So it begins, World Snooker have today published the first drawsheet of the 2013/14 season, for June’s ET1 event, or Bulgarian Open if you would prefer, in Sofia.
You can view the original draw here at World Snooker in pdf format, or you can click here to view it at snookerorg, in a format that is somewhat easier on the eye…
So the wait is over, following this afternoon’s draw live on Talksport, we now know how the last 32 players will line-up at the 2013 World Championship, with defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan set to begin the defence of his crown against Scotland’s Marcus Campbell on Saturday.
The full drawsheet, which will be updated during the tournament, can be accessed here, while the line-up is also below:
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Marcus Campbell
Ali Carter v Ben Woollaston
Stuart Bingham v Sam Baird
John Higgins v Mark Davis
Shaun Murphy v Martin Gould
Graeme Dott v Peter Ebdon
Matthew Stevens v Marco Fu
Judd Trump v Dominic Dale
Neil Robertson v Robert Milkins
Ricky Walden v Michael Holt
Mark Williams v Michael White
Stephen Maguire v Dechawat Poomjaeng
Mark Allen v Mark King
Ding Junhui v Alan McManus
Barry Hawkins v Jack Lisowski
Mark Selby v Matt Selt
So what can we say as the dust settles? With a couple of exceptions, it is perhaps fair to say that the qualifiers generally regarded as the most dangerous, have been placed away from the main contenders.
For me this is far from a bad thing, on paper at least, the draw looks to be fairly balanced and I would prefer to see more of the ‘glamour ties’ during the longer matches of the second week, than the first. In any event, after last year which saw so many opening round shocks, I have no doubt that 2013 will see more than its fair share of surprises also.
Standing out for me, the match between Shaun Murphy and Martin Gould is one to savour, while the all-Welsh battle between Mark Williams and Michael White is one not to be missed. John Higgins and Mark Davis will do battle again after their classic at the UK Championship earlier in the season.
Graeme Dott and Peter Ebdon will meet again in a repeat of their Crucible contests back in 2006 and 2010, while the match between Marco Fu and Matthew Stevens also has the look of a close one, not withstanding Matthew’s 10-3 victory at the same stage of this tournament a year ago.
Which matches stand out for you? Let me know @prosnookerblog
So then, with the China Open now completed, all eyes now turn to Sheffield, with the seedings now confirmed for the season-ending World Championship, which means that World Snooker are now able to publish the drawsheet for the qualifiers. Click below for all that you need to know…
Another week, another drawsheet, as World Snooker have now released the qualifying draw for the 2013 China Open qualifiers, which will take place in Sheffield between 9-12 January 2013.
To view the draw here at PSB, please click here.
At first glance, there are the usual sprinkling of amateur players involved, including Gareth Allen, whose match against Tony Drago promises to be a fast one given the styles of both players!
As 2012 draws to a close in the snooker world, we have just two tournaments left, the ET5 event in Scotland which starts tomorrow, followed by the qualifiers for the 2013 Haikou World Open which begin in Sheffield next Tuesday.
Accordingly, World Snooker have now published the drawsheet for the qualifiers, which you can now view at PSB by clicking here.
You can also view the latest results from Scotland here at snookerorg, while I will of course update the projected seedings at the end of the day’s play.
Another day, another drawsheet and this time it is the German Masters, which returns to the Tempodrom in Berlin for the third time next February. As you will quickly realise, this time there is something of a twist, as the tournament will be staged in accordance with a brand new format, reducing the amount of rounds that qualifiers are required to come through…
Further increasing their involvement in snooker, it has recently been announced that Betfair will sponsor the 2013 Masters tournament, in addition to the German Masters, Shoot Out and European Tour events already under its banner.
With the announcement also comes the draw for the 2013 event which you can view here, click below for more…
A brief line of news tonight to alert you to the story at World Snooker explaining that there has been a late change of venue for the International Championship in Chengdu. The tournament will now be held at the Sichuan International Tennis Center, as opposed to the Sichuan Province Stadium, though no reason for the change has been given.
In related news, you can also view my updated drawsheet for the International Championship here at PSB, now including the wildcards for the tournament…