The fourth tournament of the 2026 season takes the players to the Wuhan Open, where home favourite Xiao Guodong is top seed in his pursuit of a hat-trick of wins.
Xiao won the title in 2024 by beating compatriot Si Jiahui 10-7 in the final and he then defended his crown with a tense 10-9 victory over Gary Wilson last season.
It would be some feat to make it three in a row in such a high-class field which also features Judd Trump, champion at the inaugural tournament in 2023.
Trump won the Shanghai Masters title at the start of August and is joined in the bottom half of the draw by Mark Selby, who took the honours last week's China Open.
Zhao Xintong, world champion Wu Yize, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson and Kyren Wilson are some of the other stars on show in Wuhan.
Wuhan Open Tips Summary
Best Bet - Mark Williams each-way @ 10/1
Alternative Bet - Chris Wakelin each-way @ 14/1
Alternative Bet - Barry Hawkins each-way @ 18/1
Wuhan Open Prediction
Best Bet: Mark Williams each-way @ 10/1
Xiao is number one seed in his pursuit of a hat-trick of Wuhan Open victories, but his form has been patchy to start the season and he could be vulnerable in the top quarter of the draw.
With the defending champion being top seed, there is a lopsided look to the draw and the top half is much less competitive than the bottom half.
In-form players Trump and Selby, as well as Wilson, O'Sullivan and Murphy are all in the bottom half of the draw, so it could pay to swerve it completely.
Xiao's quarter looks the place to start and Williams, a semi-finalist in Wuhan last year, may have been overlooked.
An opening-round clash with David Gilbert looks a tough starting point, but if the Welsh player can come through that, things will soon open up.
The Welshman made the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters two events ago, losing 6-5 to Wilson but compiling two centuries, while he was unfortunate to bump into an inspired performance from Zhou Yuelong - who made the semi-finals - at the China Open.
Williams had breaks of 97, 93 and 71 in a 6-3 defeat to Zhou, and showed that he is playing well, while he did win the Xi'an Grand Prix in China last season.
Beating Gilbert would see him face Daniel Wells or Michael Holt in the last-16, while Xiao is not the toughest of tasks in the quarter-final, making him a strong each-way contender.
Alternative Bet: Chris Wakelin each-way @ 14/1
If Williams fails to deliver in the first quarter then Chris Wakelin may be the man to capitalise.
Wakelin has improved at a rate of knots in the last few seasons and is now up to world number 12, which has rewarded him with experience in events such as The Masters, as well as being seeded for the World Championship.
That has been the platform for him to progress and his early draw in Wuhan looks nice, starting with a last-16 showdown against Jordan Brown following Steven Hallworth's withdrawal.
That should mean Wakelin makes the quarter-finals, where Xiao may await, but winning last season's Scottish Open will have given the Englishman plenty of belief.
Wakelin made the quarter-finals in Wuhan two seasons ago, while he reached the second stage of the Championship League at the start of the campaign to show he is in decent touch.
Alternative Bet: Barry Hawkins each-way @ 18/1
Barry Hawkins has things much tougher in the second quarter of the draw, where former world champion Zhao and Robertson are also housed, but he impressed last season and is well up to winning.
Zhao has not been at his brilliant best at the start of the season and, while Robertson is showing glimpses of coming into form, he is not there just yet.
Hawkins won last season's Welsh Open to show the fire still burns inside and on his day he has the game to mix it with any of the elite.
Key Tournament Stats
Xiao Guodong has won back-to-back titles at the Wuhan Open
2023 champion Judd Trump has won 13 of his last 17 matches
Ronnie O'Sullivan has lost two of his last four matches
Mark Williams was a semi-finalist in Wuhan last season, his only appearance in the tournament
Neil Roberton's last 17 matches have featured nine wins and eight defeats
World number three Zhao Xintong has won only six of his last 10 matches
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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.
