The British Open gets underway on Monday as the snooker season starts to take shape.
It is the second-ranking event of the 2021-22 campaign, following on from last week’s Championship League
Leicester’s Morningside Arena will be the host venue, with the tournament taking place for the first time since 2004.
John Higgins was the last victor, beating Stephen Maguire 9-6 17 years ago and both will be among the 128-strong field hoping to take the £100,000 prize.
Angry Farmer Has Taste for Success
It had been a long time coming but David Gilbert finally won a major ranking title on Friday as he defeated Mark Allen 3-1.
The 40-year-old has had plenty of near misses in the past, being a two-time semi-finalist in the Masters as well as the World Championship.
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍
David Gilbert claims that long-awaited first ranking title of his career after beating Mark Allen 3-1 in the final.
#ChampionshipLeagueSnooker pic.twitter.com/JWAQ7XXdIV
— Live Snooker (@Livesnooker) August 13, 2021
Something of a late bloomer, he has improved his performances markedly over the years and even though his ranking has dropped to 23, he is still a very dangerous player on tour and can be backed at 33/1 to win a second successive ranking title.
His first-round opponent in the unseeded draw is 2003 British Open semi-finalist Matthew Stevens.
The veteran Welshman is currently ranked at 36 and hasn’t made the quarter-final of any ranking tournament since 2019. Gilbert is 20/33 to edge their opener on Tuesday.
Heavyweight Clash Between Crucible Finalists
An unseeded draw always had the potential to throw up some fascinating ties, with the match between Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy without question the clash of the round.
The Jester from Leicester defeated the Magician in Sheffield in an absorbing final to lift his fourth world title.
Mark Selby wins the World Championship!
It's the Jester from Leicester's 4th title, after beating Shaun Murphy at the Crucible
— BBC Sport Leicester (@BBCRLSport) May 3, 2021
Selby, 4/6 to win on Tuesday, had a great season last year, winning the Scottish Open and European Masters in addition to his World Championship crown.
Those results lifted him up to number two in the world rankings.
Murphy sits at number five and he also enjoyed a period of resurgence last season, regularly reaching the latter stages of tournaments.
A win for either player would lay down a big marker and home favourite Selby can be backed at 8/1 to win outright, with Murphy 16/1.
Trump Aiming to Kickstart Season
World number one Judd Trump has been the dominant force in snooker over the past few years and last season was no exception.
He won five ranking titles and is well clear of Selby in terms of prize money accumulated over the past two years.
His traditional flair for “naughty snooker” still remains intact but his tactical nous has undoubtedly improved over the years.
Trump will be disappointed to have only reached the quarter-final at the Crucible last year but he has swept up the smaller tournaments for fun in recent seasons, cementing his place as number one.
He plays Mitchell Mann in the first round which should be a formality for Trump – aside from one semi-final in the Paul Hunter Classic, Mann has never advanced beyond the third round of any tournament.
Trump can be backed at 4/1 to win the British open outright.
*All odds correct at time of writing.