2020 Betfred World Matchplay – Mensur Suljovic vs Jamie Hughes Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Mensur Suljovic vs Jamie Hughes taking place? Sunday 19th July, 2020 (session starts at 18:00 (UK))
Where is Mensur Suljovic vs Jamie Hughes taking place? Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
What channel is Mensur Suljovic vs Jamie Hughes on? Sky Sports
Where can I stream Mensur Suljovic vs Jamie Hughes? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for Mensur Suljovic vs Jamie Hughes? The 2020 Betfred World Matchplay will take place behind closed doors
What was the outcome in the last meeting? Jamie Hughes beat Mensur Suljovic 10-5
THE LOWDOWN
MENSUR SULJOVIC
- Mensur Suljovic enjoyed his best ever run at the World Matchplay two years ago when he lost out to Gary Anderson in an epic final which required extra legs with the Scotsman eventually winning 21-19.
- This is Suljovic’s seventh appearance at the World Matchplay and he has a good record at getting over the first hurdle with his only opening round defeat having come on his tournament debut against Raymond van Barneveld in 2013.
- The Gentle may not be playing as consistently well overall as he was a couple of years ago but he is still a very capable performer and showed some good form at the Summer Series last week with a quarter-final appearance on day one and a run to the semi-finals on the fourth day.
JAMIE HUGHES
- Jamie Hughes will be looking to get through the opening round at the World Matchplay for the first time after exiting the tournament against Michael Smith in round one on his debut 12 months ago.
- Hughes is still a relative newcomer to the PDC circuit having only won his tour card at the start of 2019 but he’s rising steadily up the rankings and had his best run in a PDC major in March at the UK Open when he reached the quarter-finals and defeated Mensur Suljovic along the way.
- Yozza warmed up for this event with some good performances in the Summer Series last week with his best run coming on day four where he reached the quarter-finals and only just lost out in a last-leg decider against Rob Cross.
THE PREDICTION
This is a very intriguing opening round match which promises to be a very tight contest between two players who showed similar form last week at the Summer Series. Suljovic is the higher-ranked player and has produced the goods more consistently in the big tournaments but he’s not quite as consistent as he was a couple of years ago when he would have been well fancied to progress. Hughes is on the verge of breaking into the top 32 and is surely going to feature more and more in the big TV tournaments over the next few months. Yozza impressed when reaching the quarter-finals at the UK Open in March and he will be encouraged by that showing especially as he ousted Suljovic along the way. It’s hard to separate this pair and this match could well go into extra legs, so if you are considering a bet it could be worth checking out the Total Legs market.
