The World Snooker Championship is the highest stage that the sport offers and it attracts top players from all over the globe to compete each year.
Typically the legendary names dominate the headlines with the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby often tipped to achieve snooker’s greatest prize.
However, the aura and reputation of the sports’ historical greats do not guarantee success in the most demanding event of them all.
The leading favourites could be upset again
Ahead of the 2024 event, the competition’s previous winners will unsurprisingly make up the leading favourites as they look to add to their world title hauls.
The World Snooker Championship 2024 odds offer O’Sullivan as a 3/1 outright favourite.
2022 champion Judd Trump is seen as another likely winner offered at 4/1 in snooker betting to join the massive event’s exclusive group of multiple-time world champions.
The chance of an underdog run cannot be ruled out though as just last year a huge betting outsider in Luca Brecel won the trophy after entering the championship seeking his first-ever match win.
It would be difficult for anybody to match that level of competitive upset this year, although several players stand out as potential dark horses that could go further than expected.
Zhang Anda
It would represent a surprise if the prize this year goes to a non-British player with so many players from England and Scotland present at the peak of the rankings.
However, a strong shout if that is to happen is Chinese player Zhang Anda who will enter the competition off the back of excellent recent form.
A rollercoaster final with so many twists, turns, ebbs and flows. Yet there could be only be one winner in this year’s Player’s Championship final. Both players made mistakes but in the end, Mark Allen prevailed with an iron nerve over Zhang Anda 10-8 in Telford. pic.twitter.com/km4ETarJeB
— Elliott West (@elliottwest87) February 25, 2024
Anda is offered at 28/1 to win the competition despite having gone all the way to the final of the Players Championship in February where he lost narrowly 10-8 to Mark Allen.
He also won the International Championship in 2023 which could provide invaluable experience when it comes to tackling the leading-ranked event this year.
The world number 11 is certainly capable of navigating his way to the latter stages this season as the last couple of years have shown he is without doubt hitting the greatest form of his career.
Kyren Wilson
Kyren Wilson is another player priced at 28/1 to win this year’s competition due to the immense quality that the frontrunners possess.
He is a player that has lacked consistency in recent years although when he peaks he plays at an elite level.
Wilson was the European Masters champion in 2022/23 and he finished as runner-up in the Tour Championship later in the season.
Like Anda, he has consistently competed amongst the leading 16 players for many years now and has vast experience in matching up with the greats.
It’s been a great week! 😀 pic.twitter.com/Jx8N9ut5kP
— Kyren Wilson (@KyrenWilson) August 4, 2023
The occasion and the pressure should not faze him as a man who has starred in 13 ranked finals, which could allow him to go far as a player who will not have huge expectations forced onto him.
Ultimately, the likes of O’Sullivan and Trump will be extremely wary of the potential for a surprise victor again.
However, the pressure of being the favourites will still be there and that could pave the way for a star outside of the spotlight to excel.
Anda and Wilson are two gifted players at the back end of the top 16 who have the potential to cause problems for the veterans this year, although any heroics would certainly not rival Brecel’s miracle run in 2023.
(Pic under creative commons licence by barfisch)
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