Welsh Open snooker: first-round match previews, best bets and where to watch

Free snooker tips, best bets and first-round match previews for the Welsh Open.

Where to watch

Eurosport 1, from 10am Monday

Best bets

Nigel Bond to beat Ricky Walden
2pts 11-5 bet365

Fraser Patrick to beat Xiao Guodong
1pt 4-1 Hills

First-round previews

Nigel Bond's run to the quarter-final of the Betway UK Championship in December indicated that the 54-year-old has plenty left to give and quotes of 11-5 underrate the veteran when he takes on Ricky Walden in the first round of the Welsh Open.

Mark Allen ended Bond's hopes in a deciding frame in York but that solid performance wasn't an isolated case as far as the 1995 World Championship finalist is concerned.

Bond enjoyed a decent trip to the last 16 of last month's German Masters. Before that effort in the Tempodrom there were a couple of first-round defeats in the Scottish Open and European Masters but those came against class cuemen Neil Robertson and Robert Milkins.

Walden has generally struggled for form this season. The Chester potter has plenty of class but was beaten in the opening rounds of both the German and European Masters.

Walden deserves to be favourite for Tuesday's clash but perhaps bet365 have gone a little too far by making the Marathon Man a 4-11 shot.

Another big price worth taking today is the 4-1 on offer with Hills about Fraser Patrick beating Xiao Guodong.

Patrick regained his tour card this season by coming through Q-School and, while it's a tough ask to beat Guodong, the Scot is a capable cueman who looks worth chancing at the odds.

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