Barry Hawkins vs Ryan Day Prediction: A tight contest ahead

Barry Hawkins and Ryan Day will meet at Crucible Theatre in this round 1/16. In the world rankings, Hawkins is 15th, while Day is 18, making this game a projected tight affair. Below, we will look into both players' performances and make a prediction. 

Barry Hawkins has not had luck in recent games, but the Englishman will look to begin his World Championship tournament on a bright note. In his last tournament participation, Hawkins was defeated by Ali Carter in the round ⅛ of the Tour Championship earlier this April. Moreover, Barry Hawkins has seen consecutive defeats, as he also lost to Neil Robertson in the World Open quarterfinals in a game that ended 5-2. However, Barry Hawkins did defeat Jenson Kendrick, Robbie Williams, and Stuart Maguire in three of his recent games. While he has now won two of the last three meetings of this fixture, we can look forward to seeing Barry Hawkins be at his best and give quality play and determination to make it to the next round of this tournament.

Ryan Day will have high hopes in this game following a strong qualification performance. Ryan Day faced back-to-back defeats before the qualification games, where he defeated Scott Donaldson and John Astley. In those losses, John Higgins defeated Ryan Day in round 1/16 of the Welsh Open, and in round 1/32 of the World Open encounter, he lost to Matthew Stevens. While he heads into this game, Ryan Day has lost three and won three of his last six games in recent tournaments.

This encounter is going to be a close game with close results. The two players have played multiple times and are familiar with each other’s game, and I expect both players to show character and desire in this game. While Barry Hawkins holds the advantage of winning here, Ryan Day has not played poorly in recent times either. While the two players are expected to be at their best, Ryan Day, as an underdog, is expected to close the odds. Also, while this is expected to be tight, betting on total frames is another option to consider.