davis
Neil Robertson vs Fergal O'Brien
Marco Fu vs Martin Gould
Ali Carter vs Jamie Cope
Joe Perry vs Michael Holt
Ding Junhui vs Stuart Pettman
Shaun Murphy vs Gerard Greene
_________________
Stephen Maguire vs Stephen Lee
Peter Ebdon vs Graeme Dott
Mark Allen vs Tom Ford
Ryan Day vs Mark Davis
Mark Selby vs Ken Doherty
Stephen Hendry vs Anda Zhang
Mark J Williams vs Marcus Campbell
Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Liang Wenbo
John Higgins
Higgins' had to overcome some tricky encounters on his way to winning last year's crown. Jamie Cope appeared to have him on the ropes, while Mark Selby was very unlucky not to turn the legendary Scottish player over. Mark Allen also put up a fierce battle in the final two sessions of their semi-final, but Higgins was so breathtakingly good for the first 16 frame that it would have been a shame to see him lose.
Higgins comes into this year's tournament as second favourite with the bookies, but in truth is very much the man to beat. He has been the most consistent player, finishing runner-up at the UK Championship & triumphing at the Welsh Open.
Higgins will be many people's tip for the title again this year, and it's a tag that's well justified. I can't see him having any problems with his first two matches, but more than likely it's Neil Robertson who'll provide the opposition in the quarter-final, a match that could very well decide the champion.
Of course, you write off John Higgins at your peril, but for some reason, I don't think he'll do the business this year.
Verdict: Quarter-finals.
---------------------------------------
Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins has an abysmal record at the Crucible. This will be his fifth appearance in succesion, and he is yet to record a win... and don't expect him to halt that run this year.
Hawkins is a player I rate very highly, a former top 16 winner with a good solid game that I always enjoy watching. But the draw has done him absolutely no favours this year, and although I think he could challenge well against John Higgins, I feel past memories will come against him.
Verdict: First round
----------------------------------------
Mark King
Consistent, certainly not spectacular. To take King lightly would be underestimating him greatly though. His finest Crucible result came two years ago when he took the scalp of the in-form player, Mark Selby, in the very first round. He also holds an unbeaten record against a little known player by the name of Ronnie O'Sullivan.
King will never set snooker tables alight, and in recent times, these shocks are becoming a rare occurence. King will go no further than round two, and in my opinion, won't make it past round one.
Verdict: First round
----------------------------------------
Steve Davis
Davis is a living legend, and his achievements in recent years impress me almost as much as his exploits of the 80's.
The Nugget is making his 30th Crucible appearance this year, and although a seventh World Title is a laughable though, I do think he'll cause a surprise of sorts.
He won't go deep, but a famous win is not beyond him.
Verdict: Second round
----------------------------------------
Marco Fu
The Man from the Happy Valley doesn't have much to smile about this year.
He can't seem to buy a win at the moment. The nadir of a particularly awful season came in December when he went out to Yu Delu at the Asian Games and suffered a surprise loss to the little-known Peter Lines.
He's down to 36th in the very provisional rankings, a shame for a player of his potential calibre. At his best, Fu is a sublime matchplayer, not pretty to watch, but very effective.
But, Fu is nowhere near at his best as I write. And he'll be nowhere near the Joe Davis trophy either.
Verdict: First round
---------------------------------------
Martin Gould
The casino croupier may not be the best known player in the draw, but is far from a bad player.
Last year, after a nervy first session, he put up a decent battle to eventual semi-finalist Mark Allen. This good performance was a follow up to an excellent qualifying win over Matthew Stevens (his second win over the Welshman), and also took the scalp of Stephen Hendry earlier in the season.
The draw has been kind to Gould, he faces a totally out-of-sorts Marco Fu in the opening round. Probably won't make waves, but a few significnt ripples.
Verdict: Second round
---------------------------------------
Neil Robertson
Make no mistake. Neil Robertson is a very serious contender for highest honours this season. 30 years on from the last winner outside of the British Isles, the Melbourne Potter has every chance of emulating Cliff Thorburn this year.
His opening two rounds look straightforward enough, but John Higgins surely awaits in the quarter-finals. Robertson is not afraid of playing the best, he holds a decent record against the top two, and he might have enough here again.
Robertson fans should brace themselves for a potential 17 day rollercoaster. And a very near miss.
Verdict: Runner-up
---------------------------------------
Fergal O'Brien
Four times a quarter-finalist, and a very tentative player. He's a man capable of causing a surprise, but then again, most here are.
O'Brien's 2010 story should be short, but by no means sweet. Won't have the firepower to take out Robertson.
