Ronnie O’Sullivan is the 13/2 favourite with Betfred to win the Welsh Open when the televised stages get underway in Newport on Monday.
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The Rocket ended his two-year ranking drought by winning the German Masters last week and demonstrated a new-found bout of mental strength, coming from behind on numerous occasions along the way.
O’Sullivan was in superb form as he defeated Stephen Maguire 9-7 in the final having fought back from 5-3 behind.
But despite that display of dogged determination and flair, while he was also suffering from a bout of glandular fever, O’Sullivan may not be quite as up for this event as he was in Berlin.
The former world number one was in danger of dropping out of the top 16 and automatic qualification for the World Championships prior to his German Masters win and can now relax in the knowledge that his place at The Crucible is assured.
And O’Sullivan has not won back-to-back ranking titles since 2005, when he last won the Welsh Open by taking the deciding frame in an epic final against Stephen Hendry.
Hendry is no longer among the game’s elite and needed to qualify for the first round but came through on Saturday courtesy of a 4-0 win over Norway’s Kurt Maflin despite a top break of just 49.
The seven-time world champion (2/1 in Match Betting) will find it very tough to beat newly crowned Masters champion Neil Robertson (4/11) in Newport on Tuesday and the Australian looks like a safe bet to progress.
Robertson’s display in defeating Judd Trump 6-3 at The Masters in December suggests he could be a real contender for this tournament too (9/1 outright Winner), but Stephen Maguire (14/1) must rate as the dangerman to all the former world champions in the field.
The Scot hit a rich seam of form in Germany, whitewashing John Higgins 5-0 and Shaun Murphy 6-0 en route to the final. He reached the last eight of the UK Championship and finished runner-up in this tournament last year while he appears well drawn again in the bottom quarter where he opens against Adam Wicheard.
Mark Selby (15/2) lies in wait in the same quarter too but the ‘Jester from Leicester’ isn’t playing up to his world number one status. Since winning the Shanghai Masters last September Selby has struggled for consistent form and finished sixth of seven in last week’s Championship League, eliminating him from the event.
Mark Allen (18/1) has been going well since he produced his best performance on the big stage at the UK Championship in December when he lost 10-8 to Trump in a memorable final. The controversial County Antrim star faces a path to the final blocked by Robertson and Shaun Murphy who are both in his quarter.
Shoot-out champion Barry Hawkins (6/5 in Match Betting) is worth backing to cause a first round upset by beating Welshman Matthew Stevens (8/13) on home baize. The ‘Hawk’ won CLS Group Five last week and is in the form of his career. Since winning the Shoot-Out and picking up a £32,000 winner’s cheque he has oozed confidence and narrowly failed to see off Murphy in the opening round of the German Masters.
Steve Davis (6/4 in Match Betting) also impressed in his 4-3 defeat of Ricky Walden in qualifying on Saturday. A break of 113 put Davis 3-2 ahead, and after Walden took the sixth frame with a 58 clearance, Davis won the decider with a run of 44. ‘Romford Slim’ is worth a small-stake wager to beat Ali Carter (1/2) in Monday’s first round which will be the best of seven frames again.