English Open 2025
We are firmly underway in Brentwood, Essex for the 10th edition of the English Open. Like last year, the draw was implemented from a previous open draw or what we call a “Flat 128”, into seedings whereby the top 32 in the world don’t come into play until Monday.
However, this year there’s no pre qualifying, all players go to the venue - 128 to 65 in the world started in round 1, then seeds 64 to 33 enter in round 2 Saturday until the big guns arrive.
I’ve never been a huge fan of protection to the bigger ranks in snooker however we thankfully don’t live in a day and age like the 1990s where the top 16 were seeded every event and hence the big names in the game were hard to budge from the top.
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Neil Robertson 8/1 - 0.75pts ew
That system would have probably prevented my first outright selection from a brief fall from grace however in the last 12 months, Neil Robertson is right back on track and it’s a sight to behold if I do say so myself.
It was this time last year in this event where it finally re-clicked for the Aussie after a disastrous 2023/24 season dropping out the top 16. It underlines the fact nobody is too good to drop out the elite. Mind you, this was the equivalent of Liverpool dropping out the Premier League!
Robertson’s win 12 months ago was the catalyst as he’s won twice since; the World Grand Prix out in Hong Kong in March then this season’s money grabber out in Saudi Arabia for half a million quid.
The Aussie took a break after that win, heading back to his homeland in Australia and actually doesn’t fly back to the U.K. until Saturday but comes here nice and fresh. He felt playing in Wuhan would have made him hit a mental brick wall and though you could say he’s slightly under prepared for this, he still has his confidence sky high.
It’s safe to say, there is no one in this field with a better record in this event. Last years triumph was the second time he’s lifted the Steve Davis trophy after the first in 2021. He was runner-up in 2020 and a semi-finalist in 2022 as defending champion. He lost in qualifying in 2023 so has made at least the semi-final in his last four appearances.
On three occasions in his career, Robertson has won ranking tournaments back-to-back; 2009 & 2010 World Open, 2013 & 2014 Wuxi Classic and 2021 & 2022 Tour Championship so aims for the quartet this week.
As number one seed, Robertson has on paper a soft looking draw which he really ought to expose, best-of-seven or not. One thing is for sure, Robbo alongside his big mate and mentor Joe Perry has got the fear factor back and will be hard to stop in Brentwood.
Midnite
Chris Wakelin - 50/1 - 0.50pt ew
In the same quarter as Robertson, I can’t resist a go on the ever improving Chris Wakelin at a large 50/1.
The strides the man from Nuneaton has made in the last two years has been extraordinary. Who would have thought a victory in the Shoot-Out could turn a players career around?
He had only made four ranking quarter-finals prior to the 2023 Shoot-Out, but since then has broken into the top 16 after nine ranking quarter-finals or better including finals of the Northern Ireland Open (same format as here) in 2023 and last season’s International Championship.
He even made the quarter-finals of the Worlds in April losing out to eventual champion Zhao Xintong after beating Robertson in round two over three sessions.
Wakelin got his revenge on Zhao out in Saudi for their Masters event beating him 6-5 then ousted Barry Hawkins in the quarters by the same scoreline. Unfortunately for Chris, he ran into a rampant rocket called Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semis who compiled the two maximums. Nevertheless, Wakelin pocketed a cool £100k for his run in Jeddah having won just short of £300k last season.
The other positive is Wakelin comes here in winning form after collecting the highly competitive Pink Ribbon Pro-Am title at the weekend over in Landywood Snooker Centre near Cannock.
Though he beat four amateurs on his way to victory including in the final against former pro, Craig Steadman he was giving away 14 handicap in each best-of-seven match. He also stuffed Ben Woollaston and recent Wuhan Open runner-up Gary Wilson 4-0 in the last 16 and semi-final (off scratch).
This is a player who should be in the 25/1-33/1 region in my view for outrights like this, so 50/1 on this serial deep runner in rankers has to be seen as too big.
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Daniel Wells - 250/1 - 0.25pt ew
One absolute flyer at a price to finish and it comes from Wales’ Daniel Wells at 275/1-250/1.
Wells starts out on Saturday, a round before the last 64 against China’s erratic Jiang Jun. The 37-year-old is well established now inside the world’s top 48 and should be pushing towards to the top 32 this season.
Wells’ breakthrough came in the 2018 Scottish Open where from nowhere gatecrashed into his first ranking semi-final and only experience/bottle cost him a place in the final having led 4-0 and 5-2 to eventually get an agonising loss in a decider against Mark Allen.
Bar a run to the semis of the Shoot-Out in 2023 it took Wells until last season to make another ‘proper’ ranking semi-final in the Xi’an Grand Prix losing out to Judd Trump.
Wells went on from that to reach the Crucible for the first time in April where he knocked in three centuries on debut in his loss to Shaun Murphy.
Like Wakelin, Wells attended the Pink Ribbon Pro-Am and made the semi-final losing to Steadman. In the process, he cracked in six centuries and this is certainly a part of his game which has improved ten fold.
Providing he wins his opener, Wells is due to face Pang Junxu in the last 64 and he’s a player devoid of form so far this season so I certainly see him making the last 32 when he might encounter Kyren Wilson. Though Wilson hasn’t got the best of records in the Home Nations events so it could be a decent match up for the selection.
I think his price of 250/1+ is a tad insulting for a player who is firmly knocking on the door at present.
English open Snooker Tips
Neil Robertson 8/1 0.75pt ew
Chris Wakelin 50/1 0.50pt ew
Daniel Wells 250/1 0.25pt ew
