Higgins' experience is likely to be too much for Ding to cope with

Snooker / Tareq Quiroz / 11 January 2008 / Leave a Comment

Tareq Quiroz previews Ding's encounter against John Higgins at the snooker Masters plus the best of the rest from the first round matches

O'Sullivan v Maguire

A repeat of the UK Open final and almost certainly the tie of the round, O'Sullivan and Maguire go head to head in a bid to progress through to the quarter finals of the Masters. Ronnie O'Sullivan is clearly an enigma and in the world of betting that really isn't too much help. In the recent UK Champs he flitted between unplayable and looking totally disgusted with his own game.
Stephen Maguire is a player on the up once again after experiencing a classic second season slump. He burst onto the scene in 2004 and was hailed as the next Stephen Hendry but after a promising start to his career, his game deserted him. Having gradually rediscovered his game Maguire is now ready to rule the world. Ronnie makes no secret of the fact that he doesn't like these short format matches and he can quickly lose interest if things don't go his way. Despite the huge support he will receive at Wembley, I can see Maguire frustrating him and running out a comfortable 6-2 winner. The [3.1] available on a Maguire victory is the must bet of this match.
Hendry v Selby

This is probably the most intriguing encounter of the first round and also the one with the most question marks. Is Hendry a fading force? Is Selby now ready to win ranking events? How will they both get over disappointing results last time out? Find the answer to these posers and you will discover a betting strategy for this match that will most certainly pay dividends.
Hendry is a six-time Masters champions and will not be fazed by anything that he faces at the Wembley arena but there is no doubt that in recent years his form has become patchy. On occasions he will rediscover his old form and blow any opponent away, but those days are getting fewer and far between. Selby has all the tools to dismantle Hendry this week and providing he isn't too down about losing that dramatic semi-final to O'Sullivan at the UK Champs then I feel he will record a relatively easy win over Hendry. Aside from your punt on Selby in the Match Odds it will also pay to play the frame by frame markets in this match. Hendry was the best break builder this game has ever seen but that is no longer the case, wait until he is in the balls with just 3 or 4 balls potted and lay him for that frame. This is a strategy that is sure to be a quickfire success.

Higgins v Junhui

What a first round tie we have in store here. It is tempting to just sit back and enjoy this one as a snooker connoisseur, but as always I have spotted an opening in the market that needs exploiting. Higgins is the world champion but like many snooker players he has a frustrating element to his game. His game is often mistakenly referred to as consistent and solid, whereas in fact he is an awesome break builder who suffers from lapses in concentration. Unfortunately for punters these lapses are often prolonged and Higgins is not the kind of guy I would want to have to stage a comeback.

Ding's progress through the ranks was meteoric and all of a sudden he was the man everyone wanted to avoid as he swept all before him. His UK Champs win in 2005 seemed to signal his arrival as the man who was going to march to the top of the rankings but this was abruptly halted in January 2007. Ding is a young guy who was quite clearly beginning to believe his hype and I would suggest he thought that he was the best player in the world. Therefore the way Ronnie demolished him in the 2007 Masters final was a huge shock to his system and completely derailed Ding for a period of time. It was the realization that he wasn't the best player in the world and he had plenty to learn.

I am not sure that Ding is quite back to his best yet and for the market to not be able to choose between him and Higgins leaves me with no option but to back Higgins all the way. I don't think it will be a whitewash but whilst Ding gets back in the groove Higgins may be away and gone. If you can get anything around 2 that is a great bet.

Doherty v Williams

Once you hit the top 16 in the world to maintain your ranking in snooker you just have to make it past your opening round and have the odd run to the quarters. This is something that both of these players have struggled to do in recent times. Doherty's decline is a recent one but Williams has been up against it for some years now.

The market cannot separate these two players and it is easy to see why. Ability-wise there is not a lot in it and with so many doubts over their form, it is the safe way to price up the match. Changes in personal life can have a huge affect on a player's form, not just in snooker but most sports. It is no coincidence that when players first start a family, they go off the boil. This is largely due to the fact that to maintain a top level in snooker you simply have to put lots of hours in on the practice table.

The recent birth of Doherty's first child may have left him not quite match sharp and ready for the vigors of a hard-fought match at the Wembley arena. Ken isn't the most naturally talented player in the game and for one who has to work so hard at his game I feel that this new addition to his life may serve as sufficient distraction to his practice regime for him to struggle in the coming months. Williams is a supremely gifted player and a man who can rise to the occasion at any point. I foresee a 6-3 win for Williams and maybe a resurgence in form from the enigmatic Welshman.