Snooker action gets back underway this coming week, with the world’s best heading to Shanghai in China for seven days of world-class action. With one of the larger prize pools on offer with £825,000 on the line at the Shanghai Grand Stage, expect the third-ranking event of the 2023-24 World Snooker Tour to bring plenty of entertaining matches and great betting.
Shaun Murphy finally had an off week last month, opening up the door for Judd Trump to make a healthy run to the final of the European Masters. Can the Englishman do it again, or will the dormant volcano that is Ronnie O’Sullivan wake up at the event where he is technically the defending champion and explode into action? We look at all the latest 2023 Shanghai Masters snooker odds and deliver our expert picks ahead of this tournament.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | The 2023 Shanghai Masters (Non-ranking, Invitational Event), World Snooker Tour 2023-24 |
| 🏟️ Venue: | Shanghai Grand Stage, Shanghai, China |
| 🗓️ Dates: | Monday, 11 September to Sunday, 17 September 2023 |
Before we dive into our 2023 Snooker Shanghai Masters predictions, let’s take a look at what the bookies think. Here are the latest 2023 Shanghai Masters snooker odds:
Looking at these outright betting odds from Chinese online bookies, despite being on a winless drought, snooker’s GOAT Ronnie O’Sullivan is still sitting top of the pack at 5.00 (4/1). Judd Trump is close behind off the back of his recent finals run, paying 7.00 (6/1) for a win. Mark Selby comes in third on 8.00 (7/1) before Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy are tied for fourth, just a hair’s breadth behind at 8.50 (15/2) in the World Snooker Tour 2023-24 odds.
The 2023 Shanghai Masters holds a significant spot in this year’s snooker calendar, as it marks the first time a professional event has been held in China since the COVID-19 pandemic. With this event running since 2007, the top 16 players from the World Snooker Tour are invited, alongside a select number of Chinese players. A larger than usual prize pool sweetens the deal, with this year’s winner walking away £210,000 richer.
We’ve done all the hard work and sorted through the latest snooker betting odds to come up with three expert picks. Here are our top 2023 Snooker Shanghai Masters predictions:
0
(100%) 3
Yes, the seven-time World Championship winner is in something of a dry spell, failing to win an event since he claimed the Champion of Champions in November 2022. However, he’s the stark reality about Ronnie O’Sullivan: he’s won more tournaments than most of the other players have had hot lunches and is still sitting No 1 in the WST rankings. If there’s ever a place he’s going to get back in the winners’ circle, it’s Shanghai, where he’s the current defending champion and hasn’t lost here since 2016.
2 (67%)
(33%) 1
While Judd Trump hasn’t shared quite the same success as Ronnie O’Sullivan in Shanghai, the Englishman has still been a steady presence at the business end of the tournament in this event over recent years. Trump made the final of the Shanghai Masters in 2012, 2015, and 2017 and is still looking for his first title.
With the 34-year-old having shown good form to make the final of the European Masters, there’s no reason to believe he won’t carry both his historical and recent form into this week’s event. Expect Trump to make the final match and fall just short to O’Sullivan.
1 (50%)
(50%) 1
Sure, this prediction flies in the face of our tip that O’Sullivan will win the Shanghai Masters, but hey, that’s what a high-odds bet does, isn’t it? Those who want to bet on the Shanghai Masters 2023 snooker and come away with their pockets lined might want to look at backing a home favorite to win this one.
It’s been seven years since Ding Junhui last claimed this event for China. Still, we have an inkling that with everything that’s been going on in Chinese snooker, plus the triumphant post-COVID return to Shanghai, there will be a little bit of extra motivation for the Chinese contingent here. With more than half the draw being Chinese this year (nine of 16), the odds of a home player winning are decent, particularly considering Ding Junhui was looking in good form late last season. It’s still a long shot, but boy, would it be a nice return if it paid off.
Snooker returns to China this week for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, with Shanghai hosting seven days of action. Ronnie O’Sullivan is the defending champion, and we say he’ll break his recent drought and go four in a row in Shanghai.
However, there’s always a chance that with motivation levels high in the nine Chinese players competing this week, one of them will go on a hot run and claim the title for the host nation as well. Either way, expect them to be playing Judd Trump in the final.
