Stan Moody can have the chance to make a good greater identify for himself when he takes on Kyren Wilson within the Northern Eire Open on Thursday.
The 18 year-old has lengthy been tipped as a possible star of the long run, and this season he’s starting to display exactly why.
Moody thrashed World Championship runner-up Jak Jones 4-0 on Wednesday to succeed in the final 16, the place he’ll face Crucible champion Wilson.
It was simply the most recent in a string of spectacular outcomes that {the teenager} has been accumulating throughout this marketing campaign, including to latest victories over Zhang Anda, Tom Ford, and Ryan Day.
Moody turned skilled in 2023 after profitable the WSF Junior Championship, a prestigious worldwide competitors for younger amateurs.
He usually struggled to point out his true potential throughout his first time period as an expert, as most rookies do.
However through the 2024/25 snooker season, Moody has already reached the final 16 of two rating occasions.
Wilson will present his sternest check but, the Kettering cueist having received this far on the again of two dramatic 4-3 thrillers on the Waterfront Corridor.
Who else options within the final 16?
Defending champion Judd Trump stays on track to reign once more in Belfast, with the world primary trying to win this match for a record-extending fifth time.
Trump will look to increase his outstanding 2024 streak of getting reached the quarter-finals or higher in each occasion he’s participated in when he faces Barry Hawkins.
The highest quarter of the draw undoubtedly seems to be the toughest on paper, with former world champions Shaun Murphy and Stuart Bingham additionally in motion in opposition to each other.
The opposite part within the higher half is offering a possibility for a lesser-known contender to succeed in the enterprise finish of proceedings.
Elliot Slessor, Tian Pengfei, Louis Heatchote, and Lei Peifan all got here by the qualifiers and stay within the hunt for an unlikely glory.
Becoming a member of Kyren Wilson and Stan Moody within the backside half of the Northern Eire Open draw are the likes of Mark Williams and Neil Robertson.
Robertson, who encounters Oliver Traces, gained the latest English Open so is trying to safe a speedy Residence Nations double.
A victory this week would moreover see the Australian turn into the primary participant to seize all 4 titles on the sequence.
Williams, the Northern Eire Open champion seven years in the past, faces Ma Hailong whereas Pang Junxu is challenged by Martin O’Donnell within the different last-16 fixture.
Who’re the betting favourites?
Judd Trump stays the plain outright betting favorite with the Englishman carrying odds of 15/8 to raise the Alex Higgins Trophy once more.
Neil Robertson has odds of 4/1 with Kyren Wilson and Mark Williams fancied subsequent, priced respectively at 11/2 and 13/2.
Regardless of a number of eye-catching triumphs this season, 50/1 Stan Moody continues to be one of many massive outsiders, and solely Ma Hailong has longer odds of 66/1.
2024 Northern Eire Open
Wednesday, October twenty third
Outcomes
Pang Junxu 4-1 Luca Brecel
Lei Peifan 4-1 Tom Ford
Elliot Slessor 4-2 Lengthy Zehuang
Martin O’Donnell 4-2 Jimmy White
Oliver Traces 4-3 Mark Allen
Ma Hailong 4-1 Chris Wakelin
Barry Hawkins 4-2 John Higgins
Neil Robertson 4-0 Wang Yuchen
Kyren Wilson 4-3 Anthony McGill
Stan Moody 4-0 Jak Jones
Mark Williams 4-1 Noppon Saengkham
Thursday, October twenty fourth
Order of play
Final 16 (bo7)
1pm UTC+1
Stuart Bingham vs Shaun Murphy
Martin O’Donnell vs Pang Junxu
Following 1pm video games
Mark Williams vs Ma Hailong
Stan Moody vs Kyren Wilson
7pm UTC+1
Lei Peifan vs Elliot Slessor
Oliver Traces vs Neil Robertson
Following 7pm video games
Judd Trump vs Barry Hawkins
Louis Heathcote vs Tian Pengfei
Click on right here to view the complete draw
(snooker.org)
Featured photograph credit score: WST