British Open outright predictions and snooker betting tips: Defending champion overpriced

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British Open predictions

The British Open begins in Cheltenham on Monday and there are plenty of reasons to avoid those at the top of the market in a tournament of this nature.

There is no seeding and players face off in an FA Cup-style open draw, which takes place after each round.

The four semi-finalists at last week's English Open had world rankings of 22, 26, 41 and 77 heading into the event, showing that surprises can be sprung at these tournaments, which are part of the Home Nations Series alongside the Northern Ireland Open, Scottish Open, and Welsh Open.

Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan head the market, as has come to be expected, but the duo both look short enough.

The Ace in the Pack has had a gruelling schedule this season after going deep in tournaments in China, Saudi Arabia and back on home soil, and while he could be the third player to reach 1,000 career centuries this week, he is hard to fancy at restrictive odds.

The Rocket is facing issues off the table and was downbeat in interviews after his recent defeat to He Guoqiang, again saying that he may retire sooner rather than later.

Mark Selby is also a single-figure price but has a very tough first game against Pang Junxu, who has been knocking on the door of a big result all season and has beaten Luca Brecel twice recently.

Neil Robertson’s recent resurgence at the English Open means that he has been well found in the market and he may struggle to match that performance level on such a tight turnaround.

At the prices, the standout option looks to be defending champion Mark Williams.

The veteran beat Selby 10-7 in the final of this tournament last year and also landed the title in 2021 when getting the better of Gary Wilson. 

The Welsh Potting Machine reached the final of the Saudi Arabia Masters, losing a decider to Judd Trump, and his defeat to Ben Woollaston at the English Open can be excused given his price here.

Williams has a very winnable first game against world number 79 Rory Thor and the odds of him winning his third British Open title in four years are eye-catching.

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