Adam Williams presents his prediction for the Tour Championship match.
Neil Robertson and Mark Selby will play another series of “snooker classics” in the quarter-finals of the Tour Championship.
Neil Robertson
The “Thunder from down under” is currently No. 10 in the world rankings and is systematically preparing for the World Championship. After last season’s disastrous results, Neil is returning to his previous high level of snooker. He won the English Open and World Grand Prix, and now he has 25 titles in his long career, including winning the 2010 World Championship. Last year, Neil failed to qualify for the Crucible at all, losing in the qualifier to Jamie Jones in the deciding frame (10-9). Robertson is the only player to have won the Tour Championship twice, in 2021 and 2022, and is now ready to fight for a place in the final of this prestigious tournament again.
Mark Selby
The world No. 3 beat Si Jiahui (10-6) in his first match, with two centuries and five half-centuries. The ‘Jester from Leicester’ has had a very good season with the trophies of the British Open and the Welsh Open, and the four-time world champion now has 24 titles ahead of the World Championship, which starts soon. Mark Selby has made 62 centuries this season, second only to Judd Trump’s 92. This is Mark Selby’s sixth Championship Tour appearance, and he has reached three semi-finals but never a final. Now Mark will face a very serious test of his mettle against an old rival.
Robertson vs Selby Prediction
Matches between these players have long become “snooker classics”; both are similar in playing style, they are great at both attacking and engaging in long tactical segments. Surprisingly, Neil Robertson has a big advantage in head-to-head matches - he won 19 of 28 matches between them. But very often these matches are very close. We are sure that this will be an equal match between two excellent players. It is not for nothing that bookmakers offer the same odds for the victory of Selby and Robertson. We will bet on the total frames over 16.5. It seems to us that the score will be 10-8 in someone’s favour.
