Maguire v O’Sullivan: Best bets picked for Masters semi final
Published:Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ O’Sullivan certainly lived up to the nickname in his Masters quarter final, leaving Ricky Walden in a spin to take the match 6-0 inside one hour.
That performance left BBC pundit Ken Doherty to label it the very best he’d ever witnessed at the Masters and although Stephen Maguire saw off World number one Neil Robertson to book this date, it’s hard to see anyone stopping Ronnie in this mood.
Ok, it’s not the most lucrative payout, but as odds-on snooker bets go this one should certainly be snapped up.
Not only is Ronnie playing seamless snooker, but he’s defeated Maguire on 14 of the 18 occasions they’ve met, including four of the last five.
The Rocket recorded the third highest century break of the 2014 Masters against Walden, posting an unopposed 134 in the fourth frame of his last-eight tie.
That was Ronnie’s first ton of the tournament so far and interestingly in every one of his last four contests against Maguire, the master break-builder has posted a single century.
Maguire knows that the first frame is so important to set the tone in any big match, but especially when playing O’Sullivan in this mood.
The omens for the number six seed are good; as he’s won the opener in both his matches so far and is tantalisingly priced to do it again.
Although Ronnie thrashed Maguire 6-1 in the 2009 edition, contests are typically a lot tighter between the two.
Aside from Maguire’s 2012 China Open quarter-final triumph over O’Sullivan, the Rocket has won the last three meetings by exactly two frames.
