Stephen Maguire comes up against Poland’s Adam Stefanow in World Open qualifying on Monday in what could be a tough test for the 37-year-old.
Maguire reached the second round of the World Open last season and he has won just one match in the tournament proper since it returned to the snooker calendar in 2016.
The early-season event is one Maguire has traditionally struggled in, having failed to progress beyond the second round in 11 of the 13 World Open events he has featured in, and he will be keen to make a mark this year after a disappointing end to last season where he lost out in the first round of the World Championship.
Maguire is 1.08 to come out on top or 5.50 to win 5-3, while Stefanow is 7.00 to cause an upset and deny the world number 17 a place in the tournament proper in Yuhan, China.
Stefanow has lost his last two matches but prior to those back-to-back defeats he was in good form with five wins in eight outings and could be a dangerous opponent for Maguire.
Elsewhere, world number 48 Chris Wakelin will be hoping to make further strides forward in the season ahead after qualifying for the World Championship for the first time last season.
The 26-year-old from Chester is up against world number 89 Craig Steadman in what could be a really competitive match-up.
Wakelin qualified for the World Open last year and is 1.36 to secure the victory on Monday, while Steadman can be backed at 3.00.
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