Verdict: First round
John Higgins vs Barry Hawkins
Mark King vs Steve Davis
Neil Robertson vs Fergal O'Brien
Marco Fu vs Martin Gould
Ali Carter vs Jamie Cope
Joe Perry vs Michael Holt
Ding Junhui vs Stuart Pettman
Shaun Murphy vs Gerard Greene
_________________
Stephen Maguire vs Stephen Lee
Peter Ebdon vs Graeme Dott
Mark Allen vs Tom Ford
Ryan Day vs Mark Davis
Mark Selby vs Ken Doherty
Stephen Hendry vs Anda Zhang
Mark J Williams vs Marcus Campbell
Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Liang Wenbo
John Higgins
Higgins' had to overcome some tricky encounters on his way to winning last year's crown. Jamie Cope appeared to have him on the ropes, while Mark Selby was very unlucky not to turn the legendary Scottish player over. Mark Allen also put up a fierce battle in the final two sessions of their semi-final, but Higgins was so breathtakingly good for the first 16 frame that it would have been a shame to see him lose.
Higgins comes into this year's tournament as second favourite with the bookies, but in truth is very much the man to beat. He has been the most consistent player, finishing runner-up at the UK Championship & triumphing at the Welsh Open.
Higgins will be many people's tip for the title again this year, and it's a tag that's well justified. I can't see him having any problems with his first two matches, but more than likely it's Neil Robertson who'll provide the opposition in the quarter-final, a match that could very well decide the champion.
Of course, you write off John Higgins at your peril, but for some reason, I don't think he'll do the business this year.
Verdict: Quarter-finals.
---------------------------------------
Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins has an abysmal record at the Crucible. This will be his fifth appearance in succesion, and he is yet to record a win... and don't expect him to halt that run this year.
Hawkins is a player I rate very highly, a former top 16 winner with a good solid game that I always enjoy watching. But the draw has done him absolutely no favours this year, and although I think he could challenge well against John Higgins, I feel past memories will come against him.
Verdict: First round
----------------------------------------
Mark King
Consistent, certainly not spectacular. To take King lightly would be underestimating him greatly though. His finest Crucible result came two years ago when he took the scalp of the in-form player, Mark Selby, in the very first round. He also holds an unbeaten record against a little known player by the name of Ronnie O'Sullivan.
King will never set snooker tables alight, and in recent times, these shocks are becoming a rare occurence. King will go no further than round two, and in my opinion, won't make it past round one.
Verdict: First round
----------------------------------------
Steve Davis
Davis is a living legend, and his achievements in recent years impress me almost as much as his exploits of the 80's.
The Nugget is making his 30th Crucible appearance this year, and although a seventh World Title is a laughable though, I do think he'll cause a surprise of sorts.
He won't go deep, but a famous win is not beyond him.
Verdict: Second round
----------------------------------------
Marco Fu
The Man from the Happy Valley doesn't have much to smile about this year.
He can't seem to buy a win at the moment. The nadir of a particularly awful season came in December when he went out to Yu Delu at the Asian Games and suffered a surprise loss to the little-known Peter Lines.
He's down to 36th in the very provisional rankings, a shame for a player of his potential calibre. At his best, Fu is a sublime matchplayer, not pretty to watch, but very effective.
But, Fu is nowhere near at his best as I write. And he'll be nowhere near the Joe Davis trophy either.
Verdict: First round
---------------------------------------
Martin Gould
The casino croupier may not be the best known player in the draw, but is far from a bad player.
Last year, after a nervy first session, he put up a decent battle to eventual semi-finalist Mark Allen. This good performance was a follow up to an excellent qualifying win over Matthew Stevens (his second win over the Welshman), and also took the scalp of Stephen Hendry earlier in the season.
The draw has been kind to Gould, he faces a totally out-of-sorts Marco Fu in the opening round. Probably won't make waves, but a few significnt ripples.
Verdict: Second round
---------------------------------------
Neil Robertson
Make no mistake. Neil Robertson is a very serious contender for highest honours this season. 30 years on from the last winner outside of the British Isles, the Melbourne Potter has every chance of emulating Cliff Thorburn this year.
His opening two rounds look straightforward enough, but John Higgins surely awaits in the quarter-finals. Robertson is not afraid of playing the best, he holds a decent record against the top two, and he might have enough here again.
Robertson fans should brace themselves for a potential 17 day rollercoaster. And a very near miss.
Verdict: Runner-up
---------------------------------------
Fergal O'Brien
Four times a quarter-finalist, and a very tentative player. He's a man capable of causing a surprise, but then again, most here are.
O'Brien's 2010 story should be short, but by no means sweet. Won't have the firepower to take out Robertson.
Verdict: First round
-
Tubberlad - Posts: 5009
- Joined: 02 October 2009
- Location: Ireland
- Snooker Idol: Ronnie OSullivan
- Highest Break: 49