Ronnie O'Sulivan and Ding Junhui meet in the quarter-finals of the Players Championship and Richard Mann expects the Chinese star to put up a bold show.
Snooker fans are in for a real treat on Wednesday as Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui clash in the quarter-finals of the Players Championship in Llandudno.
The Rocket met with little resistance from Graeme Dott when breezing through his opening match 6-1 and is 4/11 with Sky Bet to take another step towards what would be a fifth ranking title of the season.
Ding was no match for O’Sullivan when the pair contested the final of the World Grand Prix last month, going down 10-3, but there have been encouraging signs that he is finding something like his best form with the World Championship now firmly on the horizon.
Ding struggled for any sort of consistency early in the campaign but that Preston run saw his excellent break building back in full working order.
With his last two crucible appearances resulting in semi-final and final finishes, it would seem fair to assume that he is priming himself for another big run in Sheffield and he must be respected in the next few weeks as he works his way into top gear.
Ding is 2/1 with Sky Bet for his clash with O’Sullivan but despite downing the Rocket in the World Championship last year, the Chinese star hasn’t always been able to get over the line against his idol.
With that in mind, I prefer the insurance of the handicap market and the 4/6 available for him to cover the line (+2.5) makes plenty of appeal.
Ding barely broke sweat when beating Mark Allen on Monday and he should be able to push O’Sullivan very close tonight, especially with an open affair expected from two of the most exciting players in the game.
Posted at 1400 GMT on 21/03/18.
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