The UK Championships is one of my favourite tournaments on the snooker circuit, not too long and not too short in format and perfectly placed in the calendar as a pre-Christmas treat…
There are a few short priced favourites kicking off their campaign today and there is one player in particular that looks to be worth taking on at the odds on offer. World number one and five time former UK champion Ronnie O’Sullivan may not at first glance appear to be an ideal player to bet against in the first round of a tournament, but he is often one of the most vulnerable players on the circuit.
When he plays to the best of his ability he is by far the best player in the world, arguably ever. But there have been signs recently that he is forgetting how (or losing the ability) to win games when he isn’t at his best.
O’Sullivan finished the Premier League amid a poor run of form losing his final two league games of the group stages, he then went on to beat Judd Trump comfortably in the semi-final but was comprehensively beaten by Shaun Murphy in the final.
His opponent today is the 2003 UK Champion and former world number four Matthew Stevens, the Welshman is now ranked 26th in the world but he is once again showing glimpses of the form that brought him his past successes. He has to be a value bet in both the match odds and handicap markets here.
Recommended Bets:
Back Matthew Stevens to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan @ 4.4 (7/2) with Betfair
Back Matthew Stevens +2.5 frames @ 5/4 with BlueSquare
Sport: Football