For the first time in 2025 the best players in snooker have headed east for the World Open.
Held in the Chinese city of Yushan, there is a big prize on the line this week with £175,000 being awarded to the winner. With players having had to qualify to reach the tournament and with only four tournaments left to play before the seedings for the 2025 World Championships are confirmed, there are plenty of players who will be hoping this week will be one that lives long in the memory.
Here are four players that have plenty to prove this week.
Shaun Murphy
Arguably nobody has more on the line this week than Shaun Murphy. Although Murphy is one of the top seeds this week and has already had a fantastic start to the season thanks to his victory at the 2025 Masters, it’s well documented that as things stand the Magician is currently well short of reaching the World Championships. He travels to China with plenty of work to do if he is to make the top 16 before the cut off at the end of March.
Murphy’s win at the Masters doesn’t count towards the overall money list and it’s his regular season play that has seen the Magician drop to 20th in the two year rankings that are used to determine who qualifies in the top 16.
Aside from his stunning victory at the Masters it’s been a relatively slow start to 2025. Perhaps still feeling the effects of his efforts at Alexandra Palace, he was an early casualty at the German Masters and his disappointment was only compounded when he fell at the first hurdle at last week’s Welsh Open.
With time quickly running out, Murphy knows he has very little margin for error over the next few weeks and he needs to quickly show the form that took him to the Masters title.
Mark Allen
Ranked seventh in the world heading into the World Open, Mark Allen knows that his place inside the top 16 ahead of the World Championships is already secured but this is a crucial time of year for the former UK Championship and Masters champion.
Allen has been a force in the game for the best part of the decade and is rightly regarded as one of the best players to have ever played the sport. With eleven ranking titles in his back pocket, the one tournament where Allen has fallen short is at the World Championships.
All of Allen's main rivals have managed to take that step and have been crowned as snooker’s ultimate champion, but Allen’s time at the Crucible has largely ended in frustration. Twice a semifinalist, most recently in 2023, Allen will hope to take the next step and finally get his hands on the game’s greatest prize.
In order to head into the World Championship in top form, Allen is another player who quickly needs to find his best game. Like Murphy, his 2025 has so far been a tough one. Losing a nail biter of a semi final at the Masters to Murphy, he then exited both the German Masters and Welsh Open at the second round.
Allen looks to have a kind draw this week and looks more than capable of having a big run. He will hope this is the week that kicks start his year.
Barry Hawkins
If you are looking to place a bet this week or are looking to see who might pull off the shock, it could be worth taking a look at Barry Hawkins.
Hawkins has been a dominant force in the game for years now but due to the talents of others, the former World Champion is constantly finding himself flying under the radar. Having had a tough start to 2024, Hawkins found his feet later in the year and is one of the form men in the game at the moment.
Having lost an incredible final to Judd Trump 10-8 at the UK Championship, he then found himself on the wrong side of yet another narrow defeat when losing 10-9 in the final to Kyren Wilson at the German Masters.
It has taken something special from the best two players in the world to defeat Hawkins of late and the Pistol would have taken a great deal despite losing both matches.
Hawkins knows what it takes to win a World Championship and he will be looking to round himself into form ahead of making another bold bid. With several players arriving in China with questions to answer, this week could be the one where Hawkins manages to go one step further than his most recent efforts.
Ding Junhui
Although snooker still remains on the periphery when it comes to its popularity in the UK and Ireland, one country where the sport continues to boom is China.
A hotbed of talent, many believe it is only a matter of time before a Chinese player is crowned as World Champion and the World Championship is permanently moved to the Far East.
Despite so many young players emerging from the Orient, the one man who remains the top dog when it comes to Chinese snooker is Ding Junhui.
Ding has been rightly seen as the flag bearer for Chinese snooker and he is the man that all of the Chinese players want to follow.
Ranked ninth in the world, Ding has had a tricky time of things as of late and pulled out of the German Masters and missed the Welsh Open. However, despite his absences, those who want to back Ding this week should take heart from the fact that he often saves his best for when he is back in his homeland.
A previous winner of this tournament, he also tasted success at the International Championship back in November.
A tough out for anybody to face this week, Ding can find himself rounding into form quickly and he will hope to show his best in front of his home fans once again.
Andrew Blakely
At 35, Andrew Blakely stands as a seasoned expert in both snooker and its betting intricacies. A dedicated player and analyst, he offers keen insights derived from years in the field. Through his writings, Andrew aspires to guide enthusiasts navigating the captivating world of snooker betting.
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