Tuesday's World Snooker Championship quarter-final predictions and betting tips: Fearless Belgian can make the Rocket work for his rewards

Where to watch the World Snooker Championship

BBC & Eurosport, from 10am Tuesday

Best bets

Mark Allen -3.5 frames v Jak Jones
1pt 5-6 bet365

Over 21.5 frames in Ronnie O’Sullivan v Luca Brecel
2pts 8-11 bet365

Ronnie O'Sullivan v Luca Brecel 10am Tuesday

Ronnie O’Sullivan let his snooker do the talking as he silenced Hossein Vafaei in a 13-2 rout in the last 16, but the Rocket may not blast his way past quarter-final opponent Luca Brecel.

Ronnie’s showdown with Vafaei had been billed as a grudge match due to the Iranian’s pre-match comments and early table antics, but it was not a contest as the seven-time world champion stamped his class.

But in fearless Belgian Brecel, he faces a different test, one which may require O’Sullivan to be more patient in his bid to reach the semi-final for a 14th time.

Despite having stated he has put little practice in preparation for this event and opting to travel back to Belgium in between matches, Brecel has been simply brilliant.

The 28-year-old shot-maker came past a tricky test against Ricky Walden in a deciding frame in his Crucible curtain-raiser before raising the stakes to oust another member of the Class of '92, Mark Williams 13-11, a victory that saw him compile four centuries.

Williams looked in fine touch so that victory should be taken seriously and there is every reason to think he can perform just as admirably against the Rocket and, therefore, ensure the contest features at least 22 frames.

Mark Allen v Jak Jones 10am Tuesday

Jak Jones has enjoyed a dream Crucible debut, building on a 10-6 win over Ali Carter in the opening round with an equally emphatic 13-7 victory against 2010 champion Neil Robertson in the last 16.

Jones also accounted for 2013 World Championship runner-up Barry Hawkins in qualifying so the Welshman is more than deserving of his place in the quarter-final.

However, the current world number 52 must at some point blink and in the biggest match of his career, against the season’s form man in Mark Allen, this may be the moment where he does.

Allen has lived up to his billing as third seed and has made serene progress into the last eight, capitalising on Fan Zhengyi’s inexperience in a 10-5 victory in round one before making the most of an out-of-sorts Stuart Bingham in a 13-4 triumph.

The Northern Irishman is bidding to make the one-table set-up in Sheffield for the first time since 2009 but three tournament wins this season, which includes another Triple Crown event at the UK Championship, suggests he may be in the best shape of his life.

Allen made 11 breaks of 60-plus in that beating of Bingham and with that scoring prowess only going to add to the pressure of the occasion for Jones, the Pistol is taken to win this best-of-25 contest by at least four frames.

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