Yuelong Zhou vs Shaun Murphy Prediction: Murphy to qualify for the next round

Waterfront Hall will host the Northern Ireland Open encounter between Yuelong Zhou and Shaun Murphy. The last time the two players faced, Shaun Murphy won. Who qualifies for the next round?

Yuelong Zhou started his Northern Ireland Open on a good note, securing a 4-3 win over Dominic Dale. In what was a tight encounter, Yuelong Zhou needed to come from behind twice to win, leveling 1-1 and then coming from behind to pick three straight points. However, Yuelong Zhou heads into this game with a series of defeats before that win, extending to four. He was defeated by Elliot Slessor, Jamie Jones, Graham Dott and Michael Holt in that run. 

Shaun Murphy secured a 4-2 win in his first match in this Northern Ireland Open tournament and will look to get things right again. In a 7-frame game, Shaun Murphy had to come from two points behind to book his spot in this matchup. In his last tournament, Shaun Murphy lost in the quarterfinal of the Wuhan Open to Guodong Xiao. While he is the favorite in this game, Shaun Murphy is expected to show character, play at the top level and give this game his best.  

I will back Shaun Murphy in this match. Yuelong Zhou has not played at the top level at the moment and will need more than luck to win here. While the Chinese will look to take his chance, his performance in this fixture is not positive either. While Shaun Murphy is expected to do his job, a handicap win for him is a good option.