The UK Championship is one of snooker’s three Triple Crown events and we've priced Judd Trump & Ronnie O'Sullivan up as the men to beat, with the prolific pair currently installed as joint 3/1 favourites.

Judd Trump (3/1)

Trump has been in blistering form and it’s no surprise to see the Ace at the head of the UK Championship betting. 

The Bristol potter was beaten by Allen in the final of the Champion of Champions in November, but that was another big final from Trump and there has been no shortage of tournament victories this season. 

The 34-year-old won the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open to land a hat-trick of titles in successive ranking events and that was an impressive and dominant run for Trump.

The Ace also made the final of the European Masters at the start of the campaign and there is no doubt that the Bristol star has been the most impressive performer this term.

The slight concern is Trump’s ordinary record in the UK Championship. The Ace lifted the trophy in York in 2011 but the 34-year-old has only made it past the fourth round of this event three times in 15 years.
 

Ronnie O’Sullivan (3/1)

O’Sullivan is a seven-time UK Championship winner and that record is unmatched. 

The latest of those victories came in 2018 and the Rocket has reached the quarter-finals of the last two staging's of the event. 

The Chigwell cueist remains snooker’s biggest star, but the Rocket has only won three titles in the last four seasons, including the current campaign and there are major concerns over O’Sullivan’s wellbeing.

The 47-year-old has declined to enter five of this term’s eight ranking events and the Rocket was a later absentee in last week’s Champion of Champions.

On his best form O’Sullivan will be a major contender in York, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to predict the level of the Rocket’s performances despite the impressive nature of his opening round success over Anthony McGill.
 

Mark Selby (6/1)

It has been a mixed campaign for Mark Selby, who made the final of the British Open in the early part of the season, but has struggled to build on that runners-up finish. 

The Jester was beaten in the first-round of the English Open and Wuhan Open last month and the four-time world champion was beaten by Ali Carter in the opening round of the Champion of Champions.

Current form has to be a concern for Selby, but the Leicester potter is a two-time UK Championship king and a big run can’t be ruled out.
 

The other contenders...

Mark Williams is always a livewire in the televised majors, and given he has already captured the coveted UK Championship title on two occasions, you'd be a brave man to write off the Welshman's chances this time around.

Williams is priced up at 8/1 to reign supreme in Sunday's final, just a point shorter than fellow Class of 92 member John Higgins (9/1), who overcame the impressive Joe O'Connor in a high quality first round tie on Tuesday.

At 25/1, Zhou Yuelong may be one of the big outsiders, but the manner of his 6-2 demolition of Neil Robertson in the opening round showcased his undoubted credentials.
 

Mark Mothershaw

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