Shaun Murphy will expect to progress when he takes on Soheil Vahedi in the opening round of the Dafabet English Open in Barnsley. The 2005 World Champion lost out in qualifying last week for the upcoming Shanghai Masters, surprisingly going down to Chinese teenager Yuan Sijun.
However, he has been in decent form so far this year, reaching the final of both the China Open and the Paul Hunter Classic and will be keen to put his recent disappointment behind him at the first attempt. Iran’s Vahedi is a new face on the scene, only turning professional this year and his only main draw appearance to date was at the Indian Open, where he lost to Zhang Anda in the opening round. The difference in pedigree means Murphy is the clear 2/13 favourite for the victory, with his opponent 7/2. Such a gulf in experience could also play a part and the 35-year-old can be found at 3/1 to win 4-0. Elsewhere and the other late match at the Metrodome sees Ali Carter take on youngster Oliver Lines.
Carter lost to Murphy in the semi-finals of the China Open but his form has been fairly patchy since and you feel he needs a win in order to find some momentum. His opponent Lines is having a good year to date, with the Indian Open the only tournament he is yet to qualify for and his steady progress since joining the professional ranks in 2014 means he is always dangerous. Although it will not be entirely straightforward, Carter should win at 1/4, with Lines available at 5/2.
Dafabet English Open odds available at Dafabet.