We have reached the business end of the World Grand Prix and only eight men remain in the hunt for World Grand Prix glory and will take home the £185,000 first place prize.
It’s been a tournament that has seen shocks and disappointments before a ball was even struck, let’s look at some of the storylines that have emerged through the first three day’s play.
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s place at the 2025 World Championships remains up in the air
Heading into the first World Grand Prix that has been held in Hong Kong, there was huge excitement over the return of Ronnie O’Sullivan.
It’s been a rough few months for the seven time World Champion, matters away from the table and a decline in his mental health have seen him take some time away from the game and he is yet to play a tournament of note through 2025.
Now a resident out in Hong Kong, O’Sullivan confirmed that he was to make his long awaited seasonal debut at the tournament, but just a day before his first round match against Si Jiahui, the Rocket announced that he wasn’t yet ready to make his return.
With only two tournaments remaining before the World Championships, O’Sullivan’s next tournament is scheduled to be at the Crucible but whether he takes his place at snooker’s biggest tournament remains very much up in the air.
Despite being in his late 40’s, snooker is still a much better place when O’Sullivan is playing well and although he has missed World Championships before, they simply aren’t the same without the game’s best player.
Everyone will be hoping that O’Sullivan continues with his recovery and is able to take his place amongst the best in the game as he tries to win a record eighth World Championship.
Trump advances as Wilson falls
It’s been a difficult start to 2025 for Judd Trump as he has failed to make an impact at the Masters, German Masters and World Open.
The undisputed world number one, all eyes are set to be on Trump as he prepares for the most crucial part of the season.
On track to be the game’s greatest regular season winner, greatness in snooker is defined by World Championship success and it’s fair to say in that regard Trump’s one solitary victory back in 2019 isn’t enough and he will be desperate to change that record later this year.
Needing to get back into the winning habit, Trump will be a relieved man to have advanced to the quarter final stage and he will maybe have felt he deserved some of the luck that has taken him this far.
A 4-2 winner against Gary Wilson in the opening round, Trump received a walkover when Jack Lisowki pulled out of their last 16 encounter.
A quarterfinal against Hossein Vafaei lies in wait and the world number one will be the huge favourite to advance to the semi finals where a potential clash with Mark Selby could well be on the cards.
One man who would have hoped to have been able to renew rivalries with Judd Trump was Kyren Wilson, but the world number two suffered a last 16 exit when falling to the man of the hour, John Higgins.
Higgins who has rediscovered his very best form following his victory at last week’s World Open is showing exactly why he is a four time World Champion and despite trailing 2-1, the Scot won three frames in a row to win 4-2.
After reaching the final of the Masters and then winning the German Masters, Wilson has not advanced past the second round in his last three tournaments.
Set to defend his World Championship, Wilson will be hoping to become the first man since Mark Selby to win back to back world titles and cement his place as one of the best modern icons of the game.
Frustrations continue for Mark Allen and Mark Williams
It’s been a tough start to 2025 for both Mark Allen and Mark Williams and both would have hoped that their trip to Hong Kong would have brought about an upturn in their fortunes, but both would end up being left disappointed.
For Williams, despite a career that has had ups and downs, he has come back to win the biggest titles in the game, but those days look to be a thing of the past.
Looking wildly out of sorts this year, the world number five proved to be no match for Stuart Bingham and could do nothing to stop himself falling to a disappointing 4-2 defeat.
Williams has only been able to win one match all season and has suffered first round exits at the Masters, German Masters and now World Grand Prix.
Williams has proved the doubters wrong before, he will need to find his best form quickly if he is to make a challenge for a fourth World Championship.
Whilst Williams is nearing the end of his career, the same can’t be said of Mark Allen who should be reaching the peak of his powers.
Allen is a classy player as judged by his victories at both the Masters and UK Championship, but the form that has seen him win some of the biggest competitions has left him behind in 2025.
A run to the semifinals of the Masters has been spoiled by early exits at every other tournament since and he will be scratching his head as to what he can do to rediscover his best game.
Drawn against world number 36, Jimmy Robertson in the first round, Allen would have been hopeful of the confidence booster but his problems would be compounded by another puzzling loss.
Unable to get into any sort of rhythm, he would fall by 4 frames to two and would exit with more questions than answers.
Allen is arguably the best player playing the game not to have won the World Championship and that long frustrating wait will continue unless he rediscovers his best game quickly.
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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