PREVIEW: China Open Draw

Now then, then now, now then, then, then, then now.

Now then, what’s all the fuss about?

How the 2019 World Snooker Championships stand will depend on the results of the China Open in Beijing. I explained the permutations why the results here matter. By the end of the China Open, we will know the Top 16 seeds and where they are placed in the draw. We will know who has to qualify for the Crucible at the at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield. Finally, we will also know who will be seeded in qualifying and gaining the advantage in the first round. The World Snooker Championships are very important, apparently.

For more analysis on the above, you can read it all by clicking here. Trust me, it’s seriously intriguing. Even more so now that Mark Allen has very recently withdrawn from the China Open for personal reasons.

DRAW

To make things slightly more complicated, some first round ties haven’t been completed. This is either because of Chinese wildcards or because they are selected to get the best coverage. Chinese fans watching defending champion Mark Selby, current World Champion Mark Williams and home favourite Ding Junhui certainly fits the bill. All three players have excellent records at the China Open, which is very interesting indeed.

One wildcard to watch out for is 2018 IBSF World Champion Chang Bingyu. The teenager chalked up decent wins against some professionals, beating Jimmy Robertson and Robert Milkins in the 2018 China Championship before losing to Mark Selby. He will play Mark Davis in the first round.

The main ties to watch out for are Ryan Day vs. Sam Craigie and Matthew Selt vs. David Gilbert. Day is currently No. 17 in the world and is only £15,000 behind Gilbert, who is a place above him. A slip-up from one of them could mean a breakthrough for the other. There is a significant difference between automatic qualification to the Crucible, and the gauntlet of three, gruelling BO19 matches.

It is also easy to forget that this a fantastic opportunity to win a ranking event. A surprising array of top players haven’t won a ranking event this season yet. This includes John Higgins, Barry Hawkins, Ding Junhui and Shaun Murphy. The most unlucky player is Gilbert, who played in two ranking finals without coming away with any silverware.

With £225,000 to the winner, that is a lot of money, points and preparation to the World Championships!

QUARTER 1

Mark Selby / Craig Steadman vs. Dominic Dale

Liang Wenbo vs. Gary Wilson

Ryan Day vs. Sam Craigie

Ali Carter vs. Kurt Maflin

Mei Xiwen vs. Marco Fu

Kishan Hirani vs. Neil Robertson

Alexander Ursenbacher vs. Mark King / Bai Langning

Lu Ning vs. Barry Hawkins

China Open Quarter Winner: Mark Selby vs. Neil Robertson

QUARTER 2

Pang Junxu vs. Alan McManus

Jamie Clarke vs. Stuart Carrington

Stephen Maguire vs. Xu Si

Anthony McGill vs. Nigel Bond

Michael Holt vs. Xiao Guodong / Soheil Vahedi

Sam Baird vs. Luca Brecel

Hossein Vafaei vs. Robert Milkins

Joe O’Connor vs. John Higgins

China Open Quarter Winner: Stephen Maguire vs. Hossein Vafaei

QUARTER 3

Judd Trump vs. Robbie Williams

Zhou Yuelong vs. Li Hang

Jack Lisowski vs. John Astley

Gerard Greene vs. Chris Wakelin

Peter Ebdon vs. Yan Bingtao

Elliot Slessor vs. Stuart Bingham

Thor Chuan Leong vs. Rod Lawler

Yuan Sijun vs. Kyren Wilson

China Open Quarter Winner: Judd Trump vs. Kyren Wilson

QUARTER 4

Ding Junhui / Zhang Jiankang vs. James Wattana

Oliver Lines vs. Lyu Haotian

Adam Stefanow vs. Andrew Higginson

Ashley Carty vs. Ben Woollaston

Scott Donaldson vs. Joe Perry / Wu Yize

Matthew Selt vs. David Gilbert

Ricky Walden vs. Mark Davis / Chang Bingyu

Ken Doherty vs. Mark Williams / Harvey Chandler

China Open Quarter Winner: Lyu Haotian vs. Mark Williams

Winner: Mark Selby vs. Mark Williams

The China Open will take place from 1st–7th April 2019 in Beijing, China. I know, really, in China!