Marco Fu won (6:0), so did John Higgins (6:2). Mark Williams had to win so that our yesterday’s accumulator would win, too. But he lost after leading 5:3, and in each of the three remaining frames he had an advantage. He was leading 69:0 for a while in the one of them. I’m sad not about the lost bet, but about the loss of one of my favourite players.
The fifth match day isn’t full of interesting bets. The favourites are likely to win, but betting with handicaps looks too risky to me. You should pay attention to Anthony McGill v Luca Brecel match. He’s liked by public that thinks he’s going to have a breakthrough. He’s moving up in the rankings, but not too fast. Anthony McGill is playing better with each match. He’s looking into top-16. He’s showed some very good serial shots in the first round. He’s got three amazing centuries – 127,128 and 142 points. Besides being a serial killer, he’s got a tactical advantage with a shade of wisdom and dodge. I’m betting on his win with a small handicap.
I want to choose another bet, with small odds now. It’s better to win with small odds than to lose. I’m speaking about a match between numbers 32 and 33 in the rankings – Dominic Dale v Peter Ebdon. I think Ebdon’s more solid. He’s more versatile and better at long matches. I’ve never seen Dale to win against Ebdon in a more or less important game.