DING THE DARK HORSE IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The first break of the World Snooker Championships will take place this Saturday, with this year's tournament set to be as open as ever.
The world famous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield is once again the venue and it's a tough start for defending champion John Higgins as he faces a tough first-round opener with Matthew Stevens.
The Snooker World Championships is set to be as open as ever, so will an dark horse take this year's crown? Check out all the latest Snooker Spread Betting markets at Sporting Index.
Stevens, a former UK Championship and Master's champion, dropped down to 17th in the world rankings this season following a series of indifferent performances but Higgins is under no illusions as to the challenge that awaits him in the opening round.
"He's a UK Championship and Masters winner - it's one
of the hardest draws I could have got," he told BBC Sport.
"It's a draw I'm pleased with because I'm fully
prepared for a tough match."
Higgins reckons events in the 30-year-old's personal life have
affected his performances and seen him slip out of the top 16 for the first
time.
"His dad and then his best mate Paul Hunter died and
maybe Matthew didn't concentrate on practising," added Higgins.
"But I think the boys have been saying he's been practising harder during the last year - when he's at his best Matthew's a top, top player."
One name that is attracting strong interest from punters ahead of the tournament is Ding Junhui, who many are tipping as a dark horse for the world championship.
The 21-year-old is one of three Chinese players in the championship could provide a much welcome boost for Chinese sport amid the backdrop of the Olympic torch controversy.
Ding, a 2005 UK champion and world number nine, will need to produce a better performance than that on his Sheffield debut last year, when he succumbed 10-2 to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round, and he will also have to overcome a tricky tie against Marco Fu of Hong Kong in the opening round, the man who knocked him out of the SAGA Insurance Masters.
The other two Chinese qualifiers are provisional world 53 Liang Wenbo, who goes up against 1997 winner Ken Doherty, and 17-year-old Liu Chuang, world 91, who beat Dominic Dale to set up a David v Goliath tie against two-time World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.
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