The ranking snooker events are coming thick and fast at the moment. The season moves on to Cheltenham this week for the 2020 World Grand Prix.
This is the eleventh ranking event of the season and the man with the pressure of defending his title is Judd Trump. He’s been having a stellar season has the Englishman, but the return of the World Grand Prix also sees the return of Ronnie O’Sullivan. The Rocket is playing in his first ranking event of the year.
The top 32 on the order from the one-year ranking list after the German Masters qualified for this. Six of the top ten all crashed out of the tournament on the opening day of action. It narrows the 2020 World Grand Prix snooker betting field a bit. The Final is on February 9th.
World Grand Prix 2020 Winner Odds*
Ronnie O’Sullivan 11/10
Judd Trump 11/4
Beil Robertson 7/1
Gary Wilson 14/1
Graeme Dott 16/1
John Higgins 22/1
Stuart Bingham 28/1
Kyren Wilson 40/1
Barry Hawkins 40/1
Joe perry 40/1
50/1 bar
* (betting odds taken from Ladbrokes at 23:04 GMT on Tuesday, February 4th 2020)
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O’Sullivan is back in action
After having withdrawn from the Masters and then not participating in the German Masters, Ronnie O’Sullivan is jumping back into action at the 2020 World Grand Prix. The Rocket picks and chooses his events nowadays and this will be his first appearance in a ranking event since December’s Scottish Open in which he was a losing quarter-finalist.
O’Sullivan won the World Grand Prix in 2018 but was a first-round loser last year. In his other three appearances at the event besides his title-winning year, he hasn’t made it past the second round. It’s always a difficult wager on O’Sullivan as you are never quite sure what’s coming. He edged David Gilbert in a deciding frame in the opening round.
Bookmakers always fear him of course and O’Sullivan is the 21/10 outright favourite* (betting odds taken from Ladbrokes at 23:04 GMT on Tuesday, February 4th 2020). The thing in O’Sullivan’s favour is that he occupies a spot in the bottom half, avoiding both Judd Trump and Neil Roberston.
Trump back in form
Judd Trump can be considered the steadier option. He continued his brilliant season with his fourth ranking title of the 2019/20 campaign at the recent German Masters. He had failed to qualify for the preceding European Masters, but that seemed to work out well for him. Trump looked refreshed and as if he had benefitted from the rest.
He has a title to defend at the Cheltenham Racecourse this week as well in the World Grand Prix. Trump is bang on his game this season without question and he is the one to beat in the field, not O’Sullivan. The 3/1 odds on second-favourite Trump in this kind of field will look like a sound proposition to some punters* (betting odds taken from Ladbrokes at 23:04 GMT on Tuesday, February 4th 2020).
Neil Robertson in contention
After a run to the final of the German Masters recently, leaves Australia’s Neil Roberston in good shape. Granted the field at the German Masters was really weak with him and Judd Trump the clear class acts. But Robertson did knuckle down and was in blisteringly hot form, particularly in his semi-final win over Shaun Murphy.
He thumped Murphy 6-1 in the one-sided contest. He just couldn’t handle Trump in the Final. Roberston’s best effort at the World Grand Prix was a quarter-final exit in 2017. He’s a player whose consistency just abandons him randomly. Interestingly, he is on a collision course for a semi-final showdown with Trump in Cheltenham.
2020 World Grand Prix Snooker Predictions
From a 2020 World Grand Prix snooker betting perspective it’s probably not worth looking past the big three in the field. There was a crazy opening day at Cheltenham with so many of the top ten falling.
Neil Robertson and Judd Trump both ran true to form at last week’s German Masters to reach the final. They both have big claims here, but the form of Trump is just unsurpassable.
Because he’s not an outright favourite as O’Sullivan is present, that leaves Trump value at 11/4* (betting odds taken from Ladbrokes at 23:04 GMT on Tuesday, February 4th 2020) to defend the crown.
