Three Livewires for the World Snooker Championship
Four rounds of qualifying for the World Snooker Championships are now complete. Staged in Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport, the series has provided the tournament with 16 players that will join and individually meet the world’s top-16 seeded players in the Crucible Theatre stages of the tournament.
Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby ahead of their World Championship final clash in 2021. Could they meet in the decider again in 2023? ©GettyImages
The lowest-ranked player to reach the final 32 is world number 80, Si Jiahui. The 20-year-old – one of five Chinese players in the competition – will meet 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy in his first-round match.
Other noteworthy qualifiers include former casino croupier Elliott Slessor, and 48-year-old Joe Perry, who booked his place in the televised stage with a thrilling 10-9 victory over Mark Davis in a game that went down to the final black ball.
Will 2023 Be the Year of the Qualifier?
The highest-ranked players from outside of the world’s top-16 to qualify for the Crucible stages include number 17, Ryan Day, Anthony McGill (19), Dave Gilbert (20), Hossein Vafaei (21) and Ricky Walden (22).
Stephen Maguire has failed to qualify for the World Championship for the first time in 20 years. Likewise, 2013 finalist Barry Hawkins will not be in the line-up for the first time in 18 years.
Only three qualifiers have ever won the tournament: Alex Higgins in 1972, Terry Griffiths in 1979 and Shaun Murphy in 2005. But there are plenty of classy established players amongst the qualifiers. Enough to give us reason to believe a player from outside the world top 16 could prevail in 2023.
Rocket Flying Highest in the Betting
The 2023 World Snooker Championship betting is, understandably, headed by the established top-ranked players. World number one and defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan started the competition as the marginal favorite.
‘The Rocket’ was top-priced at 9/2 at the outset but following a first-round 10-7 victory over 23-year-old Pang Junxu, the Essex legend is now quoted on 10/3 with the best sports betting sites.
Four-time world champion, Mark Selby follows on the list. The best snooker betting sites quote the 2023 WST Classic and English Open winner on 11/2. 2019 world champion Judd Trump is next in the betting. The 33-year-old had a phenomenal 2020/21 season, but competition wins have been scarce since.
The odds compilers at the Ladbrokes sportsbook do not like Trump’s chances and offer 7/1 about the current world number five. The firm’s snooker staff are also dismissive of Neil Robertson. They quote the 23-time ranking winner on an identical 7/1 despite him registering two 146 breaks (and an additional 138 break) when winning his opening round match 10-3.
Ronnie and Judd Need to Find Form
Romantics would love to see O’Sullivan win his eighth world title. Realists will accept the 47-year-old has not been at his brilliant best this season. Of the two competitions he has won, the Hong Kong Masters was little more than an exhibition event. The Champion of Champions victory was similarly hollow, with three victories over inferior rivals precluding his spot in the final.
Judd Trump could potentially meet O’Sullivan in the semi-final stages. The 2019 World Champion had an outstanding 12 months between January 2020 and January 2021, but success has been thin on the ground since.
Eleven ranking tournaments played during the 2022/23 campaign have yielded a single but losing appearance in a final. Trump did win the Masters in mid-January, but it was not a classic edition of the competition or an outstanding performance.
Selby and Murphy Are the Form Horses
Two players have shone in the weeks leading up to the World Championship. The first, Mark Selby, claimed a title – the English Open – earlier in the season and looked exceptional when taking the WST Classic at the end of March.
Shaun Murphy showed he was boiling under when a finalist in the Welsh Open in mid-February. He took the Players Championship a week later and landed the Tour Championship at the beginning of April.
Just want to apologise to all my friends and family for letting them down. Mentally not in a good place at moment, had a relapse and trying to bottle it up and put a brave face on is not the way. I promise I will get help and be a become a better person. #mentalhealth
— Mark Selby MBE (@markjesterselby) January 15, 2022
Seemingly Selby is managing the mental health issues he often complains of. Murphy’s upturn in fortunes – he had gone three years without winning a tournament – is attributed to gastric sleeve surgery and his resultant loss of five stones.
Who Should I Back to Win the World Snooker Championship?
As well as his 2005 world crown, Murphy has also made the World Championship final three times. A player with proven back-class, in the winning groove, and confident, the Unibet sportsbook is taking a chance in offering ‘The Magician’ at 9/1.
Those big odds allow for an additional bet on Mark Selby. 11/2 about a player that traditionally peaks at this time of year and has won four World Championship titles in the past nine years is an exceptional price and should be taken.
Selby is in the bottom half of the World Championship draw. This means he cannot meet Trump, O’Sullivan, or Murphy until the final. His biggest obstacle could be Neil Robertson in the semi-finals.
The Australian was sublime when beating 19-year-old Wu Yize in the opening round. A second-round meeting with Jak Jones – who has eliminated Ali Carter from the competition – is not a big ask.
Backing a third player may be considered greedy. But, at 7/1, the 2010 World Champion also appears over-priced, and Robertson has to be worthy of some small support simply as a saver selection.
