James Cooper is back with his latest bets for the World Championship Qualifiers, with former runner-up Matthew Stevens worth opposing.
Snooker betting tips: World Championship qualifiers
1pt Jimmy Robertson to beat Matthew Stevens at 10/11 (William Hill)
1pt Mark Davis to beat Thepchaiya Un-Nooh at 12/5 (bet365)
Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook
It’s largely been a case of substance over style this week at the Institute of Sport, with the result far more important than the performance given the stakes at play.
JIMMY ROBERTSON, though, was seriously impressive against Liam Davies in his opening match.
Having looked set to go 2-0 down, Robertson pinched frame two and from there on it was one-way traffic, with Robertson producing a barrage of one-visit winning frames to run out a commanding 10-2 winner against a dangerous opponent.
We know one swallow doesn’t make a summer and in Matthew Stevens he faces a quality opponent with a similar attacking game to Robertson, but there’s a touch of class about Robertson when he’s healthy and firing.
By their own standards, both have had pretty ordinary seasons so far, though the fact Stevens has lost SIX matches in deciding frames can be spun one way or the other.
In short, a high-quality match played at a good pace should be forthcoming and I’ve got Robertson as a slightly shorter price than the 10/11 available to prevail.
Conversely, the Thepachaiya Un-Nooh against MARK DAVIS tie is more of a clash of styles and while it’s easy to get seduced by the brilliance of the former when he’s on a “going” day, the wily Davis looks overpriced in this best-of-19.
Davis made light work of Andrew Pagett in Round Two and he possesses the nous to hopefully test the all-round-game of Un-Nooh.
I’m no real fan of head-to-head records, particularly historic matches, but for those that are and because it suits my narrative, Davis leads this particular clash 3-1.
Rather than go with a handicap wager, such is the streaky nature of his opponent, I’m prepared to risk Davis at 12/5 to triumph given he’s around a 15/8 shot with me to spring a minor surprise.
Posted at 1210 BST on 12/04/24
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