After a break, the snooker season gets back under way with the most prestigious of the Home Nations series, the Northern Ireland Open.
The Waterfront Hall, which has been touted as a potential World Championship venue when the Crucible undergoes renovations, will welcome the stars of the snooker world as they look to get their hands on the Alex Higgins Trophy.
Northern Ireland Open Tips Summary
Best Bet - Judd Trump to win the Northern Ireland Open @ 4/1
Alternative Bet - Shaun Murphy to win the Northern Ireland Open @ 9/1
Alternative Bet - Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy to be the Northern Ireland Open finalists @ 18/1
Northern Ireland Open Prediction
Best Bet: Judd Trump to win the Northern Ireland Open @ 4/1
There was an emotional win for Jack Lisowski in the Northern Ireland Open 12 months ago as he finally shook off the tag of most talented player never to win a ranking event by beating his close friend Judd Trump 9-8 in the final.
That continued what has been a prevailing trend in this event, which is Trump going deep. The Ace in the Pack has reached the final six times, winning four of those, and looks worth siding with to lift the Alex Higgins Trophy once again.
The world number three has been knocking on the door this season without winning a ranking event, reaching the semi-finals of both the British Open and Shenzhen Open recently, as well as runs to the last eight in the Wuhan Open and English Open.
Trump did win the non-ranking Shanghai Masters back in August so is clearly in fine form and at a tournament he has had plenty of success in, it’s hard to see past the 37-year-old having a deep run again.
The short format, in which all games are best-of-seven until the quarter-finals, clearly suits the Ace in the Pack, whose devastating scoring power means that he can pull away from his rivals quickly.
He may have landed in the trickier bottom half of the draw but given his recent form and history in this event, Trump still makes plenty of appeal.
Alternative Bet: Shaun Murphy to win the Northern Ireland Open @ 9/1
The bottom half of this year’s Northern Ireland Open is undoubtedly the stronger section, with Zhao Xintong, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, John Higgins and Chang Bingyu all lurking.
However that does mean that there is a much easier path through for players in the top half of the draw and Shaun Murphy could be the man to take advantage.
The Magician has also been making deep runs at tournaments this season without getting over the line. He reached the semi-finals of the English Open, as well as the quarter-finals of the China Open and Shenzhen Open.
The world number seven has landed in the winnable top half of the draw and cannot be underestimated as he looks to win this tournament for the first time.
Alternative Bet: Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy to be the Northern Ireland Open finalists @ 18/1
Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy have put on some blockbuster clashes over the years and this year’s Northern Ireland Open could see another in the final.
In a weaker top half of the draw, the in-form Murphy is fancied to progress while Trump’s remarkable recent record in this tournament, reaching six of the last eight finals, makes him impossible to ignore in the bottom half.
Three of the last four head-to-heads have gone to a decider, most recently with Murphy winning 6-5 in the English Open quarter-finals and they could be on a collision course once more.
Key Northern Ireland Open Stats
- Judd Trump is a six-time finalist in this tournament
- Jack Lisowski’s win in this tournament last season was his first ever ranking title
- Ronnie O’Sullivan has lost three times in the final of this competition, the most of any player
- World champion Wu Yize has withdrawn from this event
- The winner of this tournament takes home £100,000
- Seven of the 10 finals of this tournament have been decided by two frames or fewer
Read more snooker betting tips and predictions 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.
