The snooker season is well up and running now, and tomorrow sees the start of the professional rounds of the season's fifth event, the Paul Hunter Classic, in Feurth, Germany. It will be the second consecutive PTC event, following Mark Selby's win at the Riga Open.
WHAT'S THE FORMAT?
As with any PTC event, the format is best of seven all the way to the final. This means there will be shocks on the way, as is to be expected. Often top players underestimate their opponent, or make a slow start which they don't have time to correct. Don't be surprised to see big names fall early. The professional rounds (Round 3 onwards) start at 9.30 local time in Germany on Friday morning, with six matches to get to the final, with the first three rounds being played on Friday and Saturday, with Sunday starting with the last sixteen players. The final will be on Sunday evening.
WHERE CAN I FOLLOW IT?
Eurosport and Eurosport 1 will have TV coverage of the main TV table all weekend. We will be tweeting regular updates throughout the tournament also, @TopSpinBlog147.
HOW DOES THE DRAW WORK OUT?
The full draw can be found here livescores.worldsnookerdata.com/RoundList/Draw/13759
Most of the top players have made the trip to Germany for this event, with Ding Junhui, Ken Doherty and Joe Perry the only big names not to enter. This of course means that Ronnie O'Sullivan is back in action for the first time this season. He won this event last year and he will kick off his title defence against Noppon Saengkham. He is in the same quarter of the draw as Judd Trump, Stephen Maguire and Barry Hawkins, meaning some interesting ties are possible. The romantic inside every snooker fan will note that O'Sullivan finds himself also in the same quarter as none other than Jimmy White. Mark Selby kicks off against Alexander Ursenbacher and could play Shaun Murphy as early as round three, with the possibility of Dominic Dale in the second round. Marco Fu, Ricky Walden and Mark Davis are also in this section. There is the possibility of an unusual situation in round two, which could see Neil Robertson face Jimmy Robertson. This particular quarter is littered with world champions, including Dott, Williams and Higgins. The final quarter is much less star-studded, but does include Robert Milkins, Michael White and Mark Allen.
WHO'S A GOOD TIP?
Out of all the PTCs on the calendar, this is by far the most prestigious of them. The fact the tournament is named after the legendary Paul Hunter enforces this. He is remembered fondly as one of the greatest snooker players, whose career and life was tragically cut short. Since becoming the Paul Hunter Classic, it has seen top players win the event each year, with Shaun Murphy, Judd Trump, Mark Selby and Ronnie O'Sullivan all claiming the title. Interestingly, this event has been won by an English player every year. This is perhaps the one PTC event that isn't as difficult to predict as others, history says that a top player will thrive and eventually win the tournament. Shock results will still happen, but maybe not in such frequency as we'd see at any other PTC.
Ronnie O'Sullivan is the 4/1 favourite for the event, and given his pedigree for this event, it's not surprising. He was in inspired form here to lift the title, and made a 147 break a few years back. He certainly has the taste for this tournament and is understandably favourite. However, he has been placed in the undoubtedly tougher side of the draw, which, as I mentioned earlier, includes his old nemesis Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Shaun Murphy, Marco Fu and Barry Hawkins, amongst others. Selby was the winner in Riga and can be got at 8/1, with Australian Open champion Trump at 10/1. I tipped Hawkins last time and he has odds of 25/1, and as attractive as they are, his tough draw puts me off. This is where Neil Robertson comes into it. He is third favourite at a mouth watering 9/1, and looking at his draw, these are dreamy odds. His main worries will be Mark Allen and Robert Milkins, both of whom may be worth a punt at 16/1 and 100/1, respectively. Should Neil get knocked out early, those two will really fancy their chances. As ever, there are odds available on the lower ranked players, but given the prestige of this event, I find it hard to see a top player not winning the title come Sunday evening. If you're looking for an outsider, Mark Williams at 66/1 is a shout, he looked back to form in Riga. The most surprising thing on the betting sheet for me is the sight of John Higgins at 22/1. The length of those odds emphasises his recent struggles, but the four time champion will be looking to get back to his best soon, and there's no better time than the present!
Daniel's Riga Open winner - Neil Robertson
Daniel's three to watch - Ricky Walden, Mark Williams, Michael White
Sean's Riga Open winner - Marco Fu
Sean's three to watch - Mark Allen, Rory McLeod, Nigel Bond
R.I.P Paul Hunter. Gone but never forgotten. An inspiration to everyone involved with snooker.
Enjoy the tournament!
Daniel Daykin and Sean Collins
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