2016 World Snooker Championship last 16: In-form Fu and McGill meet, McManus faces Carter

Lee Gormley | April 20, 2016

2016 World Snooker Championship

World Championship reaches last 16 stage

The Crucible witnessed many top seeds exit in the opening round of the 2016 World Snooker Championship, with reigning champion Stuart Bingham being one of those casualties, and it’s time for last 16 action beginning on Thursday afternoon.

Shaun Murphy was one of the first round victims as he suffered an opening defeat to Scottish talent Anthony McGill, and the latter cueist will now have to deal with the threat of Hong Kong’s Marco Fu, who ousted former world champion Peter Ebdon.

In the evening session, Alan McManus’ reward for overcoming friend and compatriot Stephen Maguire is a last 16 clash with two-time finalist Ali Carter, and the experienced Scottish potter is 7/4 with Coral to progress in Sheffield.

In-form McGill and Fu face off

After rallying into the quarter-finals during last year’s World Championship, 25-year-old McGill began his latest Crucible campaign strongly, as the qualifier knocked out 2005 champion Murphy with a 10-8 opening result.

The Glaswegian knocked in two centuries on course to earning an impressive victory over the Magician and he is 11/8 for another success over Chinese cueist Fu, who he has failed to beat in two previous competitive meetings.

Two-time ranking event winner Fu was clinical against 2002 Crucible king Ebdon, as the 2006 semi-finalist reached this stage via a comprehensive 10-2 triumph, and he is 29/10 to lead 5-3 after eight frames played this time around.

Having reached the last 16, players will now be contesting a best-of-25 frames rather than the previous 19, and McGill is 12/1 to edge Fu out 13-11, while the latter break builder is 12/1 to win a decider 13-12.

McManus meets Captain Carter in evening

At 45 years of age, Angles McManus is the oldest player still battling at the Crucible this year, following his hard-fought success over fellow countryman Maguire and the circuit veteran is 11/8 to win the race to four frames this time out.

In this evening break-off, it’s former Crucible finalist Carter that enters as the odds-on 4/9 favourite to progress beyond the last 16, having narrowly toppled 2015 champion Bingham in a final frame shootout.

The Captain is 12/1 to earn another deciding frame victory (13-12) here, while experienced Scot McManus is 14/1 to win 13-10 and avenge his defeat to Carter in last year’s last 32 in Yorkshire.

That success saw Carter move ahead in their head-to-heads, boasting three victories to McManus’ two, though the latter has prevailed in two of the last three meetings and will look to continue his impressive run on a 19th career World Championship campaign.

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Coral’s top tip: Back Anthony McGill to overcome Marco Fu at 11/8.