It’s slightly after the Lord Mayor’s show this coming week in Essex, for the first ranking event of the season on these shores, the English Open.
The ‘fourth’ major out in Saudi Arabia just over a week ago was seen as a great success, commercially and financially though the crowds were poor to say the very least. The term ‘man and his dog’ come to mind! Maybe in around 5 years time it could become a packed auditorium in Riyadh. I suppose Rome wasn’t built overnight was it. Judd Trump won’t be complaining, walking away with a sweet £500k, collecting his 29th ranking title after his last gasp clearance to down Mark Williams on the black 10-9.
But back to this weeks setting (glamorous in its own right the locals will say!) of Brentwood for the third year in succession where the aforementioned Trump defends his title.
He has won two of the three events this season, so it’s safe to say he’s firmly the man to beat, in a place he lived for a good while in his career.
For the first time in a Home Nations event, the top 32 are seeded at the venue. Advantageous or not, it will be an interesting concept – the tiered system in Saudi saw a fair lot of upsets.
One player who didn’t get beat in his Saudi opener was the player Trump beat in last years final here, Zhang Anda.
What a season the 32-year-old had last term, winning his first ranking title at the International Championship and making the final of the Players Championship so three finals in total. He beat a ‘who’s who’ of snooker greats in Ronnie O’Sullivan (twice), Trump, Mark Williams, Ding Junhui, Luca Brecel, Mark Allen, John Higgins and Mark Selby. He performed to a level way above his station or what he’s done in past seasons anyway.
It will be a surprise if he can completely replicate last season however on the evidence of his performances in Saudi, he’s capable. Zhang produced arguably one of the greatest performances in snooker history in his 5-0 romp of in-form Ben Woollaston. He made 3x 138’s and a 128 which is just mind boggling standard.
I know the football term is ‘straight off the training ground’. Maybe in this sport it’s ‘straight off the practise table!’
I messaged Ben who is a good friend of mine and he said literally Zhang didn’t miss a single ball.
He was then beaten by O’Sullivan 6-5 where he was looking for his third win in a row against the great man. He’ll be disappointed he didn’t put him away after leading 3-0, 4-3 and 5-4, but it wasn’t to be. There is no disgrace it that and surely his gander if still firmly up.
Zhang opens with 2018 runner-up Mark Davis who he leads in the H2Hs 3-0. I think Zhang can fully expose a slightly weak section which includes 2022 World champion Luca Brecel who is in a deep crisis having not won since March and incredibly could lose his tour card at the end of season (all his World ranking points comes off).
If Zhang can start peppering the scoring (30 centuries last season) he’s a threat to all.
I’ve been so impressed with Kyren Wilson’s start to the season as the current champion of the world (he loves being called that!) and although I don’t see him becoming a winner of say 5+ tournaments this season like Trump did after his 2019 triumph, he’s playing with much more freedom and believe now. That screams a dangerous and confident individual.
He could very easily be single figures this week in the outrights but he’s not and it’s worth pouncing on in my opinion. How he’s a bigger price than Neil Robertson is very surprising especially given Robbo’s draw and form last season though the Aussie might have turned a corner in a quarter-final run in Riyadh.
Back to Wilson who has already proven his worth this season winning the Xi’an World Grand Prix where he beat Trump in the final. That win was highly significant as he has been a bit of a nemesis to the Warrior down the years though it’s the third ranking final he’s beaten Judd in from four. Trump is a hard man to beat at the best of times, let alone in a best-of-19 ranking final, where he has won 15 from 21 in his career in that specific format.
Wilson is that comfortable at the moment that he was happy to ‘turn down’ the highest break prize in Xi’an where he missed a lookaway black on 135 in the final. His record in this event is another positive. He made the final in 2017 losing to O’Sullivan and back-to-back quarters in 2020 and 2021.
Winning snooker events becomes a drug once you start winning them, ask one of the greatest winners in history, Stephen Hendry. Wilson has got that ruthlessness in him now – it’s how you must be to be successful (in all walks of life). It’s four years since Kyren made a Home Nations final (Welsh Open) and he’s yet to win one.
Wilson is overdue landing one of these. The only way is Wilson in Essex.
Outrights
