Wuhan Open qualifiers Tips and Predictions

The start of the 2025 snooker season begins with the Wuhan Open, with qualifying for that Chinese event firing in action from Leicester’s Mattioli Arena. 

Qualifying matches featuring defending champion Xiao Guodong, reigning world champion Zhao Xintong, Judd Trump, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ding Junhui and four Chinese wildcards will be held over and played in Wuhan.

However, for the rest, it is win and you are in and the likes of Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams and Luca Brecel will have to come through a qualifying campaign in Leicester.

For those at the lower-end of the rankings, this is a big opportunity for them to start their season in a positive way and it could act as a springboard for a successful campaign.

Meanwhile, the true elite members of the World Snooker Tour will use this as good match practice and are hoping to fine-tune their game ahead of the showpiece events that come later on in the season.

Wuhan Open Qualifying Tips Summary

Market	Tip	Odds
Best Bet	Sunny Akani to beat Matthew Selt	11/8
Next Best Bet	Louis Heathcote to beat Wu Yize	5/2
Alternative Bet	Marco Fu to beat Chris Wakelin	6/4

Key Tournament Stats

• Xiao Guodong defeated Si Jiahui 10-7 in all-Chinese final to claim last year’s Wuhan Open
• World number one Judd Trump landed the first Wuhan Open final in 2023, overcoming fellow Englishman Ali Carter 10-7 in the final
• Trump has made at least the semi-final in both renewals of the Wuhan Open and of the 49 ranking event finals he has made, 11 have been in China
• In the two years of the Wuhan Open, five of the eight semi-finalists have hailed from China

Wuhan Open Qualifying Prediction

Best Bet: Sunny Akani to beat Matthew Selt @ 11/8

You can get some surprises in qualifying events this early on in the season and Sunny Akani could cause a stir by beating Matthew Selt.

Akani, a two-time ranking event quarter-finalist, has not kicked on as many anticipated but at 29 years of age, the Thai cueman still has time on his side and on his day he is capable of producing top-class snooker.

Akani qualified for the main draw of the Wuhan Open last season, defeating world number 19 Tom Ford 5-3 in a qualifier, and that bodes well against world number 34 Selt.

Selt has become a little hit and miss, dropping down the rankings having lost in the first round in six of his 11 ranking events last season.

Akani made the final World Championship qualification round at the end of last season, recording wins over David Grace and Noppon Saengkham before bumping into Ryan Day, and if carrying on in that vein then he could be tough to beat.

Aaron Ashley explains:

Akani finished last season on a positive note, needing only one more win to qualify for the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre, and that should give him plenty of belief to take another giant step forward in 2025. His victory over Ford in qualifying for the Wuhan Open last season reads especially well.

Next Best Bet: Louis Heathcote to beat Wu Yize @ 5/2

Louis Heathcote, living in Leicester and a regular practice partner of Ford, Mark Selby and Joe O’Connor, should be motivated to seal his place at the Wuhan Open.

Heathcote has heaps of potential and shouldn’t be underestimated against Wu Yize, even if the Chinese player is the world number 20 and 50 places above him in the rankings.

Yize qualified for the Crucible, beating Mathew Stevens 10-9 in his final match before the Sheffield showpiece, and at 20 years of age is capable of going all the way to the top.

However, Heathcote upset Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in qualifying for the Wuhan Open last season, showing serious bottle with a 5-4 win, and his quarter-final run at the Northern Ireland Open shows what he is capable of.

A big scorer, with plenty of confidence in his game, it would be no surprise to see Heathcote spring a surprise against the cool Chinese customer.

Aaron Ashley says:

Heathcote has the potential to scale the world rankings in the coming seasons and, hailing from Leicester, there is no travelling involved for him here. He has a strong support network, featuring four-time world champion Selby, and that is invaluable.

Alternative Bet: Marco Fu to beat Chris Wakelin @ 6/4

Chris Wakelin starts the season in the world’s top 16 but with that comes pressure to stay in the elite pack and in Marco Fu he meets a player far more capable than his lowly ranking implies.

Fu may not be the force of old but he is a three-time ranking event winner and a former UK Championship and Masters runner-up, so his experience is second to very few.

And recent signs have been pretty encouraging from the Hong Kong cueman, who had breaks of 139 and 138 in a 10-4 win over Ben Mertens in World Championship qualifying in April before pushing Elliott Slessor in a 10-6 defeat.

Shorter format matches tend to suit Fu better now, though, and he could represent value in this best-of-nine with Wakelin, who had a gruelling campaign last season.

Fu is a former world number five and has made Triple Crown finals, something you don’t lose overnight. Providing he has had a productive time of things during the break then he can match Wakelin with his scoring power over this shorter format,

adds Aaron Ashley.

View the full market and more odds for Wuhan Open Qualifiers 2025 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.