Joe Perry vs Ali Carter is a match of equals. Perry had a very confident win against Kyren Wilson, while Carter beat Tom Ford 4-0, making four 50-points breaks. Carter is in dire need for rating points, that’s why I’m picking his win.
Ding Junhui and Shaun Murphy are favourites in the matches against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Liang Wenbo, respectively. The underdogs can win, nonetheless, but there is no logic in that. Shaun is playing better than others in this tournament and we can quite reasonably consider a bet on his victory in the whole tournament. Ding hasn’t gained his best form yet, but alread plays quite reassuringly.