Adam Williams presents his prediction for the German Masters Qualifiers match.
Bai Yulu
Bai Yulu became the first woman to win three matches in a row at ranking tournaments. Even multiple world champion Reanne Evans could not do it. But Bai Yulu managed to achieve this feat not just at any tournament, but at a Triple Crown event—the UK Championship 2024. Bai defeated Farakh Ajaib (6-4), Jamie Jones (6-4), and Scott Donaldson (6-5). This is a significant milestone for all women's snooker. Furthermore, Bai made several big breaks in each match, demonstrating a high level of control over the cue ball and strong nerves, which are essential for such performances. This winning streak was halted by Jack Lisowski, but it may still be too early for Bai to compete on equal terms with players in the top 16 and even the top 32.
Liam Pullen
Bai's opponent in the qualifying match for the German Masters is Liam Pullen, who made his tour debut last season. Liam turned professional through the Q-Tour and in his first season he defeated Graeme Dott and Noppon Saengkham. This season, however, Liam has been performing poorly, with victories only against Antoni Kowalski, Joshua Thomond, and Mink Nutcharut. The chances of Pullen staying on tour are almost negligible. In the seasonal rankings, Pullen and Bai are close but positioned very low, at 117th and 119th places, respectively. Today, Pullen will face a particularly intense match, as losing to Bai would be notably unpleasant, given that in the snooker world, women defeating men is still a rarity, and only Bai has been able to do it so far. Thus, Pullen will be under additional pressure. Liam has no particular advantage in break-building, having made 21 breaks over 50, while Bai has made 20.
Liam Pullen vs Bai Yulu Prediction
Overall, this is expected to be an evenly matched contest, so we would suggest a bet on the total over 7.5 frames. We don't see a clear advantage for either Pullen or Bai here; in fact, we think Bai might even win this match.
