Welsh Open snooker, tournament preview, tips and TV details

TV: Live on Eurosport 1 from 10am Monday

Barry Hawkins has a habit of hitting top gear at this time of year and the world number seven can build on last week’s run to the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix semi-finals by claiming silverware in the final Home Nations Series event of the season in Cardiff.

The Hawk, renowned for his consistency at the Crucible, tends to raise his standards when the Betfred World Championship is on the horizon and it can be no coincidence that the start of February often triggers an upturn in his form.

Hawkins, despite making three centuries, was beaten 9-7 by John Higgins in the final of this event last season and in 2017 he knocked in five tons on his way to defeating Ryan Day 10-7 in the final of the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix.

The Kent resident confirmed the pattern with convincing victories over Day, Marco Fu and Kyren Wilson, dropping just four frames in the process, at Cheltenham Racecourse last week before bumping into this season’s in-form man Judd Trump in the last four.

Even then, Hawkins took Trump to a deciding frame and caused the Juddernaut considerably more problems than most of his opponents have managed this season.

A reproduction of that form should make Hawkins tough to contain and the fact that he is in the far less competitive bottom half of the draw only enhances his chances.

Ronnie O’Sullivan, Higgins, Trump, Ding Junhui, Stuart Bingham and Wilson are six of the star attractions who will be battling for a place in the final from a loaded top half.

Throw in the likes of Jack Lisowski, Fu, Ali Carter, Dave Gilbert and Stephen Maguire and it could be profitable for punters to steer clear from that section completely.

With that in mind, Day and Luca Brecel are two lively outsiders who could prosper if Hawkins fails to deliver.

Dynamite Day has made the quarter-final stage in all three of this season’s Home Nations Series events and leg four, on home soil, could see the Welshman go even better.

The 28-year-old hasn’t had much luck in Cardiff but he can score as heavily as anyone on tour and should have little to fear in the early rounds. Selby is the other seed in his section but the world number one has found winning hard to come by this season and Day has had his measure recently, taking three of their last four meetings.

Brecel is another with a potentially generous draw. The Belgian struggled through a testing 2018 campaign, failing to make a single quarter-final with injuries and cue problems holding him back.

But Brecel is more determined than ever to succeed this season. The Belgian Bullet was brilliant in defeating Mark Allen in the opening round of the Masters last month, before losing in a decider to Ding, and it was a hint that he could be set for a positive campaign.

Brecel's natural ability is clear for all to see and, now he has the dedication to go with it, it shouldn't be long until he claims another title.

Recommendations
B Hawkins
1pt each-way 20-1 general
R Day
0.5pt each-way 50-1 general
L Brecel
0.5pt each-way 80-1 Sky Bet

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