Anthony McGill goes into his World Championship quarter-final with Si Jiahui as the favourite, but it is the Chinese youngster who has won all three of their previous meetings.
McGill downed Jack Lisowski 13-8 on Monday night at the Crucible, while Si got the better of Rob Milkins 13-7 earlier in the day to set up the last eight clash.
The Scot is in his fourth Crucible quarter-final while Si is making his debut in the tournament, so it is no surprise that McGill is favourite, but their head-to-head record makes for interesting reading.
Three times they have played and three times Si has won, including two matches over a not insignificant best of nine format last year at the European Masters and Turkish Masters.
The Glaswegian knows full well he is in for a tough test against the 20-year-old when they meet over three sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
‘Si Jiahui, incredible performance against Shaun [Murphy], Shaun’s been the player of the year, took it to him, first time out 20 years old. Then he goes and beats an inexperienced name in Rob Milkins, let’s not forget about that,’ McGill told the BBC.
‘Yes some of the names in the section might not be the top 8 or whatever, but they can all play.
‘I remember the first time I played him and thought this kid is going to the top. He cues so straight, just smashing.
‘The pockets could be the same size as the balls and he’d still pot them, he’s that accurate. I’ll need to be on it.’
He added in a post-match press conference: ‘His cue action, it’s so straight. It’s just dynamite, it’s the way I try to play but I can’t do it. But he just does it. Incredible player, I love that about him.’
Si was asked about the one-sided head-to-head record against McGill, but was not getting carried away, feeling the Scot was under-performing when they met.
‘The previous three times I don’t think Anthony played his best, that’s why I won,’ he said.
‘I won’t play him thinking I’m going to beat him, I’ll just play.’
Things got a bit edgy for McGill on Monday night against Lisowski, holding a 10-1 lead that was cut to 11-8, but he eventually got over the line.
‘I had a similar game a couple of years ago with Kurt Maflin, I had a big lead and he came back, so I’ve got previous for it,’ he said.
‘I felt good. I felt Jack played great, for someone who’s not considered to play a brilliant safety player, I thought his safety was fantastic. I think Jack takes a lot of credit.
‘His long-potting was great virtually the whole match, just first session a lot of basic mistakes from him, but he cut those out and came back into the match. He’s a quality player.
‘I feel great, even when it’s going wrong, there’s an enjoyment to it. You’re not going to go best of 19s, 25s, just flying, you’re going to face adversity. I think I’ve done alright.’
Always a classy operator, McGill said of his beaten opponent: ‘A word for Jack, he takes a lot of stick because every interview he does he’s reminded he’s not won a tournament yet. He’s going to get there.’
MORE : Si Jiahui assesses potential World Championship quarter-final opponents
MORE : Mark Selby marches on at the Crucible as he sets up blockbuster John Higgins quarter-final
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