Betfred World Championship second-round predictions & winner odds: Watch Warrior

Free snooker tips, best bets and analysis for day nine of the Betfred World Championship on Sunday.

Where to watch

BBC & Eurosport, from 10am Sunday

Best bets

Kyren Wilson -1.5 frames v Stuart Bingham 10am
3pts 4-6 Betfair, Betfred, Paddy Power

Under 2.5 John Higgins centuries v Noppon Saengkham 10am
1pt 10-11 Betfair, Paddy Power

Kyren Wilson v Stuart Bingham

Head-to-head: Wilson leads 11-6

Kyren Wilson's reward for his sterling 10-8 Betfred World Championship first-round triumph over Ding Junhui is a date with Stuart Bingham.

And while Bingham is seldom an easy opponent to silence, there was a lot to like about the way Wilson went about his work in his opener.

It's no secret that the Warrior can be a heavy scorer when he finds his A-game, but against Ding he brought to the table an assured composure that he has arguably never before exuded in his career.

Add to that the fact that Wilson's cue ball control and positional play looks to have come on in leaps and bounds and the Kettering potter has an all-round package that could take him closer than ever before to opening his account in a major.

Wilson will have been well aware of the need to be mentally strong in the face of Ding, who is also showing more steel on the baize this season. But the focused Warrior's expression barely changed in his opener and that could spell trouble for whoever he meets in Sheffield this year.

Bingham, world champion in 2015, remains a fine player although he has had a quieter campaign than usual this season. He had little trouble dismissing Lyu Haotian 10-5 in an opening clash which saw him post a solitary three-figure break of 140, but the Essex-based 45-year-old may struggle to hang on to the coat-tails of Wilson, who has won 11 of their 17 previous meetings.

Noppon Saengkham v John Higgins

Head-to-head: Level at 4-4

John Higgins' game looked in reasonably good order in his opening 10-7 first-round victory over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, although the Scot looked a little jaded at times.

The four-time Crucible champion may be feeling the effects of a long, consistent campaign – and some of Higgins' shots towards the end of his last-32 outing were fraught with risk and quite frankly bizarre.

Opening-night nerves may have been the reason for Higgins struggling to get over the line in his curtain-raiser. But whatever the case, a chance can still be taken on the Wizard of Wishaw again struggling to find ideal rhythm in the hallowed Sheffield arena when he meets Theppy's fellow Thai Noppon Saengkham over the best of 25 frames.

Saengkham, who has four victories to his name over Higgins, is an improving, unheralded performer who made breaks of 127 and 110 in his opening 10-5 triumph over Luca Brecel. He could keep it reasonably competitive against Higgins, who was victorious in the most recent instalment of the Championship League in early February. But the handicap quotes are difficult to quibble with so take a chance on the favourite compiling no more than two century breaks.

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