“Thiiiiiiiiiiiiings can only get betterrrrrrrrr” went the chorus of a famous No 1 hit from the ’90s, and those words certainly apply to the Ronnie O’Sullivan-Mark Selby quarter-final at the Betfred.com World Championship.
It had been billed as a classic and with good reason, for both men had played brilliantly in their second-round victories yesterday. But today’s opening session, which ended level at 4-4, was distinctly poor.
There were none of the centuries that peppered yesterday’s play. Selby knocked in a 90 and an 84 and O’Sullivan a 67 before finishing off with an 81, but the pair of them missed countless straightforward pots.
Was it nerves, with so much at stake? Maybe, but then both players have participated in so many big matches that they should be well used to the pressure and tension.
The Rocket looked somewhat disinterested too, so let’s hope a good night’s sleep does them both the power of good and that they return refreshed tomorrow.
As for the odds, it’s 8/15 Ronnie, 11/8 Mark. Not too different from when the match began, which is unsurprising given the scoreline, and it’s the same in the outright market. O’Sullivan is 2/1 and Selby 7/2.
It was also less than exhilarating stuff in the Shaun Murphy-Ali Carter match. Murphy, the 2005 champion, leads the 2008 runner-up 5-3, with the highest break a 70 by the former in the opening frame.
It’s 1/5 that the man now based in Manchester will convert his advantage into victory and 10/3 that Carter turns it around. The outright odds are 9/2 Murphy, 20/1 Carter.
From 7pm we will discover whether Steve Davis can fight back or, at the very least, avoid defeat with a session to spare against Neil Robertson, while Mark Allen resumes 5-3 ahead of Graeme Dott.
Back with all the news from those matches later…
