If backing Ronnie or Judd isn’t your cup of tea, the chasing pack might catch your eye with a few meaty prices at the Crucible.
After all, Luca Brecel threw a spanner in the works last season by winning from around 40/1 in the pre-tournament betting.
Let’s take a look at some of the bigger prices coming into the 2024 World Snooker Championship.
- Mark Williams - 12/1
- Ding Junhui - 22/1
- Hossein Vafaei - 50/1
Mark Williams
Calling Mark Williams an “underdog” may be a bit harsh, considering his three world titles in his trophy cabinet.
But considering the Welshman has only scooped three ranking titles since 2018, his 12/1 price is understandable.
The good news? That one of those titles came a fortnight ago at the Tour Championship.
Williams beat familiar rivals Judd Trump, Mark Allen and Ronnie O’Sullivan by an aggregate leg score of 30-14 in Manchester, and claims to be playing some of the best snooker of his career coming into this year’s World Championship.
Williams has been a quarter-finalist at the very least in four of his last six Crucible visits and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was involved in the business end once again.
Ding Junhui
After a few quiet seasons in the wilderness, Ding Junhui looks back to near his best form.
The Chinese superstar has reached two ranking finals this season and is back up to number seven in the world rankings, having slipped out of the top 10 in 2020.
His World Championship form is a concern, however.
Ding has exited at either the first or second round in his last five visits to the Crucible, with his 2016 run to the final looking a long time ago after recent heartache.
22/1 is a big price for a seasoned pro like Ding with 14 rankings titles under his belt.
Hossein Vafaei
World number 20 Hossein Vafaei will have to do things the hard way if he is to make a dent on the World Championship.
The Iranian has drawn to play Judd Trump in the opening round, but this is unlikely to phase a man with the confidence of Vafaei.
Despite not winning a ranking title across the 2023/24 season, the 29-year-old has had multiple positive performances (including semi-final runs at the British Open and UK Championship) this campaign and plays with an aggression that will win him plenty of fans in Sheffield.
If he can navigate past Trump – a man he beat at their last meeting – then there will be no reason why the “Prince of Persia” won’t fancy running deep.
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