Adam Williams presents his prediction for the Welsh Open snooker match.
Long Zehuang
Long Zehuang is competing on the tour for the second year and has a great chance to retain his professional status. In the provisional rankings at the end of the season, Long is 53rd, in contrast to Stuart Carrington, who sits 76th and needs to break into the top 64 to avoid elimination from the tour. Zehuang is enjoying an excellent season, with notable victories over strong players such as Mark Selby and Gary Wilson. He also performed well at the Wuhan Open, where he defeated Ben Woollaston and Jack Lisowski to reach the semi-finals. Currently 33rd in the seasonal rankings, Long is on the verge of qualifying for the Grand Prix, which is reserved for the top 32 players based on the season’s standings. This would be a fitting reward for what has been an impressive campaign for the Chinese player.
Stuart Carrington
Stuart Carrington, however, finds himself in a far more precarious position. He is at serious risk of losing his place on the tour after a disappointing first half of the season, which included losses to amateurs Oliver Sykes and Simon Blackwell in major tournaments. In the first round of the Welsh Open, Carrington was due to face Bai Yulu, but after the women's world champion withdrew from the tournament, he advanced automatically. However, given Carrington’s poor form this season, ranked 94th in the seasonal standings alongside veteran Jimmy White, we believe Bai would have had every chance of defeating him had she played.
Long Zehuang vs Stuart Carrington Prediction
Carrington's break-building has been underwhelming—he has compiled just 19 breaks of 50+ this season, compared to Zehuang’s 65, more than twice as many. Given these statistics and current form, Carrington seems unlikely to overcome Long, and we expect Zehuang to progress to the main draw with a 4:1 or 4:2 victory.
