Long Zehuang vs Kok Leong Lim Prediction: Zehuang will not disappoint

Long Zehuang will play Kok Leong Lim in the English Open qualification at the Morningside Arena, Leicester. The two players come into this game following a defeat. How will they approach this encounter?

Long Zehuang has not had an easy performance in recent times; in this encounter, he hopes to do better. Last time out, Long Zehuang played Ben Mertens in the Saudi Arabia Masters and lost. However, Long Zehuang did well in securing wins over Mark Selby and Liam Pullen in recent games that ended 4-5 and 0-4. Yet, Long Zehuang has had two wins, two defeats, and one draw in his last five matches. 

Kok Leong Lim is coming off a defeat against Artemijs Zizins, and in that encounter, he lost 4-0. However, looking at his professional matches, Kok Leong Lim has failed three times, with two other encounters against Scott Donaldson and Dylan Emery. In the meantime, his only victory came against Anthony Hamilton in the British Open qualification, which ended 4-1. Heading into this game, we can expect Kok Leong Lim to perform better and approach this encounter with his best strategy. 

Long Zehuang is the better player here, and I am not hesitant to back him. Kok Leong Lim is not showing class and character; I expect him to struggle in this encounter. Expect a competitive game regardless, as Kok Leong Lim will not give in easily, but Long Zehuang should win by a good margin.