UK Championship snooker: Pundits' predictions including Ding Junhui and Kyren Wilson
Richard Mann, Nick Metcalfe, Chris Hammer and Ben Coley nominate their UK Championship predictions for the first Triple Crown event on the snooker calendar.
Richard Mann
Kyren Wilson to win the third quarter
Just as was the case at last season's World Championship, KYREN WILSON and Judd Trump find themselves drawn in the same quarter and the Kettering potter will rightly fancy his chances of making the last four.
That's exactly what Wilson did when beating Trump in the quarter-finals at the Crucible before going on to lose to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final, and he again got the better of his old rival when coming out on top in the final of the Championship League earlier this season.
That's not to say that Wilson has Trump's number - Trump still leads the head-to-head (10-9) - but you sense that both players have great respect for one another, both on and off the table. That wasn't always the case, but both are maturing into fine young men and when the O'Sullivans and Higgins finally make way, it will be this pair, along with Mark Allen, who will be expected to take over the sport.
For now, Trump is world number one, but Wilson's stock continues to rise, as does his ranking, and he has played really well since the sport has gone behind closed doors. Aside from his Championship League victory and World Championship runner-up finish, he has added a couple more quarter-final appearances this term to confirm he remains in excellent touch.
Crucially, Wilson doesn't fear Trump like others do. He won't back down should they both indeed navigate their way through the early rounds to lock swords again. Before that, the early part of Wilson's section doesn't look too bad at all with so many of those in and around him struggling for form.
With that in mind, I'm convinced a deep run beckons and the 5/1 for him to win the third quarter makes plenty of appeal.
Nick Metcalfe
Mark Allen to win the UK Championship
I refuse to believe MARK ALLEN won't add to his one triple crown success so far, the 2018 Masters. And there's no time like the present.
When the Northern Irishman is on form, everyone in the game struggles to live with him. We saw that again earlier this month, at the Champion of Champions, when Allen stormed past Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Neil Robertson to claim the title.
That ended a wait of nearly two years for a tournament win for Allen, and I have a feeling the floodgates may have now opened.
The 34-year-old will feel like there's unfinished business at the UK Championship - he lost the 2011 final to Judd Trump, and the 2018 showpiece to Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has twice been a semi-finalist too, in 2010 and last year.
Having no crowd at the event, and holding it somewhere now as familiar as Milton Keynes, takes a lot of the heat out of the tournament. It just boils down to who is playing well, whose game is in the best shape.
Allen looks like that man to me at the moment. I fancy he may well be picking up a very special early Christmas present this year.
Ben Coley
Ding Junhui to win the UK Championship
Judd Trump is the best player in snooker by a good distance at the moment and backing him at 3/1 to win anything does hold some appeal. There are just nagging doubts around his performances in the Triple Crown events since winning the World Championship and while no section looks especially weak, being drawn in the same half as Ronnie O’Sullivan isn’t ideal for backers.
Instead I’ll head to the top half and back DING JUNHUI each-way. The defending champion has won this three times and, as he as good as admitted when speaking with Eurosport last week, his focus is always on the majors. That makes his performance in the Northern Ireland Open potentially more significant and he’s going to thrive on being busy, another point he alluded to en route to the latter stages.
His quarter looks potentially the weakest and he beat John Higgins convincingly in the Northern Ireland Open, where Mark Allen was a little disappointing and Luca Brecel folded tamely against Trump. In fact, watch for Zhou Yuelong emerging as more of a threat at a big price but if Ding can carry over his form – easier to do, perhaps, given snooker is holed up in Milton Keynes – he should be hard to beat.
Chris Hammer
Yan Bingtao to win the second quarter
Mark Selby and Neil Robertson could both bounce back from disappointing exits at the Northern Ireland Open, but at the odds they’re worth taking on here with YAN BINGTAO.
It’s been a quiet start to the season for the young Chinese, but he’s timed things nicely having been really good last week. That sets him up well for an event in which he won his quarter last year, and a repeat is perfectly possible with a nice opening match against 18-year-old Sean Maddocks, who is understandably struggling for results, before an all-Chinese second-round match he’ll be strongly fancied to win.
Among his victims in 2019 was Robertson and he’s also beaten Selby before, so back him to reach the semis at least – and potentially go all the way.
MOST READ
Next Off
Fixtures & Results
