Neil Robertson vs Ding Junhui
17th March 1300hrs
Snooker – Wales – Tour Championship 2020
Pick Robertson -2.5 Handicap
Bookmaker William Hill
Odds: 19/20 odds taken 05:51 GMT, Monday 15th March 2020
Neil Roberston decided to walk away from competing at the Gibraltar Open on the weekend. He is scheduled to appear in Llandudno this week for the Tour Championship. His opening match in the event sees him take on Ding Junhui, a player Roberston has struggled against a bit in the head to head.
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Robertson to return to action?
Neil Roberston was one of several high-profile withdrawals from the weekend’s Gibraltar Open. He didn’t directly state the coronavirus as being the reason, just that he was on the mend from feeling unwell.
In last year’s Tour Championship, Neil Robertson was the runner up to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the inaugural edition of the tournament. The top eight ranking players at the end of the Gibraltar Open get a spot at the Tour Championship.
It has been a strong flourish this year from Robertson who has claimed the European Masters and the World Grand Prix this year. He also reached the final of the German Masters. So that’s at least a quarter-final place in four of his last five ranking events with two-titles.
Robertson is second-favourite in the outright winner market in Tour Championship snooker betting. That’s behind only Judd Trump. The two of them could meet in the semi finals, which is a mouth-watering prospect.
While the Thunder from Down Under is the hot favourite to win this match, his numbers in the most recent head to head with Ding hasn’t been great, winning one of the last five against the Chinese player.
Can Ding pull off a big upset?
Even though Ding has won four of the last five matches against Robertson, it’s worth noting that they haven’t met since 2016. That most recent meeting was won by Roberston as well.
Ding is not a prolific player, not in terms of titles. He has won two ranking titles since the start of the 2014 season. One of those did come his way this season, however.
He defied the odds to win the UK Championship for the third time in his career. That is, head and shoulders, his most successful ranking tournament and clearly his favourite.
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But since picking up that UK Championship title, Ding has gone back into his shell. There has been very little form from him. He has not made it past the fourth round in any of his last six ranking events.
He has made a first-round exit in three of his last four ranking tournaments. So there have been struggles with form. He is making his debut at the Tour Championship and all in all, unless Robertson still isn’t well, then Ding’s adventures in it may get cut short.
Neil Robertson vs Ding Junhui Betting Advice
Roberston can be backed comfortably for this one. He seemed ready to skip the Gibraltar Open and a potential massive £150,000 bonus that was on the line, with one eye on the Tour Championships.
It sounded like he wanted to ensure his health was OK to appear in Wales. We shall see. If they hit the baize in this one, we can only see one winner emerging.
Key Facts – Neil Robertson vs Ding Junhui Betting Tip
- Neil Robertson was runner up in the 2019 Tour Championship
- Neil Robertson has been to the final of 3 of his last 5 ranking events
- Ding Junhui has lost in the first round in 3 of his last 4 ranking events
This is one of those situations where the head to head trend can be dismissed because none of it is relatively recent. Roberston was last year’s losing finalist at the Tour Championship, and he can get this one off to a flyer, easily covering a -2.5 handicap against an out-of-form Ding.
The best betting odds for Neil Robertson vs Ding Junhui
Neil Robertson to win: 2/5 at William Hill
Ding Junhui: 19/10 at William Hill
