Snooker: Who are the favourites for the World Championship?
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The 2020 World Snooker Championship gets underway on Friday as Judd Trump bids to retain his title at the Crucible.
Taking place later than expected, the 44th staging of the tournament gets underway with Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Selby some of the other former world champions taking part.
The tournament starts on Friday and runs until Sunday 16th August with all games live on Eurosport and BBC platforms.
Let’s look at some of the favourites for the Crucible crown…
Judd Trump
Can the world number one break the Curse of the Crucible? No first-time champion has ever managed to retain their title.
Trump could meet Riga Masters winner Yan Bingtao in the last 16 and recent Tour Championship winner Stephen Maguire in the quarter-finals.
Further down the line, the 2019 champion could potentially face former Masters holder Mark Allen or four-times champion John Higgins in the last four, before a potential showdown with Neil Robertson in the final.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Despite his lesser seeding, the five-time world champion remains one of the favourites to go all the way at the Crucible.
The Rocket is 4/1 to be the 2020 champion and 15/8 to reach the final despite failing to progress beyond the last eight in the last five attempts.
The world number six was dealt a major upset in last year’s championship when he was beaten 10-8 to amateur qualifier, James Cahill in the first round.
O’Sullivan begins the tournament as 1/5 to beat Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (7/2) in one of the standout matches in the opening round on Sunday. UK champion Ding Junhui could await the winner.
Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson is 11/2 to be the 2020 World Champion. The 2010 winner enters the tournament as the world number two and is certainly one to watch in Sheffield.
He begins his campaign on Sunday against qualifier Liang Wenbo and is 1/6 to reach the next round.
Prior to lockdown, Robertson was one of the in-form players having chalked up wins at the Champion of Champions, World Grand Prix and European Masters.
If the left-hander wins his opening match, he would then face Barry Hawkins. Robertson is in the same side of the draw as O’Sullivan, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy.
Mark Selby
Three-time world champion Mark Selby is one of the tournament favourites at 11/1 as he bids to go beyond his last 16 where he was beaten last year.
The Jester is a former world number one and comes into the tournament having recently won the 2019 English Open, crushing David Gilbert 9-1 in the final.
He then went on to win the Scottish Open with a 9-6 final success over Jack Lisowski later in the year. Can the 37-year-old add a fourth world title after his 2017 Sheffield success?
Elsewhere, four-time champion John Higgins – who has lost the last three finals at the Crucible – is a 16/1 outsider to win the crown. Mark Allen and Shaun Murphy are both priced at 14/1.
Who are you backing to lift the trophy? Have your say on who you think will win the 2020 World Snooker Championship on our Twitter @Ladbrokes!
