The WST Classic will conclude on Wednesday, but the tournament is still only at the quarter-finals stage of the draw.
The champion still has three rounds to negotiate and could play as many as 27 frames in what will be an exhausting day at the Morningside Arena.
After almost a week of behind-closed-doors action, a limited number of fans will be welcomed for the ranking event’s conclusion.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for 10am GMT, with the semi-finals to follow at 2:30pm and the 11-frame final at 7pm.
Gary Wilson vs Lukas Kleckers
Gary Wilson is the only remaining player who could alter the lineup of the upcoming Tour Championship in Hull.
The Scottish Open champion is provisionally in ninth place in the one-season rankings, with only the top eight earning an invitation to the Bonus Arena later in March.
Wilson would usurp Ding Junhui, however, with a run to the final this week, and there isn’t a single member of the world’s top 32 in his half of the draw.
First up in the quarter-finals will be Lukas Kleckers, who will feature at this stage of a ranking event for the first time in his career.
The German has taken advantage of a relatively kind draw, beating Jackson Page 4-0 in the last 16 on Tuesday evening.
Wilson, who is also on course to secure a Crucible seeding for the World Championship this year, will be the heavy favourite and boasts a 3-1 head-to-head record against Kleckers.
Pang Junxu vs Oliver Lines
Pang Junxu ended the magnificent run of Jimmy White with a 4-1 victory over the veteran in the fourth round.
White had added the scalp of Judd Trump to his earlier triumphs over Graeme Dott and Joe Perry but ultimately ran out of steam against the young Chinese.
Pang will encounter Oliver Lines, who followed up his defeat of Neil Robertson with a 4-1 success over Scott Donaldson.
This is turning out to be an important week for the 27 year-old Englishman, and by elevating his provisional end-of-season ranking to 61, he has eased some of his tour survival concerns.
While Lines is chasing a maiden semi-final appearance, Pang is looking for two in quick succession after his recent run to the same round at the Welsh Open.
Stuart Bingham vs Ali Carter
The bottom half of the WST Classic quarter-finals draw is considerably more loaded with familiar star pedigree than the top half.
Former world champion Stuart Bingham will take on the in-form Ali Carter in an all-English affair.
This represents Bingham’s first quarter-final spot of what has been a disappointing season for the former world number two.
- CLICK HERE: Ali Carter captures second German Masters crown
Carter, on the other hand, has been a regular presence at the business end of competitions of late, winning the German Masters and reaching the final of the Players Championship.
Unsurprisingly, these two have contested numerous battles in the past with Carter winning 18 of their 32 prior matches on the main tour since 2002.
John Higgins vs Mark Selby
Undoubtedly the tie of the round, there will be a showdown of the four-time world champions between John Higgins and Mark Selby.
Selby’s 4-3 victory over Robbie Williams ensured that he will definitely participate in the Tour Championship.
Higgins has long been out of the running in the Duelbits Series tournaments, but the Scot is coming into some form at a good time of the season.
Winning the Championship League has provided him with a boost in confidence, highlighted by his brace of centuries in a 4-2 beating of Kyren Wilson to reach the last eight.
Higgins and Selby have fought against each other for world titles and are regarded as among the greatest all-round competitors in the history of the game.
It will come as no surprise then to hear that their head-to-head is close, with Selby just about edging it 17-16 going into their latest fixture.
Other than China, Hong Kong, and Thailand, the WST Classic will be available to viewers around the world on Matchroom Live via a subscription.
Featured image credit: WST
We now know that Crucible specialists Barry Hawkins and Anthony McGill will have to qualify for the Crucible.
This venue here in Leicester is not really suitable for a big tournament, but of course we are grateful for this event at short-notice. Tables 2-4 have two rows of chairs. This morning there were about 10 spectators for the 3 quarter-finals, and 8 people watching the Wilson-Pang semi-final. Table 1 is bigger, with 3 sides of 3 rows of chairs (maybe 120 capacity?). but only half full for the daytime sessions. It will be full for the final, however.