Anthony McGill came through a 13-12 thriller against Jamie Clarke in the second-round but the Scot’s World Championship run looks set to be ended by Kurt Maflin.
It’s clearly going to be a tough ask to expect McGill to perform to a high level after Sunday’s late night slog, and even if the Glasgow cueman is suitably refreshed, he could still be up against it.
Maflin beat David Gilbert 10-8 in the opening round and that was a high-quality match. The Lewisham-born potter made runs of 97, 101, 102, 105 and 124 in the first-round victory and that demonstrates his superb break-building ability.
The Oslo resident then went on to beat four-time Sheffield hero John Higgins in round two and he made 11 knocks of more than 50 along the way.
Maflin has taken a while to find his stride but the scoring power now seems to be in place on a consistent basis and that could spell trouble for McGill.
Frames Starting to Pile up for McGill
To compare the Scot has played 34 frames at this year’s World Championship and he has yet to make a Crucible century. McGill hit just four breaks of more than 50 in his 25-frame second-round marathon against Clarke and he is up against an opponent, who doesn’t need a second invitation to hit the big scores.
McGill is a competitive match player with a solid safety game but the fact he trailed Clarke, a limited opponent, 8-2 in their second-round clash is not a good indicator of his chances of making the semi-final.
Maflin is available at 20/41 for the quarter-final clash and at 25/27 giving McGill a 2.5-frame start and both of those prices make plenty of appeal.
Rocket Ready to Fire
Ronnie O’Sullivan has won the World Championship five times and the Rocket is looking to reach the semi-final for the twelfth occasion.
Three-time Crucible hero Mark Williams stands in his way and snooker punters could be in for a treat.
O’Sullivan didn’t have things all his own way in his 13-10 win over Ding Junhui in the previous round but the Chigwell potter’s break-building was breathtaking.
The Rocket made eight knocks of more than 50 to win eight of the final eleven frames of that match and that sort of one-visit snooker is difficult to compete with.
O’Sullivan’s win over the Chinese Sensation followed a 10-1 demolition of the talented Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and it seems as though the Rocket’s game is in excellent shape.
Williams is no back number though. The Welshman has beaten Stuart Bingham and Alan McManus to reach this stage and he’d rate a strong contender if he was playing anyone else in the event.
Bingham has plenty of scoring power and it’s a good sign for the Welsh Potting Machine that he was able to win that clash 13-11.
O’Sullivan’s credentials haven’t gone unnoticed and he is a 2/11 shot to book his place in the last four.
Expect a High-Scoring Affair
However, perhaps the potential for big breaks has gone a little unnoticed and backing there to be at least five centuries in the match at 6/5 looks a wise wager.
It’s a line that could be surpassed by O’Sullivan, without any assistance from Williams, but the Welshman looks up to contributing to a high-scoring clash.
*All odds correct at time of writing