When Zhao Xintong won the UK Championship against the odds back at the beginning of December, no snooker fan could have predicted the glut of surprise winners we would see in the months that followed. But after Hossein Vafaei’s Shootout success, Fan Zhengyi’s incredible European Masters triumph, Joe Perry’s Welsh Open victory, and Robert Milkins’ win in the Gibraltar Open, it’s fair to say that many have thrown in the towel as far as snooker betting online is concerned.
With the World Championship just around the corner, there is a feeling that this season of shocks could reach its crescendo with a surprise winner at the Crucible Theatre. It’s been a while since we saw someone come from left field to win the tournament, with Stuart Bingham’s win in 2015 the last truly unpredictable result. In terms of a qualifier winning the World Championship, you have to go all the way back to Shaun Murphy’s 2005 triumph.
Of course, the best in the world will be doing all they can to ensure that the famous World Championship trophy stays in familiar territory. Defending champion Mark Selby has had a difficult season this time around, with mental health struggles off the table affecting his results, but the four-time champion can never be ruled out at the Crucible. Judd Trump will also be in the mix, having rediscovered his form to win the Turkish Masters recently, while Ronnie O’Sullivan is always capable of producing his best at any given moment. The likes of John Higgins and Mark Williams will also be eyeing a deep run in Sheffield.
Then you have Neil Robertson, the standout player of the season. With four tournament victories to his name this season, the Australian has looked virtually invincible at times, but he has suffered an unusual mental block at the Crucible over the last decade or so, making just one semi-final since his one and only World Championship triumph in 2010. That paves the way for another name to step to the fore, and many are suggesting that we could see a new winner of the event this year. Given that we don’t know the qualifiers as of yet, we’ll have to focus on those in the top 16 who aren’t necessarily well fancied to win the tournament.
One such player is Barry Hawkins, who will head to the Crucible quietly confident. It’s been a strange sort of year for the 42-year-old. He reached the final of the Masters and the Players Championship, losing to Robertson on both occasions, but apart from a run to the semi-finals of the UK Championship, his other results have left a lot to be desired. Hawkins is something of a Crucible specialist though, having reached the final in 2013 and four other semi-finals in the years since. He’s the kind of player who is well-suited to the long-format matches of the World Championship, and that makes him a decent outside bet for the title in the snooker betting tips.
Another player who could spring a surprise is Anthony McGill. The Scot is a strange case in that his results are often poor throughout the regular season, but then he seems to find his best just in time for the World Championship. McGill reached the semi-finals in 2020, losing that mammoth deciding frame against Kyren Wilson in the most dramatic fashion, and then beat Ronnie O’Sullivan last year before bowing out in the quarter-finals to Stuart Bingham. McGill will be well up for this year’s tournament, and you wouldn’t put it past him to have a decent run.
With 16 qualifiers set to join the established elite too, it’s fair to say that this World Snooker Championship feels more open than ever before. It’ll be a cracking 17 days of action, and you can bet that there will more than a few notable upsets.