The 2022–23 snooker season heads into its 11th-ranked event next week, with the Welsh Open 2023 getting under way. As the final of the four Home Nations Series and the eighth and final stop in the European Series as well, plenty of the world’s top snooker players will be looking to finish on a high in Wales over the next few days.
While last week’s German Masters saw several of the world’s top players take a breather, the Welsh Open is back to a full-strength field with all of the Top Five players in snooker present in the field. Ronnie O’Sullivan will be looking to get his first tournament win of 2023 at an event that he has won four times previously. However, Judd Trump will have something to say about that, as the Englishman looks to avenge his loss in last year’s final.
We break down all the best bets to make on the Welsh Open 2023 ahead of the first break on Monday.
| Tournament: | World Snooker Tour 2022-23, The 2023 Welsh Open |
| Venue: | Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales |
| Date: | Monday 13 February to Sunday 19 February 2023 |
Those looking to bet on the Welsh Open 2023 next week will be interested to see these outright winner odds ahead of the tournament’s start from the top UK snooker bookies:
While Ronnie O’Sullivan gave the likes of Neil Robertson a break last week, the Englishman is back at the Welsh Open 2023 and is the favorite to win the event at 6.00 (5/1). Right behind him is current World No.5 Judd Trump at 7.00 (6/1), with Neil Robertson relegated to third in the betting odds for this tournament at 8.00 (7/1). Rounding out the top five, the World Snooker Tour 2023 odds drop off for Mark Selby and Mark Allen, who are both at 11.00 (10/1) to win the Welsh Open this year.
The Welsh Open has been held every year since 1992 and is part of the Home Nations Series and European Series. However, this will be the first year that the tournament has been held outside of either Cardiff or Newport, with the event shifting to Llandudno in 2023.
Here’s a look at how the Welsh Open has unfolded over recent years:
Last year saw Judd Trump upset by World No.30 Joe Perry. Will 2023 see another upset, or can Trump get his revenge? What about the four-time Welsh Open champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, will he be able to claim his first title of 2023 and first here since 2016?
Those who want to bet on the Welsh Open 2023 have plenty of options to choose from because we have some excellent wagers to make on betting sites in Wales. Here are our top three punts we suggest making ahead of Monday’s first break:
England’s Ronnie O’Sullivan has won 39 ranking events across his career but is yet to win a tournament in 2023. However, he still remains the current World No.1 and has been hitting the snooker ball well recently.
Having not won in Wales since 2016, but with four previous titles under his belt, O’Sullivan will be eager to go one better than his 2021 runner-up finish. Bottom line, O’Sullivan is the bookies’ favorite for a reason: he’s the world’s best snooker player. The fact that he hasn’t won in a few weeks only improves the return punters get if they back O’Sullivan to get what feels like an inevitable win in 2023.
The second favorite in the betting odds for the Welsh Open 2023 is Judd Trump, who has been drawn in the second quarter of the draw.
We say that the Englishman is going to make a strong run through to the semifinals, at least, given the other players who have been drawn in his quarter. The next two highest-ranked men are Neil Robertson, Jack Lisowski, and Shaun Murphy. Both Robertson and Lisowski failed to capitalize on a weak German Masters field, getting knocked out by lower-ranked players in the Round of 16 and semifinals, respectively. Just this Thursday, Robertson also lost all three of his sets in the Champions League, while Shaun Murphy has not been playing much snooker recently.
Add all of this up, and Judd Trump should move through his quarter smoothly, setting a likely semifinal with Mark Williams.
Last week’s surprise German Masters’ winner was Ali Carter. The win saw Carter shoot up to No.15 in the world after the Englishman comprehensively defeated Tom Ford 10-3 in the German Masters final.
It’s a long shot, but the 43-year-old is clearly seeing the ball well this month. Can he build on his momentum from last week and make a deep run to the Welsh Open 2023 title, too? It’s a long shot, but with odds of 26.00 (25/1), it might be worth a wager for the risky gambler.
This coming week sees the final Home Nations Series stop play out in Llandudno, with the Welsh Open 2023 taking place. Our 2023 Welsh Open snooker predictions are that Ronnie O’Sullivan will pick up his first win of the year but will receive some good competition from an in-form Judd Trump. Those looking to go against the norm might want to wager on Ali Carter to be a dark horse, but our betting preview says the Welsh Open will end in English glory for the four-time champion O’Sullivan.
