Ken Doherty weighs up the UK Championship favourites and dark horses

The UK Championship looks arsenic unfastened arsenic ever, with a fig of the ‘usual suspects’ successful contention, on with acheronian horses and unsafe qualifiers.

With 7 antithetic ranking lawsuit winners already this play and Mark Williams’ triumph astatine the Champion of Champions past week, determination is nary shortage of players feeling bully astir their game.

While it seems to beryllium a enactment trotted retired astatine a batch of events, the modular of qualifiers could genuinely beryllium arsenic beardown arsenic ever, with morganatic rubric contenders among them.

Ken Doherty, who played successful determination UK Championship finals, sees plentifulness of imaginable winners successful the field.

‘You’d person to look astatine the accustomed suspects, I suppose, the likes of [Judd] Trump, [Kyren] Wilson, Mark Williams who played truthful good past week successful the Champ of Champs,’ Doherty told Metro. Ronnie O’Sullivan, you can’t discount Ronnie, helium loves the UK Championship, he’s the defending champion.

‘But I’m looking down the apical 16 database and reasoning who could travel retired of that battalion and I similar idiosyncratic similar Si Jiahui, helium could marque a sanction for himself. Xiao Guodong could proceed connected the mode helium played past week arsenic well.

‘You look astatine possibly idiosyncratic from present [qualifying] arsenic well. Is it clip for Jack Lisowski to person a truly bully run? Neil Robertson, nary one’s going to privation to play him if helium gets there, oregon [Stuart] Bingham for that matter.

‘The accustomed suspects, Trump, O’Sullivan, [Mark] Selby, Mark Allen, Kyren Wilson, they’re going to beryllium determination and determination abouts, a batch of winners there.’

Former champion Zhao Xintong besides remains successful contention, conscionable 1 lucifer distant from qualifying for the Barbican in his archetypal nonrecreational tourney since returning from a prohibition from the sport.

He faces a pugnacious trial successful his last qualifier against Ricky Walden, but volition beryllium a menace if helium tin instrumentality to a spot wherever helium enjoyed his top triumph.

‘The mode he’s played truthful acold this week connected the comeback trail, he’s been perfectly flying,’ said Doherty of Zhao. ‘He’s made a litany of breaks and he’ll proceed to bash truthful and he’ll beryllium hard to stop.

‘He’s won the UK Championship truthful he’ll person large memories determination and that’s truthful important erstwhile you spell to a venue you similar to play in. We’ve seen Ding [Junhui] get truthful overmuch occurrence there, [Stephen] Maguire, O’Sullivan, players person definite venues they emotion playing in, Zhao Xintong mightiness person that for York and he’ll beryllium truly unsafe if helium gets there.’

Ding has been to the past 2 finals successful York and Doherty feels that affirmative vibes successful a venue tin number for a lot.

‘It’s a batch of memories, if you’ve played good determination before, you consciousness astatine easiness successful definite venues compared to ones wherever you haven’t had overmuch luck oregon success,’ helium said. ‘You get bully vibes, a outpouring successful your measurement and you truly look guardant to going back.

‘Players who haven’t tin think, “Oh Jesus, it’s conscionable different venue I don’t like,” nary substance who they play.

‘Even the greats, idiosyncratic similar John Higgins, who’s done good everyplace other he’s gone, but possibly that’s 1 venue that conscionable doesn’t truly regale with him that well.’

On his ain experiences, Crafty Ken said: ‘One venue that I hated playing in? I don’t know. There’s truthful many!

‘I mislaid successful 2 finals astatine the Barbican but I ever enjoyed playing there. I had a nightmare 1 twelvemonth against O’Sullivan and mislaid 10-1, played terrible, I was fortunate to get one.

‘The different last was 10-9 to Williams and that was much of a heart-breaker. But I emotion the venue, the atmosphere, the metropolis and I deliberation it’s going to beryllium a large week.’

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