2016 World Snooker Championship quarter-finals: Higgins contests McManus, Fu faces Hawkins

Lee Gormley | April 26, 2016

2016 World Snooker Championship

Quarter-final stage at the Crucible

The quarter-final line-up for the 2016 World Snooker Championship is complete, as the Crucible crowd gets ready to witness further drama and tensions at this pulsating stage in Sheffield.

In the opening last eight break-offs, Mark Selby takes on Kyren Wilson and Ding Junhui faces Mark Williams, but in the other tasty tussles there is another all Celtic affair between Alan McManus and John Higgins, while Barry Hawkins meets Marco Fu after downing Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Following his victory over compatriot and close friend Stephen Maguire, circuit veteran McManus is looking to continue his amazing run in Yorkshire and the Glaswegian is 10/3 with Coral to cause another upset over four-time world champion Higgins.

Higgins has McManus to deal with

Experienced cueist Higgins simply outclassed Ricky Walden in his last 16 outing, earning himself a dominant 13-8 victory, and the Wizard of Wishaw is 17/2 to overcome fellow Scot McManus by the same scoreline in his quarter-final match-up.

This battle of the older snooker heads will be the 22nd competitive meeting between the pair, with Higgins having prevailed on 12 occasions to McManus’ nine, though the latter has won their last two clashes, including a 2014 Crucible last 32 encounter.

As the oldest player still competing at 45 years of age, McManus is 21/10 to win the race to four frames, while 40-year-old Higgins is odds-on 8/15 to triumph and knock in the highest match break in his latest outing.

The previous meeting between this duo ended in a final frame decider and another to occur here can be had at 8/1, while two-time Crucible semi-finalist McManus 11/2 to to hold a 5-3 lead after eight frames played.

Fu faces off with Rocket conqueror Hawkins

After incredibly toppling five-time world champion O’Sullivan for the first time in 14 years, Hawkins returns to the Crucible baize to tackle Hong Kong cueist Fu, and the Hawk is 13/8 to overcome his opponent while also potting the highest break.

The Ditton potter came through an epic second round match-up with the Rocket, earning a tense deciding frame success, and he is 12/1 to record another 13-12 win here, with Fu 13/10 to book a semi-final place this year.

All is even in this pair’s previous head-to-heads, with seven wins apiece, but it’s Hawkins that has enjoyed more recent success with a run of four successive fixture victories, making him the 8/13 favourite to reach a fourth consecutive World Championship semi-final.

Although, Fu has been in solid form himself and ended the rampant run of Scottish break builder Anthony McGill to get this far with a 13-9 scoreline, and he is 14/1 to repeat that result hits time out, having also beaten former world champion Peter Ebdon en route.

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Coral’s top tip: Back Barry Hawkins to beat Marco Fu and make the highest break of the match.