Trent Reinsmith
- What: 2023 WST Classic Snooker Tournament
- Date: March 16-23, 2023
- Location: Morningside Arena in Leicester, England
- How to Watch: DAZN
The WST added the WST Classic to the ranking tournament calendar this year. The first iteration of the snooker tournament takes place between March 16 and March 23 at Morningside Arena in Leicester, England. The event is a 128-player knockout tournament with a prize pool of £427,000. The winner of the first-ever WST Classic takes home £80,000 of that amount. The WST Classic replaces the Turkish Masters on the ranking tournament schedule.
The 2023 WST Classic starts with the top 64 players in the snooker world rankings were seeded in the draw. The remaining 64 players who will compete were selected at random against those ranked players.
Before we look at the betting breakdown, picks, odds and predictions for the 2023 WST Classic, check out our picks for the 2023 World Snooker Championship and the best sports betting apps and mobile options for betting on Snooker and other sports.
Snooker: 2023 WST Classic picks
Ronnie O’Sullivan
The No. 1 snooker player in the world, Ronnie O’Sullivan, is playing well in non-ranking events in 2022-23. While the 47-year-old has not made it past the quarter-finals in a ranking tournament this season, O’Sullivan has wins at the Hong Kong Masters and Champion of Champions.
O’Sullivan’s most recent appearance in a ranking event came at the Welsh Open. Tian Pengfei, who is currently the No. 41 ranked snooker player in the world, eliminated O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals of that event.
O’Sullivan has not won a ranking tournament since he took first place at the 2022 World Snooker Championship in May 2022. He defeated Judd Trump in the finals of that event.
Judd Trump
Like the No. 1 player in the world, Ronnie O’Sullivan, the No. 5 ranked Judd Trump is looking for his first ranking event win of the year. In fact, Trump has not picked up a ranking event win since he won four events during the 2020-21 snooker season. Trump won the North Ireland Open, English Open, World Grand Prix and German Masters that year.
That’s not to say Trump is playing poorly this year. He made the finals of the 2023 World Grand Prix (losing to Mark Allen) and he has a win and two other finals appearances in non-ranking events in 2023.
Trump is coming off a quarter-final round elimination in the 2023 Six Red World Championship non-ranking event.
Mark Selby
Mark Selby enters the WST Classic as the No. 2 player in the overall World Rankings, trailing only Ronnie O’Sullivan on that list. Selby is coming off a second-round exit at the Welsh Open. He has one ranking tournament win during the 2022-23 season, winning the 2022 English Open in December. Selby topped Neil Robertson in that event by a score of 6-4.
The 39-year-old Selby has failed to make it past the first round in three of his past four ranking event starts. That includes his most recent outing, the 2023 Players Championship, where Shaun Murphy eliminated him.
Mark Allen
If you’re looking for a high-performer in the current WST season to back for the 2023 WST Classic, Mark Allen is that player. The No. 3 ranked player in the world and the No. 1 player in the one-year-rankings, Allen has wins in the following ranking events in 2022-23: Northern Ireland Open, UK Championship and World Grand Prix. He also finished as the runner-up to Ryan Day at the British Open.
However, Allen is coming off a first-round exit at the 2023 Players Championship.
Best bet to win the 2023 WST Classic snooker tournament
With the number of players in this event, even the world’s best snooker players present some value when it comes to betting on the winner of the 2023 WST Classic. My bet to win is Mark Allen.
Pick: Mark Allen to win the 2023 WST Classic snooker tournament.
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