The biggest ranking snooker tournament in the world begins on April 21st, 2018 and runs through to its completion on May 7th. This is the 2018 World Snooker Championship of course and it is back at its home at the Crucible in Sheffield. Not only is it the most prestigious ranking event out there to be won in the sport, it also signals the end of the 2017/18 season with it being the last ranking event being played. It is the twentieth ranking snooker tournament of the season.
Reigning champion
Mark Selby is the current World Champion and he is a 7/2 poke with Bet365 to make a successful title defence this season. He went into battle against John Higgins twelve months ago and that was also a title defence for him in what was the 40th anniversary of the World Championship. Selby had a pretty easy passage through the tournament last year, beating out Fergal O’Brien in the first round before taking out Xiao Guodong and then Marco Fu to reach the semis. He did have a tough scrap against Ding Junhui in the semi-finals winning 17-15 before moving through to meet Higgins in the showcase match. Selby pulled off his title defence with an 18-15 victory.
2018 World Snooker Championship Odds
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2/1, Mark Selby 7/2, Judd Trump 8/1, John Higgins 11/1, Ding Junhui 12/1, Neil Robertson 14/1, Mark Williams 20/1, Barry Hawkins 22/1, Shaun Murphy 25/1, Mark Allen 28/1, bar 33/1* (betting odds taken on April 12th, 2018 at 5:54 p.m.)
Format
The top 16 in the World automatically get their place in the first round of action and they all will meet a qualifier in that first round, in matches which are the best of 19 frames. So it is not until the second round of action that you will seed player taking on a seeded player. The second round and the quarter finals are both the best of 25 frames, with the semi finals going over the best of 33 frames. The Final then steps up to the best of 35 played out over four sessions if needed.
Top 8 Rankings
Mark Selby (top seed because of being the defending champion)
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Ding Junhui
Judd Trump
John Higgins
Barry Hawkins
Mark Williams
Shaun Murphy
Among the top sixteen in the world heading to the 2018 Snooker World Championships, there are seven former winners (including Selby) of the tournament. Along with the current champion Selby, they are Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson and Stuart Bingham. Of the other top sixteen, Ali Carter, Judd Trump, Barry Hawkins and Ding Junhui are all former losing finalists.
As the draw is set up, in the top half of the draw, the highest four seeds are Mark Selby (1), Judd Trump (4), John Higgins (5) and Shaun Murphy (8). In the bottom half then that leaves O’Sullivan (2), Ding Junhui (3), Barry Hawkins (6) and Mark Williams (7).
Mark Selby
Mark Selby could create a bit of history for himself in this one. Not since Stephen Hendry produced a five-tournament winning streak from 1992-1997 has anyone won the Snooker World Championship three times in a row. But after back to back wins at the Crucible, Selby is in line to do that. The Jester from Leicester is carrying some form forward as well, notably winning the China Open in Beijing last month, the last ranking tournament before the World Championships. Last year before going on to launch his successful title defence Selby won in China, so is history going to be repeating itself?He would be on course for a final duel with O’Sullivan though and that will be his biggest challenge to overcome.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
O’Sullivan has been in cracking form this season having five titles under his belt. His most recent triumph was in the Players Championship and that tally of five, well that’s a joint-record for a single season. So he clearly still has it but couldn’t step it up last season at the Crucible where he went home at the quarter-finals stage to Ding Junhui. His last World Championship title was back in 2013 and he is looking for what would be his sixth title in the tournament. He is going to be a threat to anyone who gets in his path, it is that huge prospect of a final showdown against Selby which is going to be the most interesting. He has a comfortable run and a semi-final berth is a real prospect when he could meet Ding Junhui.
Ding Junhui
Ding’s only ranking title this season was back in September last year when he took the World Open on home soil in China. He only made it to the last sixteen at the China Open recently and that was after falling to O’Sullivan in the quarter finals of the Players Championship. So it hasn’t quite been there for them but he does have a good track record recently at the World Championship, making the semi’s last season and the final the year before than. The prospect of having to get past O’Sullivan in his half of the draw could be problematic for him.
Judd Trump
Trump’s big moment this season came at the European Masters back in October for what is his only ranking tournament success this season. He did get to the semi finals of the Players Championship recently taking out Stephen Maguire and Neil Robertson along the way but was stopped in the final four by O’Sullivan in a deciding frame. He is just blowing really hot or really cold at the moment. He has three semi-finals in his last five appearances in the main draw of a ranking tournaments, but recently he was a losing qualifier at the China Open, not even getting the main draw. He also tumbled in the first round of the World Grand Prix then in the second round at the Welsh Open. Inconsistent, but more than capable. Overall he has been to five semi finals this season.
John Higgins
The Wizard of Wishaw is a former World Champion and will always post a threat to some degree in the championship. He has had his successes this season and they have been recent too, claiming the Welsh Open and then the non-ranking title in the Championship League. But overall this season he has had eleven first-round exits in ranking tournaments and that is just a tough thing to back him on. He would have to get past both Trump and Selby just to the reach the final as well.
Best Outside Chance
Kyren Wilson catches our eye in World Snooker Championship betting odds at bet365. The Warrior has had a terrific form and has reached a high of ninth in the world ranking. He has been to two semi-finals and two finals this term (the World Open and the English Open). He was in form at the Masters at the start of the year as well reaching the final there. He is the best of the outside shots and value at 33/1 each way odds* (betting odds taken on April 12th, 2018 at 5:54 p.m.). Wilson was a quarter finalist at the World’s last season and goes to Sheffield having lost in the semi finals against Selby in the China Open recently.
2018 World Snooker Championship Predictions
Selby looks in hot form at the moment and held his composure well last season to land a title defence. He should go close here. O’Sullivan just hasn’t quite put it together at the World Championships for a while for some reason and with inconsistency in the games of Higgins and Trump and Ding, then the path could be a pretty successful one ahead for Selby to make it three in a row.
