English Open: Prediction, Tips and Odds

The cream tends to rise to the top at the English Open, which is the first of four Home Nations events during the season, and Racing Post’s Aaron Ashley has picked out his two bets to take on defending champion Judd Trump at the Brentwood Centre with.

Trump won the Saudi Arabia Masters last time out and he has also lifted the Shanghai Masters in a strong start to the campaign but, having taken those illustrious titles which reward generously, he may struggle to find the motivation required to defend his English Open crown.

In a field with such competition, Trump can be taken on at 5/2 while 4/1 shot Ronnie O’Sullivan is another worth opposing given he has previously slammed this event and has lost in the second and third round in the previous two years.

Neil Robertson is 15/2 with many anticipating a return to form following his recent drop off, but that price is short enough given the pressure is still on for him to do it.

The early best-of-seven format means early surprises can be commonplace but it is still worth having a star cueman on your side, with 2022 champion Mark Selby the first port of call given his excellent early draw.

English Open betting tips and predictions

Mark Selby to win outright - 9/1

Not only did Selby win the English Open in 2022 at this venue, when beating Luca Brecel 9-6 in the final, but he was champion in 2019 too and he looks to have landed in a nice part of the draw as he set his sights on a hat-trick.

Selby has made a slow start to the season but he was a semi-finalist at the Shanghai Masters in the middle of July and is performing better than his results suggest.

When beaten 5-3 by Robertson at the Saudi Arabia Masters at the beginning of the month, he had breaks of 126 and 104 in what is a high-quality contest and he has a path that could help him grow in confidence as the tournament progresses.

The Jester from Leicester opens up against world number 60 Aaron Hill before a likely last-32 contest with good friend Joe O'Connor, although Selby will be seeking revenge having lost to him at the World Championship last season.

Tom Ford or Si Jiahui would be his toughest last-16 challenge, all of which gives him an excellent opportunity of another deep run in Essex.

O’Sullivan could be lurking in the quarter-finals but the Rocket has bombed out early in this tournament in each of the last two seasons and hasn’t won the event since 2017.

With Selby and Trump both winning this twice along with Robertson, O’Sullivan and Bingham in the last seven years, it could pay off to have a big player on side and it is the Leicester cueman who ticks plenty of boxes at 9/1.

Dave Gilbert to win outright - 22/1

Dave Gilbert has yet to win a ranking event title but last season’s run to the World Championship semi-finals seems to have given him plenty of belief that he can soon overcome that hurdle.

The signs have been much more positive for Gilbert at the beginning of this season, with him making the quarter-finals of the Xi'an Grand Prix and reaching the fifth round of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.

Gilbert bumped into Trump at the Grand Prix, having defeated Gary Wilson and Selby, and the key to his chances could be his generous draw.

The Angry Farmer opens up against Michael Holt, which should be very attainable, while 14th seed John Higgins, who may be his last-32 opponent, is struggling for form following back-to-back defeats to Sunny Akani and Jimmy Robertson.

On his day, Gilbert is capable of taking down anyone if believing in himself and he was runner-up to Selby in this event in 2019.

Read more snooker betting tips and predictions on site

English Open odds

Judd Trump - 5/2
Ronnie O’Sullivan - 4/1
Neil Robertson - 15/2
Mark Selby - 9/1
Kyren Wilson - 10/1
Mark Allen - 10/1
Mark Williams - 12/1
Shaun Murphy - 14/1
John Higgins - 16/1

View the full market and more odds for the English Open on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.