Stan Moody will have the opportunity to make an even bigger name for himself when he takes on Kyren Wilson in the Northern Ireland Open on Thursday.
The 18 year-old has long been tipped as a potential star of the future, and this season he is beginning to demonstrate precisely why.
Moody thrashed World Championship runner-up Jak Jones 4-0 on Wednesday to reach the last 16, where he’ll face Crucible champion Wilson.
It was just the latest in a string of impressive results that the teenager has been accumulating during this campaign, adding to recent victories over Zhang Anda, Tom Ford, and Ryan Day.
Moody turned professional in 2023 after winning the WSF Junior Championship, a prestigious international competition for young amateurs.
He generally struggled to show his true potential during his first term as a professional, as most rookies do.
But during the 2024/25 snooker season, Moody has already reached the last 16 of two ranking events.
Wilson will provide his sternest test yet, the Kettering cueist having got this far on the back of two dramatic 4-3 thrillers at the Waterfront Hall.
Who else features in the last 16?
Defending champion Judd Trump remains on course to reign again in Belfast, with the world number one attempting to win this tournament for a record-extending fifth time.
Trump will look to extend his remarkable 2024 streak of having reached the quarter-finals or better in every event he’s participated in when he faces Barry Hawkins.
The top quarter of the draw undoubtedly looks the hardest on paper, with former world champions Shaun Murphy and Stuart Bingham also in action against one another.
The other section in the upper half is providing an opportunity for a lesser-known contender to reach the business end of proceedings.
Elliot Slessor, Tian Pengfei, Louis Heatchote, and Lei Peifan all came through the qualifiers and remain in the hunt for an unlikely glory.
Joining Kyren Wilson and Stan Moody in the bottom half of the Northern Ireland Open draw are the likes of Mark Williams and Neil Robertson.
Robertson, who encounters Oliver Lines, won the recent English Open so is attempting to secure a rapid Home Nations double.
A victory this week would additionally see the Australian become the first player to capture all four titles on the series.
Williams, the Northern Ireland Open champion seven years ago, faces Ma Hailong while Pang Junxu is challenged by Martin O’Donnell in the other last-16 fixture.
Who are the betting favourites?
Judd Trump remains the obvious outright betting favourite with the Englishman carrying odds of 15/8 to lift the Alex Higgins Trophy again.
Neil Robertson has odds of 4/1 with Kyren Wilson and Mark Williams fancied next, priced respectively at 11/2 and 13/2.
Despite several eye-catching triumphs this season, 50/1 Stan Moody is still one of the big outsiders, and only Ma Hailong has longer odds of 66/1.
2024 Northern Ireland Open
Wednesday, October 23rd
Results
Pang Junxu 4-1 Luca Brecel
Lei Peifan 4-1 Tom Ford
Elliot Slessor 4-2 Long Zehuang
Martin O’Donnell 4-2 Jimmy White
Oliver Lines 4-3 Mark Allen
Ma Hailong 4-1 Chris Wakelin
Barry Hawkins 4-2 John Higgins
Neil Robertson 4-0 Wang Yuchen
Kyren Wilson 4-3 Anthony McGill
Stan Moody 4-0 Jak Jones
Mark Williams 4-1 Noppon Saengkham
Thursday, October 24th
Order of play
Last 16 (bo7)
1pm UTC+1
Stuart Bingham vs Shaun Murphy
Martin O’Donnell vs Pang Junxu
Following 1pm games
Mark Williams vs Ma Hailong
Stan Moody vs Kyren Wilson
7pm UTC+1
Lei Peifan vs Elliot Slessor
Oliver Lines vs Neil Robertson
Following 7pm games
Judd Trump vs Barry Hawkins
Louis Heathcote vs Tian Pengfei
Click here to view the full draw
(snooker.org)
Featured photo credit: WST
