Four quarter-final matches are on the schedule for Friday as the Scottish Open enters the business end of its week in Edinburgh.
A frantic few days at the Meadowbank Sports Centre has seen the field whittled down to the final eight contenders for the Stephen Hendry Trophy.
Let’s take a look at each of the encounters.
Ricky Walden vs Joe O’Connor (7pm)
Ricky Walden received a helping hand late on Thursday night when opponent Sam Craigie offered his hand in resignation during the fifth frame.
Walden led 3-1 and was in among the balls to secure victory, but Craigie had clearly had enough – mimicking David Gilbert’s walkout from a week ago.
Walden had earlier beaten British Open champion Ryan Day 4-0 and is on course for what would be a fourth career ranking title.
The Englishman takes on Joe O’Connor in the last eight, one of only two remaining competitors who have never triumphed in a ranking event.
O’Connor backed up his excellent victory against Ding Junhui with another standout success against Mark Williams.
Walden and O’Connor have only clashed on one previous occasion, and it was all the way back in 2012 when the former prevailed with a 4-3 scoreline.
Mark Selby vs Neil Robertson (7pm)
Arguably the pick of the ties in the Scottish Open quarter-final schedule is the evening battle between former world champions Mark Selby and Neil Robertson.
They’ve crossed on numerous previous occasions, often with silverware on the line.
This time, they will be hoping to move one step closer to securing an opportunity to land what would be a first title of the season for both.
Robertson scored breaks of 117, 90, 88, and 61 as he ended the hopes of a home victory with a 4-2 defeat of Anthony McGill in the last 16.
Selby beat Jack Lisowski by the same margin to set up a 41st meeting against the Australian in all competitions.
Robertson took a 20-19 lead in their head-to-head (one match ended in a draw) with a 5-2 triumph over Selby at the same stage of the Northern Ireland Open in October.
Judd Trump vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (12pm)
While the match between Selby and Robertson might boast more trophies and prestige, the one featuring Judd Trump and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh could prove to be the most entertaining.
A fixture that pits two of the most attacking players on the circuit against each other, there’s likely not going to be a lot of safety involved.
Both players like to play quickly, so this one promises to be a battle that will be pleasing on the eye.
Trump and Un-Nooh have faced each other six times, and unsurprisingly it’s the former who possesses the advantage.
Indeed, Un-Nooh has never beaten Trump in the traditional format – only once getting the better of the Englishman at the Six Red World Championship.
Their biggest showdown was at the 2019 World Open, when Trump beat the Thai 10-5 in the final to claim the title.
Kyren Wilson vs Gary Wilson (est. 3pm)
Kyren Wilson and Gary Wilson – no relation to one another – contest the other Scottish Open quarter-final encounter.
Kyren has undoubtedly been the player of the tournament so far, compiling a hat-trick of century breaks in both of his wins against Ng On Yee and Zhou Yuelong.
The European Masters champion added another two against Matthew Stevens, so he’s clearly in fine scoring form.
- CLICK HERE: Kyren Wilson lifts European Masters trophy
Gary hasn’t been that prolific, but he did back up his conquering of Ronnie O’Sullivan with a gritty 4-3 beating of Hossein Vafaei in the last round.
The two Wilsons have played each other seven times on the Main Tour, with Kyren edging the head-to-head 4-3.
While all of Gary’s victories have come in the Championship League, however, Kyren’s wins have been more impressive with one coming in the Masters and one at the World Championship.
Where to Watch the Scottish Open
The Scottish Open schedule will be available to UK and Irish viewers on Quest TV in addition to blanket Eurosport coverage provided across all of Europe.
Various broadcasters around the world will be offering coverage (information here), while fans in territories without another service can access the event through Matchroom.Live.
Featured image credit: WST
