Snooker: Random Discussion Thread
Judd Trump playing Ronnie right now in the Masters QF.
Just home for lunch so catching this frame, would be a sick steal
Higgins misses a safety and Ronnie had a huge chance but misses a medium length red. Higgins at the table now and Ronnie will need help.
Higgins forgets about re-spotting black and misses a long red. Ronnie back at the table and it looks like he will get a chance with the decider.
Higgins takes on a tough red left middle and pots it. Ronnie concedes.
Murphy +200 vs Zhao seems attractive. Shaun has had a solid season and appears to be at the peak of his game. His history here has been win/final or nowhere. Being very aggressive with his potting should help him in the matchup. I look for him to get an early lead in the match and sustain that until the end.
Zhao has been uber hot of late but historically that has not bode well for championship contenders.
Zhao has entered the arena of someone I'm not ready to bet against right now.
Murphy started first session 5-3 but gave up his lead and is now tied at 8. Interested to see how the match transpires from here as it now becomes best of 9. Murphy has shortened to +160 because of that.
Murphy about to beat the favorite (but not yet)
So many big names beaten already
Murphy comes thru with a convincing win over the #1 seed Zhao.
If he continues at this level I don't see anybody stopping his run to the chp, but it is so hard to sustain top level play. We likely have some great snooker ahead in the semis and final.
Robertson gets in front 9-6 but fizzles again at the Crucible, as Higgins advances with close to nerve-free play. The Higgins-Murphy semi match has the feel of a final, and I'm guessing action will shade Murphy -130/-140.
Murphy using the risky break-off tactic on multiple frames, to get more reds in the open and enable his aggressive potting style. Unfortunately he has not been at his best, and Higgins has capitalized on Murphy's errors. To be fair neither player has performed at a high level in this match, with potting % barely breaking 80% early on. They have improved though as the match progresses.
I still give Murphy a slight edge going forward in what is now a best of 17, but he will need to improve to avoid a decider.
Why do I feel we are getting snooker updates from an AI bot? 🙂
FWIW my money is on Wu Yize to take the whole thing down, beating Selby goes a long way
Sorry if it comes across that way. I add comment for those interested but unable to get TV coverage, as snooker is not as widely broadcast as other sports.
Wu should be -125 or lower assuming he gets by Allen, which appears likely at the moment.
FWIW Selby could not have played worse at the end of his match against Wu.
Ah, didnt catch the end of that Match. From what I've seen Wu has been great but ofc I cant see the whole lot.
Btw, it wasnt meant as criticism just in good fun. I read all the comments 😉
Maybe its just me, but as soon as Ronnie leaves a tournament it becomes half as interesting
Higgins has made the last 2 frames tonight look like an exhibition. He even tried the Murphy break off and it worked to perfection.
Murphy will really need to step up his game to advance, needing to win 6 of the final 9 frames with Higgins making it look easy.
Frame 14 of Allen/Wu - 1h 40m
Frames 1-11 of Ronnie 10-1 Un-Nooh in 2020 - 1h 48m
That Allen/Wu frame was insane.
Ref should have intervened
Hopefully this goes the distance, been some game except for that 1 frame
pray for mark allen if he loses this decider
that's the worst thing i have ever seen
Can't believe that black miss
Someone needs to keep an eye on Allen overnight
You've dodged quite the bullet there :p
https://youtube.com/shorts/gHzzLvJFyp0?i...
Wize slight favorite to win the final according to the bookies
Hard to imagine an easier miss to gain entry to the world chp final. I read a former player comment on Allen's bridge (his right hand), where his palm was not on the table, and which apparently is a no-no. He did not take much time with the shot, which probably reflects how easy it was. Either way, it is a career-defining shot unless he can somehow get to the final in the future.
Hats off to Murphy who stepped up his game in short order and put the pressure back on Higgins, who was simply not good enough when it mattered.
Wu -125 but Murphy has been here before.
Link to BBC article discussing Murphy's "new" break-off method:
The premise behind Murphy's tinkering with the opening shot of a frame is simple.
He wants to apply immediate pressure on his opponents by ensuring they do not have a "shot to nothing" - a chance to go for an opportunistic pot while getting the cue ball safe - and avoid a protracted bout of safety.
In the aftermath of the semi-final, Higgins said: "His break-off was just too tough for me to deal with throughout the whole match. He'll need to tell us his secret."
