Snooker’s UK Championship is underway. With a £1 million prize-pool, this is a huge competition. The winner will earn £200,000 and in the world of professional snooker, that equates to vital ranking points.
The fifth ranking event of the 2021/22 snooker season, the UK Championship is the first leg of snooker’s Triple Crown. One of the three ‘majors’ that includes the World Championship and the Masters.
It is a cherished prize and has been won my all of snookers greats. From Alex Higgins to Jimmy White, Steve Davis to Stephen Hendry.
The remarkable Ronnie O’Sullivan has won this title seven times. Other active players have a good record too. Stephen Hendry is a five-time winner, John Higgins, Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui have taken it three times apiece.
Names Gone, Names Through
Neil Robertson and Stephen Hendry will not add to their tally in 2021, both were first round casualties earlier in the week. Robertson’s departure – at the hands of amateur John Astley was a huge shock.
Resultantly Judd Trump tightened his grip on outright favouritism. As the second round gets underway, and following a 6-1 victory over David Lilley, he is now top-priced 5/2.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, who meets Robbie Williams in the second round, is next best at 7/2. Two-time champion Mark Selby follows at 11/2.
Will The Bookies Get It Wrong?
In snooker betting the bookies are rarely too far out. The history books clearly suggest this competition with a long format – games are ‘best of 11 frames’ until a ‘best of 19 frames’ final – is destined for a fancied player.
The biggest upset in the past 15 years was Ding Junhui returning from the wilderness to win in 2019. But, as a former world number one with 13 previous ranking tournament victories behind him, he was not an impossible winner to find.
Our Three at Big Prices
Rules and records are made to be broken and in 2021 there are some in-form younger players that might just go all the way.
Jack Lisowski is still waiting for his first ranking title but once it comes the floodgates will surely open. He has got off to a flier here beating Sean Maddocks by six-frames-to-nil. Recording a 126 break in that match, his prize was a second-round meeting with Martin O’Donnell. That looks a formality, and we believe he should easily march into the ‘last 16’ stage where Mark Selby will be his first true test.
At 50/1 Lisowski looks a genuine live wire. But we like a 100/1 poke even more. That selection is Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. The 36-year-old logged a remarkable first round performance against Stephen Hendry, beating the former champ 6-1. The Thai player registered 136, 129, 107, 106, 100 breaks during the match. In the game’s other two frames he recorded 50-plus breaks! If the 2019 Shootout champion can maintain this form, he will be a handful for any opponent.
Yan Bingtao looks a superstar in the making and following a 6-0 demolition Hong Kong’s Ng On-yee he is 16/1 fifth favourite in the outright betting lists. We really like the 21-year-old. He’s made the quarter-final of the English Open and the semi-finals of both the Champion of Champions and Northern Ireland Open this season.
Apart from one other defeat, these are the only three matches Yan Bingtao has lost during 25 competitive matches played this campaign. Recent victories over Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby prove he is afraid of nobody and if there is going to be a first-time UK Championship winner, surely it will be him.
Where to Watch the UK Snooker Championship?
Wherever you are in the world you are sure to be able to watch this 45-year-old competition.
It is broadcast on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, BBC Sport website and app, Eurosports and all good bookmaker streams.
Image credit: DerHexer, Wikimedia Commons, CC-by-sa 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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