Betdistrict.com
So we're here, the final and what a surprise is it. Shaun Murphy faces the biggest surprise of a recent world championship, Stuart Bingham.
Shaun Murphy is a form world champion. He has had a good season so far with some impressive results. He won the Masters and played the final of the German Open, to name some. So far this tournament he has defeated Robin Hull (10-3), Joe Perry (13-5), Anthony McGill (13-8) and Barry Hawkins (17-9). We can see that he has actually had a relatively easy passage, comparing with his possible draw. He avoided Selby and Robertson. That is, I believe, the biggest problem that Murphy has in this final, he has not really been tested. The only opponent to put up real resistance was McGill who actually led Murphy for the first part of the match. Murphy is an all-round player. He has very good break building abilities, a good long distance pot and very good tactical play. He hangs on for every frame which can frustrate opponents. So far this tournament his play has been great. When he is at the table he seems sure of himself and I believe this will continue in the final.
Stuart Bingham in the final. If someone told me that at the beginning I would have though he was crazy. Bingham defeated, in order, Robbie Williams (10-7), Graeme Dott (13-5), Ronnie O'Sullivan (13-9) and Judd Trump (17-16). He defeated in the last two rounds the two main favorites for the title, so one thing is for sure, he deserves a place in this final. So how did this happen? Well, Bingham started the tournament pretty badly against Robbie Williams and even the game against Dott were not really of a very high level. Against O'Sullivan and then against Trump nobody gave him a chance but here he is. He has a more conservative style of play, he does not take risks and often is content to play safe and wait for the opponent to make a mistake. That is not to say that he is incapable of being aggressive. He has a decent long pot, but usually not as good as Murphy's, he is a solid break builder which he has shown in his last two games and he is a very good strategic player, at about the same level as Murphy, maybe a bit weaker. Against O'Sullivan and Trump, usually these two had a lot of chances but made horrible mistakes, played shots that they really should not have played, especially Trump. Murphy is a different type of player, slower and more rational.
Another element to consider here is the psychological pressure. Murphy has already played and won at this level. For Bingham at 38 this is probably his one and last chance to be World Champion. Moreover, Bingham can feel a bit of fatigue, mostly on a mental level. His last two games were very hard fought, and just like Selby last year he finished his last game long into the night. Last year Selby could barely hit anything in the first part of the final. Murphy is the clear favorite here and I really don't think that Bingham can pull of another surprise. The odds around 1.50 are fair, I choose a 2.5 handicap because I believe Murphy should be able to cover that. A lot will be up for the first 8 games if Murphy wins that first session he will be hard to stop. I should warn, if on the other hand Bingham manages to not lose the first session the chances of this bet will go down to about 40%. My prediction: 18-13 Murphy.
Pick: Shaun Murphy -2.5 games
Odds: 1.8
Bookmaker: ➾ Bet365
Stake: 9 units
Tipster: Ares
| TIPSTER: Ares | Total profit: +12.81 | Tips won: 21 |
| Country: Romania | Total yield: +4.78% | Tips lost: 22 |
| Speciality: Snooker | Total picks: 44 | Tips pushed: 1 |
| 12.08 | • ASA Targu Mures - ACS Poli Timisoara | 1.87 | 8 | ❌ | -8 |
| 12.08 | • Dominika Cibulkova - Alize Cornet | 1.57 | 9 | ❌ | -9 |
| 09.08 | • Fergal O'Brien - Luca Brecel | 2.2 | 4 | ❌ | -4 |
| 09.08 | • Steaua Bucuresti - Dinamo Bucuresti | 4.45 | 2 | ❌ | -2 |
| 08.08 | • CSU Craiova - Concordia Chaijna | 2.32 | 4 | ✅ | +5.28 |
| 07.08 | • Luca Brecel - Nigel Bond | 1.8 | 5 | ✅ | +4 |
| 06.08 | • Astra Giurgiu - West Ham United | 1.73 | 10 | ✅ | +7.3 |
| 09.07 | • Garbine Muguruza - Agnieszka Radwanska | 2 | 7 | ❌ | -7 |
| 07.07 | • Bryan B./Bryan M. - Bopanna R./Mergea | 4 | 5 | ✅ | +15 |
| 01.07 | • Fernando Verdasco - Dominic Thiem | 2.73 | 6 | ❌ | -6 |
