Barry Hawkins vs Daniel Wells

📣 Hawkins already got the better of Wells back in September at the English Open, sealing a 4-1 win. Since then, the Englishman made a strong start at the Shenzhen Open, beating Liam Highfield 5-3 before falling to Elliot Slessor 2-5. Wells, meanwhile, has also been in good form: he cruised past Dylan Emery 4-0 in Northern Ireland Open qualifying, then dispatched Oliver Brown 6-2 and Oliver Sykes 4-2. Both players come into this rematch off the back of several convincing wins over fellow professionals.

However, last month’s head-to-head showed that Hawkins is capable of effectively shutting down the Welshman’s attacking game. The Englishman has superior control in tactical exchanges and rarely allows his opponent multiple scoring chances in a single frame. Wells is certainly good enough to put up a fight, but Hawkins’ edge in tactical discipline—combined with that recent 4-1 victory—makes a well-founded prediction for another win by at least two frames. Pick: Barry Hawkins with a -1.5 frame handicap.