Joe Cullen believes he has a fighting chance against Chris Dobey at the World Grand Prix despite The Rockstar’s poor form over the last few months.
The two friends meet in the first round of the Leicester event at the Mattiol Arena on October 8 as both men look to build on semi-final appearances in the tournament previously.
Dobey reached the last four in 2019, while Cullen reached the same stage last year and believes the tournament format will help him succeed.
Joe Cullen think World Grand Prix format can reverse slump
Cullen has not reached further than the last 16 of a tournament since August and is hoping the double start format can kickstart his form.
Speaking to the Bradford Telegraph, Cullen said: “Normally, I’d say Chris’ good form would help him, but I do think it’s a little irrelevant because of the format of the World Grand Prix.
“Chris is one of my best friends on the Tour, I spend a lot of time with him, so I know full well that the main part of his game is scoring.
“He’s a massive scorer, and if this was a ‘normal’ tournament, like the World Matchplay, he’d definitely be going into our game as the favourite, and rightly so.
“But the double start format is a massive leveller, especially with the opening game only being the first to two sets.
“You need to get out of the blocks straightaway, as the pressure’s on quickly if you don’t, and I’ve been on both sides of that.”
“It’s a massive leveller like I said, and there have been so many surprise finalists and even winners because of that.
“That’s what the uniqueness of this tournament, and the cutthroat nature of this format, can produce.”
Dobey has picked up two Pro Tour events this year, winning the Players Championship 7 and 19.
Cullen’s excellent record against Dobey
Cullen is right to be confident heading into his collision with Dobey. The Rockstar has an excellent record against Hollywood, winning four out of his last five meetings with the 34-year-old.
That includes a meeting at last year’s World Grand Prix where Cullen was victorious under the double start format.
He defeated Dobey 3-2 in Leicester to reach the semi-finals of the major tournament before losing to eventual winner Luke Humphries.