Quarter-final day is the next call on the English Open schedule, with eight players still in the hunt for the Steve Davis Trophy in Brentwood.
Unlike the last ranking event in Scotland, a lot of the more familiar tournament contenders have made it through to this stage.
Indeed, only one of the remaining participants has never won a ranking title, with the other seven boasting 105 victories between them at this level.
Neil Robertson vs Mark Williams (12pm)
The first quarter-final on Friday’s schedule sees defending English Open champion Neil Robertson take on Mark Williams.
Robertson continued his reign on Thursday with a 4-2 defeat of Ryan Day, while Williams edged Barry Hawkins by the same margin.
Although Robertson picked up the World Mixed Doubles crown alongside Mink Nutcharut this term, the Australian’s form has been a bit patchy.
Against Williams, he comes up against a player who he has a strong head-to-head record against, having won 20 of their previous 29 encounters in all competitions.
Indeed, aside from a short game in the Championship League, Welshman Williams hasn’t emerged as a victor from this tie since 2017.
Mark Selby vs Ali Carter (est. 3pm)
Ali Carter secured an impressive brace of triumphs on day four, overcoming both Jack Lisowski and John Higgins at the Brentwood Centre.
The Captain’s reward is another tough test against Mark Selby, who won the English Open in 2019.
Selby left it late in trademark fashion as he fought back from behind to pip Shaun Murphy in a last-16 decider.
The Jester has a superior head-to-head record against Carter, although maybe not by as big a margin as you’d think – winning 19 matches to the latter’s 15.
Quite a lot of those encounters occurred in the Championship League, but taking those out of the equation Carter has actually won their last two notable battles.
Judd Trump vs Luca Brecel (7pm)
An exciting encounter on paper sees the naturally attacking duo of Judd Trump and Luca Brecel cross paths.
The pair won their respective matches in the last round with 4-2 scorelines against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Jamie Jones.
Brecel already has silverware in his locker from this campaign having triumphed in the Championship League during the summer.
- CLICK HERE: Luca Brecel captures third ranking title
Trump, though, is uncharacteristically still hunting down his first trophy of the season and a 24th ranking title of his career.
The 33 year-old has won ten of his prior 14 contests with Brecel, including in the recent Champion of Champions in Bolton.
Mark Allen vs Ashley Hugill (7pm)
The only tie on the English Open quarter-final schedule where there’s a noticeable favourite and underdog, Mark Allen entertains Ashley Hugill.
Hugill – who was the beneficiary of Yan Bingtao’s suspension on Monday – has reached a ranking event quarter-final for the first time in his career.
The Englishman beat Martin Gould to continue his run to the last eight, where he’ll challenge the most formidable player from this season so far.
Allen’s relentless form continued with a comfortable 4-1 defeat of John Astley, and he remains on course to reach a fourth final since October.
Allen and Hugill have only played each other once before, back in 2018 when the former triumphed in the early rounds of the European Masters.
Hugill is also the only player of the eight who isn’t currently set to qualify for the 32-player World Grand Prix next month, with the 28 year-old requiring a run to the final to dislodge David Gilbert from the last spot on the list.
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Featured photo credit: WST
