Barry Hawkins holds a 5-4 lead over Neil Robertson in the semi finals of the China Open. Englishman Hawkins is bidding for a first ranking title of the season and if he does manage to take the title in China it will provide him with a huge boost ahead of this year’s World Championship.
The 38-year-old, a finalist at The Crucible in 2013, has been taken to a deciding frame in his last two matches – against Cap Yupeng and Tom Ford – and seemingly faces another battle with Australia’s Robertson. However, the tournament has now become a best of 19 frames contest, rather than best of 11, and Hawkins does tend to do well over longer matches, as demonstrated by his excellent record at the World Championship where he has reached three semi-finals, one final and one quarter-final over the last five years. Robertson will provide a stern test however, as the Triple Crown winner seems to be back on form after a tough period.
The former world number one slid down the rankings and missed this year’s Masters as a result but has managed wins in the Scottish Open and Hong Kong Masters this season. Robertson is 10/11 to claim the win and Hawkins can be backed at 17/20.