The new and revamped Shanghai Masters has arrived! It’s exciting as there is finally a tournament that is a Chinese equivalent of the Masters and we have a terrific line up. Others, like me, are saddened by how it’s been messed around when it was a ranking event, particularly since it is a favourite among bloggers and players. Also, wildcards aren’t exactly the most popular people in the world.
Got to say it, I think this is terrible but that’s the way it is unfortunately!! You don’t see 8 extra English players thrown into our masters event!! https://t.co/7yRFXxquLm
— Joe Perry (@joegentlemanjoe) September 8, 2018
I have already outlined my views on the status of the Shanghai Masters (please have a gander here) but let’s look at the event as a whole! In essence:
- The Top 16 in the world rankings
- Four of the highest-ranked Chinese players outside of the Top 16 four players (Liang Wenbo, Yan Bingtao, Xiao Guodong, and Zhou Yuelong)
- Two players from the CBSA China Tour (Chang Bingyu and Fan Zhengyi)
- Two from China’s Amateur Masters series (Guo Hua and Pu QingSong)
What makes the Shanghai Masters more special to the fans now is that there is guaranteed Chinese representation. This gives them the opportunity to flex their muscles with their home-grown champions (Ding, Liang), ranking finalists (such as Yan, Cao, Xiao) and amateurs (Chang). They are basically showing off how far they have come since an 18-year-old wildcard named Ding Junhui won the 2015 China Open You can’t really blame them, can you?
The other thing, of course, is that it is best-of-19 matches in the semis and best-of-21 and the finals. Also, the Top 8 do get a bye into the Last 16 (YOU SEE, RANKINGS DO MATTER NOW). Anyways, here is the preview!
TOP HALF
Neil Robertson/Guo Hua vs. Ronnie O’Sullivan
Stuart Bingham/Fan Zhengyi vs. Shaun Murphy
Kyren Wilson/Liang Wenbo vs. Judd Trump
Ryan Day/Chang Bingyu vs. John Higgins
The tougher half of the two. Partially because there are three wildcards in the draw and the ties are worth slobbering over. The potential of having O’Sullivan/Robertson; Bingham/Murphy; Wilson/Trump and Day/Higgins in front of the enthusiastic Chinese crowd are absolutely worth dying for. Murphy, Bingham, and Trump are relatively unpredictable on how they will play at the start of the season and Trump is in the quarter of death too with Liang in the wings!
A lot of fans, of course, will be cheering for O’Sullivan for obvious reasons and also because this is his first event of the season. A Trump vs. Higgins match is always delicious, but Paul Hunter Classic and 6Reds champion Kyren Wilson is on fire at the moment. Personally, I think it could be a match-up between the top seeds here, as both Ronnie and John are incredibly fresh. Higgins has won 2 out of 2 matches this season and conceded just one frame, so this will be fascinating!
Semi-final winner: Ronnie O’Sullivan vs. John Higgins
BOTTOM HALF
Luca Brecel/Zhou Yuelong vs. Mark Selby
Mark Allen/Xiao Guodong vs. Ding Junhui
Stephen Maguire/Pu QingSong vs. Barry Hawkins
Anthony McGill/Yan Bingtao vs. Mark Williams
Here is the other half, which is strong as heck. Seeing two matches with two young opponents (Brecel/Zhou and McGill/Yan) will make great viewing. It is also great to see Stephen Maguire in the Top 16 for the first time, in what feels like, since the 2016 World Championships and his possible meeting with Barry Hawkins will look to be a lovely encounter, especially since Barry Hawkins reached the World Open semi-finals not long ago.
Personally, I think it is the top two seeds in the bottom half again. Barry Hawkins will certainly surprise Mark Williams but Williams seems permanently unfazed. Yet he came back about three for four times to win the World Open! Mark Selby has a very good record not only in China but in long matches too, as recently shown in last year’s China Open. Even though he wasn’t expecting much, he still lost to Noppon Saengkham in the Last 16 of the World Open, so we do have to be careful.
Semi-final winner: Mark Selby vs. Mark Williams
2018 Shanghai Masters winner: John Higgins vs. Mark Selby
The Shanghai Masters will take place between 10th – 16th September 2018.
How are you feeling about the revamped non-ranking event Shanghai Masters? #snooker
— Cluster of Reds (@clusterofreds1) September 5, 2018
