Adam Williams presents his prediction for the Scottish Open snooker match.
Mark Davis
Ding Junhui and Mark Davis have played a similar number of matches this season, although Ding has competed in fewer tournaments. Ding clinched the International Championship, while Mark Davis' best result was reaching the last 32 of the British Open. Mark is ranked 55th in the world, and while he is unlikely to be eliminated from the tour at the season's end, he hasn't accrued many points. This season, Davis has defeated Xiao Guodong and Gary Wilson but lost several matches in which he was the favourite. For instance, in the qualifiers for the International Championship, Davis lost to Wang Yuchen (6-5) and in the first round of the lucrative and prestigious Saudi Arabian Masters he was defeated by Bulcsu Revesz (4-3). These losses have significantly reduced his ranking points tally, making it imperative for him to perform actively against Ding.
Ding Junhui
Following his tournament victory, Ding narrowly escaped defeat against Robert Milkins, winning 6-5 despite trailing 5-3. Ding also lost to Shaun Murphy and Judd Trump, but these were not unexpected outcomes. The tournament draw appears favourable for Ding, with Milkins likely to be his next opponent, followed by Zhou Yuelong or Yuan Sijun. However, the issue is that Ding has performed poorly in the Home Nations Series in recent years. Throughout the history of the English Open, Ding has only reached the quarter-finals once, last year, and similarly, reached the quarter-finals just once in the 2020 tournaments in Belfast and Glasgow. Nevertheless, he won the Welsh Open in 2012 and last reached the quarter-finals there in 2016.
Ding Junhui vs Mark Davis Prediction
Ding is not particularly comfortable in short-format matches, where luck plays a significant role. However, in the match against Mark Davis, we believe Ding will win, though subsequent challenges may arise.
