The Shanghai Masters, one of snooker's biggest invitational events, is the first full event of the new season and will see England's Kyren Wilson defending the title in an elite field in China.
The Warrior saw off Ali Carter 11-9 in last year's final, sealing his second Shanghai Masters in the process, though it would prove to be Wilson's only tournament win in the 2025/26 campaign.
The season was dominated by Chinese success, with Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize both landing three ranking titles – the only players to win multiple ranking crowns last season.
This will be the 17th edition of the Shanghai Masters – which became an invitational event in 2018 – and Ronnie O'Sullivan is the tournament's most successful player, having won the title five times.
Shanghai Masters Tips Summary
Best Bet – Mark Selby to win @ 9/1
Alternative Bet – Barry Hawkins to win and each-way @ 28/1
Shanghai Masters Prediction
Best Bet: Mark Selby to win @ 9/1
Mark Selby won the Shanghai Masters in 2011, defeating Class of '92 star Mark Williams 10-9 in the final, but as yet the Jester has failed to land this crown since it became an invitational event.
It hasn't been for a lack of trying, with Selby denied at the semi-finals stage in each of the last three years by O'Sullivan, Shaun Murphy and Carter.
This is China's snooker major and, as such, the home players in the field are laden with expectation. That it also appears as the first event after the summer break brings the potential for rustiness.
We saw a glimpse of Selby's best form last season when he won his 25th ranking title and third UK Championship by defeating Judd Trump in the York decider. He also won the Champions of Champions and the Championship League alongside semi-finals here and in the British and English Opens.
At the Crucible he was denied 13-11 in the second round in a high-quality tussle with eventual champion Wu Yize.
Selby opens against Zhou Yuelong, a player he beat en route to that UK title last November. The Jester also won their only previous Shanghai meeting in 2018.
Shaun Murphy awaits in round two, while a possible rematch with Wu Yize lurks in the last-eight. Selby's gritty attitude is a positive in the season-opener and after those three semi-final losses, he can battle to a second Shanghai Masters title.
Alternative Bet: Barry Hawkins to win and each-way @ 28/1
English winners are commonplace in Shanghai, no doubt attributable to the enormous pressure the Chinese contingent will feel on home soil in front of a passionate crowd eager to see a local winner.
Barry Hawkins lost the 2018 final against O'Sullivan and was also denied 6-5 in round two last year by the Rocket, having knocked out Wu Yize in his opener.
A fifth ranking crown of his career was landed at the Welsh Open in the spring before a run to the last eight in Sheffield ended in a 13-11 loss to Mark Allen.
The world number 10 faces Lei Peifan on Monday with a shot at Trump on offer in the last 16.
Trump's German Masters win last season is his only title since he won this event in 2024 and the Bristolian was not as prolific over the last two seasons as he was before.
Hawkins has won 15 and lost 21 of their 36 career matches, including a 10-5 Tour Championship quarter-final success in their most recent set-to. His competitive nature tends to ensure he is rarely dismissed with ease and he's an interesting outsider for glory in Shanghai.
Key Tournament Stats
- Kyren Wilson is the defending champion after defeating Ali Carter 11-9 to win the 2025 Shanghai Masters
- Ronnie O'Sullivan has won a record five Shanghai Masters titles, the Rocket prevailing in 2009, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023
- Eight of the last nine winners have been from England, with Stuart Bingham (2014) and Judd Trump (2024) joining Wilson and O'Sullivan in claiming the title
- Mark Selby won this tournament in 2011 and reached the final in 2016, while Barry Hawkins (2018) contested the title match in Shanghai once before
- Ding Junhui (2013 & 2016) is the only Chinese winner, with Liang Wenbo (2009) and Xiao Guodong (2013) both contesting the final
- World champions Wu Yize and Zhao Xintong are the only Chinese players assured of places in the last 16, though eight more home hopes will play in round one
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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.
