There’s an old saying in sport that winning is hard to do and that has certainly proved to be the case at the World Open.
Several big names are back home watching the action from the couch and the World Open is a great example of just how strong the World Snooker Tour currently is.
We are reaching a critical stage of the season where the World Championships are quickly looming into view and for some of the best players in the world, there will be a huge concern that unless their form rapidly picks up they will be in real danger of arriving at snooker’s showpiece event horribly out of form.
With the World Open reaching the business end of proceedings, let’s take a look at who has missed out on the £175,000 first place prize.
Judd Trump
There can be no doubts as to who snooker’s dominant force in snooker was in 2024 and that was Judd Trump. The world number one was able to lift the World Open, and UK Championship last year and was seemingly always advancing deep into events.
Trump was so consistent, that he was able to recently set a record for the amount of prize money won in a single season and he would have had high hopes going into 2025 that he would have been able to break that record by winning even more.
Instead, 2025 has got off to a rocky start for the Englishman. A loser in the semi finals of the Masters to the defending World Champion, Kyren Wilson, he again lost to Wilson in the Championship League and was an early round casualty at the German Masters.
Choosing to miss the Welsh Open in order to be fresh for the World Open and next week’s World Grand Prix, the move backfired on Trump who lost in the last 32 this week.
Advancing past world number 60, Long Zehuang in the opening round 5-1, his tournament would end at the hands of Joe O’Connor, where he would end up falling 5-2.
Worryingly for Trump he looked out of sorts and just not his usual fluent self and O’Connor fully deserved his victory.
For the first time in a long time Trump is searching for his best game and he will hope that it arrives by the time the World Grand Prix starts in a few weeks.
Kyren Wilson
With Trump’s defeat sending shockwaves through the draw, one man who would have been keen to make the most of the world number one’s early exit would have been Kyren Wilson.
Thanks to his World Championship success and wins at both the Northern Irish Open and German Masters, Wilson has firmly established himself as the second best player in the world and of late has had Trump’s number.
A hugely talented player that has been able to combine his talent with a gritty mindset, many were expecting Wilson to work his way to the latter stages of the tournament, only to then be surprised that the Englishman would end up falling to hometown favourite, Yuelong Zhou.
After winning the German Masters earlier this year courtesy of edging several final frame shootouts, in the last two tournaments Wilson has had to experience how losing in a final frame feels as he crashed out of both the Welsh Open and here in painful fashion.
Unable to get in amongst the balls, Wilson will be rueing a missed opportunity and is another who will head to Hong Kong and the World Grand Prix looking to make amends.
Mark Selby
Just when people were beginning to focus on the emerging rivalry between Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson and the return of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby reminded everybody of what a quality player he is when he captured the Welsh Open for the second time in his career.
Selby is an all time great. A four time World Champion, he is often overlooked by the brilliance of Ronnie O’Sullivan and more recently Judd Trump, but following his success in Wales many were expecting more of the same this week in China.
Usually so consistent and tough to beat, the effects of his deep run in Wales were clearly evident as he put up a fairly limp display against world number 61, Hongyu Liu in the opening round.
The best of the best will collide at the World Grand Prix and Selby will be right up there in the betting and he will be hopeful of showing that this week was just a blip and that he can win one of snooker’s most prestigious tournaments for the very first time.
Mark Allen
Another first round casualty this week was that of world number seven Mark Allen. Allen who in a few weeks will be hoping to capture a first World Championship has so far endured a torrid 2025.
A beaten semifinalist at the Masters, his defeat to eventual winner Shaun Murphy seems to have rocked his confidence and he has been unable to advance past the second round in three consecutive tournaments.
Whilst Allen might not be everyone’s cup of tea due to his honesty both on and off the table, the one thing that you can normally be assured of is that the Northern Irishman is normally hugely self confident but of late that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Like Trump, the normal fluency and rhythm to his game just doesn’t seem to be there and he was nothing like the player we have become so accustomed to seeing when falling in a final frame thriller against world number 62, David Lilley.
Usually so ruthless against opposition well down the world standings, there currently is a feeling that a search for a first World Championship will continue past this year.
Although he will be concerned over the state of his game currently, Allen has been here before and has been able to get back on track. Heading into the World Grand Prix he will be desperate to stop his slide and get his bid for World Championship glory back on track.
Jonathan Ashby
Jonathan Ashby, at 35, boasts a deep well of knowledge about the world of snooker. A specialist with a passion for the game's history, techniques, and players, he provides invaluable insights to both novices and seasoned enthusiasts. Through his articles, Jonathan aims to share the rich tapestry and nuances of this beloved cue sport.
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