World Snooker Champs: It’s Talk or Walk Time for Vafaei
The 2023 World Snooker Championship has reached its second-round stage. For the most part, results have gone the way of the formbook. However, Judd Trump, the second favorite at the outset, was eliminated at the first hurdle when beaten 10-6 by Anthony McGill.
Perennial World Championship favorite, Ronnie O’Sullivan plays Hossein Vafaei in the final-16 stage on Friday. ‘The Rocket’ is UK bookmakers 2/7 to win the match – scheduled to be played over three days – and he might not be the good thing his odds suggest.
Hossein Vafaei is expected to outplay his generous odds against Ronnie O’Sullivan this weekend. ©GettyImages
Is the Rocket’s Fuse Still Damp?
O’Sullivan was far from impressive when beating Pang Junxu 10-7 in his opening-round game. Post-match, the seven-time World Champion was quick to blame a virus for a lackluster performance.
“I’m relieved it’s over. My legs and limbs have gone. I was so desperate to get over the line in every frame. I am so tired, and I cannot wait to get back to my bed,” said O’Sullivan in a post-match interview.
Will the 47-year-old be fully recovered by Friday? Presuming he is, O’Sullivan fans will hope to see a dramatic form improvement from their hero, as his highest break against Pang Junxu was just 82.
Vafaei Out to Show What He Can Do
Conversely, Hossein Vafaei played some of his best snooker to date. In his 10-6 dismissal of Ding Junhui, the Iranian registered eight 50+ breaks including two centuries. His impressive performance prompted former pro and Eurosport pundit, Alan McManus to say: “I think he [Vafaei] can win this championship, I think he is that good.”
Vafaei’s post-match interview was very different from O’Sullivan’s. In an astonishing outburst, the world number 23 said: “I have to play like that, to shut some people’s mouths, to show them what I can do.” When asked “Whose mouth or what mouths are we trying to shut,” Vafaei declared: “Ronnie O’Sullivan,” later adding, “He’s such a nice person when he is asleep!”
Confident the Form Is Not There
This game is shaping up like a grudge match. And while it is normally best to side with the most confident contender in such situations, our belief that Vafaei can overcome his 11/4 odds is not based on trash talk or O’Sullivan’s potential failure to recover from illness.
O’Sullivan has not been at his best this season, far from it. He has withdrawn from three ranking tournaments, failed to qualify for three others, and was a first or second-round casualty in five more.
Of the two competitions O’Sullivan has won, the Hong Kong Masters was little more than an exhibition event. His Champion of Champions victory was similarly hollow, with three victories over inferior rivals precluding his place in the final.
Maybe Play the Handicap for Caution
Hossein Vafaei has won just one ranking tournament compared to O’Sullivan’s 39. But there are 19 years between this pair, and visa issues interrupted the Iranian’s early professional career, and he was forced to miss several tournaments.
Ultimately, in snooker, the best form is the most recent form. The most recent meeting between this pair – a qualifier for the 2022 German Masters – resulted in a 5-0 victory for Vafaei. Impressively, during the match, Vafaei registered a 50+ break in every frame.
All factors considered, Vafaei’s odds appear too generous. The snooker betting sites offer the up-and-comer at 5/6 in the handicap market, where he receives 3.5-frames. In a best of 25 frames confrontation, it means even a 13-10 loss would be good enough for punters to collect.
