On the road again - World Open

03:20:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

I`ve just remembered Donkey’s line from "Shrek 1", when he starts singing "On the road again" and Shrek is so pissed off that he replays "You’re going straight for a smack bottom"...or words to that effect :)) Anyway, no one is pissed off here because of the new snooker journey, on the contraire - I think we are all very excited for this new tournament. The first time that this competition saw the sun’s light was back in 1982, when people called it "Professional Players Tournament". Two years later, the name was changed into "Grand Prix", from 2001 it will be remembered as the "LG Cup" and from 2004 the"Grand Prix" name returned to take the lead once again :))


Now, in 2010 a new name emerged, but there are a lot more differences that just the title of this tournament. First of all the game’s rule is the best of five frames and second of all, before a new round a random draw will be performed, so the element of surprise is the main key here.
The new way of playing the game has its supporters but also its critics (for example Stephen Hendry said in a recent interview that he doesn’t see the reason for this tournament to be a ranking one). Still what’s really important is that we are on the road again to seeing great snooker played in the beautiful Scotland.


One of the most important figures of the snooker world, the 1997 world champion Ken Doherty is also on the run for a winning opportunity at the World Open. In an interview given to 110sport.tv, Ken said:

Doherty - eager to win
"I am happy that I have made both ranking tournaments this season but I am not the kind of guy who will be happy at just making the venue stages. I want to be doing damage in events by getting through to the later stages and really competing. I have come a long way from my poor form a few years back and I really want to progress even further."


"The World Open is going to be a really exciting tournament. I am going to Glasgow with no idea of what to expect. The beauty of the best of five setup is that it is nearly impossible to pick a winner and I think the tournament will be really popular because of that. The random draw after each round could throw up some fantastic matches and with only the one table it is a great chance for certain players to show what they can do in front of a big crowd.", added the Irish.


With his adorable optimism and his way of living the life to the max, the legend Jimmy White, seems also delighted by the new tournament. Although many would see "The Whirlwind" giving up snooker, the guy is participating in almost every minor or major ranking event out there, he travels high and low with the Snooker Legends caravan and takes part in snooker exhibitions all around the country. A full schedule, but one which keeps our beloved Jimmy "on fire".:)

Jimmy is not giving up on snooker
Asked by the same 110sport.tv what are his thoughts regarding the World Open, White said: "It’s really nice to be back in Scotland. The best of five format is one that will suit me nicely and I am hoping that I can do well. In the first round I am playing Paul Davison. I know he’s been around for a while so it will be a tough match. I give every one of my opponents the highest amount of respect and Paul will be no different".


"I am a supporter of Barry (Hearn) and I think with this tournament he is hoping to appeal to a younger breed of fans and let’s hope it works out well. With guys like O’Sullivan around matches could be finished in ten minutes. It doesn’t matter to me though it could be one frame or one hundred frames - I love the game and I am really keen to compete.", said the snooker legend.

Neil Robertson has two victories in Scotland
The current world champion, Neil Robertson, although not in his best form lately, is also in the run for a comfortable place in the tournament that kicks off today in Glasgow. "Aussie" will fight the runner-up from this year’s World Championship, Graeme Dott. A true delight for many snooker fans!


"The two world finalists going at it in the first round should be fun. The matches are only best-of-five frames but there are a lot of ranking points at stake which puts the players under pressure, and that suits me fine. You have to make sure you are up for it from the first shot. There will be a lot of close matches, which is what people want to see." said Robbo for 110sport.tv


So, my dears please sort your problems so you can really enjoy nine days of pure, high-quality snooker.:)
The World Open starts today with some qualifying matches, the matches that were "postponed" from the actually qualifying stage.
But let’s see who’s playing:


At 14:30 (UK time)
Neil Robertson v. Graeme Dott
Allister Carter v. Thepchaiya Un Nooh
Stephen Maguire v. Stuart Pettman


At 19:00 (UK time)
Steve Davis vs. Peter Ebdon
Shaun Murphy vs. Dave Harold


Where we shall see the boys:
14:55 - 16:30 (EuroSport 2)
15:00 – 16:30 (BBC1)
19:00 - 22:00 (EuroSport 2)
23:20 – 00:10 (BBC2)
00:10 – 02:10 (BBC2 Extra)


Also, you can try the "lucky" link (lucky if it works :P) and select the World Open tournament from the list.
World Snooker has a big surprise for the snooker fans: LIVE scoring (and this time is seems to be true :P).


Good luck to all the snooker players and let’s get the party started, shall we? :))

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