George Weyham previews the 2025 Xi’an Grand Prix, giving his two outright betting tips for this year's tournament.
Xi'an Grand Prix 2025
Snooker is a funny old game.
Ask Shaun Murphy.
Just when you are under pressure in the world rankings and having slipped out of the top 16 for the first time in nearly 20 years, you go and win a ranking event, cementing your place back in. John Higgins did similar last season at the World Open.
It’s that old adage; “form is temporary, class is permanent”. The top players just have a knack of doing it when it’s required. Murphy is a Marmite character on tour and though I’m not a fan of his off table persona, you cannot doubt he’s a real class act on the baize. He’s what I call a momentum player - when he clicks, he’s a dangerous train to stop. Judd Trump and Neil Robertson can vouch for that, two of his foes in Cheltenham.
He has history. Murphy got on one of these runs at the back end of the 2022/23 season making three finals, winning two.
China hasn’t been a great hunting ground for the Magician. Of his 13 ranking titles, only two have come in this part of the world, with the last being the China Championship in 2019. I’m therefore happy to override his chance for back-to-back titles for this week’s Xi’an Grand Prix though he did make back-to-back finals in the 2017/18 season.
I’ve never known it harder to pick outright winners than now on the circuit, given the standard across the board. It’s east to look at the top of the market and say ‘Judd, Kyren or Zhao’ however those three are out of form at present.
Trump has a point to prove in Xi’an. The ‘Ace in the Pack’ is without a ranker since the 2024 U.K. Championship which doesn’t seem long ago, however it’s unheard of for someone of Trump’s winning consistency. He’s also losing close matches too which is also unlike him.
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Zhao hasn’t troubled the judge either this season since his heroics in the Worlds in April/May. He’s finding that word ‘consistency’ an issue too, plus he’s everyone’s number one target to conquer. Zhao has never won a title in his homeland.
Though Wilson won the Shanghai Masters (invitational) in August, he’s on a slight barren run of sloppy results at present and comes here as defending champion a player to take on though he loves this part of world.
Of course we know all three are outstanding players in their own right and their form could turn in a heartbeat. Out the trio, I probably trust Wilson most.
A player who is playing better than all three this season and deserves a change of luck is Mark Selby.
The Jester used to be the go to man in China. Selby has won seven ranking titles here in his illustrious career though the last one of those came in the 2018 China Championship. That’s too long ago.
At that time, nearly half of his career ranking wins came in the Far East however since this, he’s won nine times and all bar one have come in the UK.
So to say Selby is due a title win here is an understatement.
Selby has threatened to win a title this season three times, each time falling at the semi-final stage; to Ali Carter in the Shanghai Masters, Zhou Yuelong in the English Open and Shaun Murphy in his defence of the British Open.
Selby will be therefore deep down relatively pleased with things at present though at the same time desperate to put things right in Xi’an to get himself a 25th ranking title. There’s a lot to like.
In 15 of the last 16 seasons, Selby has lifted some kind of trophy which is an insane record and proves he still has that appetite for success. He’s a four-time world champion for a reason.
In Quarter 2, I could easily have given a chance to back to form Jak Jones or the reliable Chris Wakelin, both have a fair chance of a first ranking title (outside of the Shoot-Out for Wakelin) but I’ve plumped for three-time ranking winner in Gary Wilson at 30/1.
The Tyneside Terror looks back to his old self this season. Last term he wasn’t getting the results though was scoring as well as he always does.
So it’s just like putting all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together and Wilson did so at the end of August making a sixth ranking final, 500 miles south-east of Xi’an in Wuhan where he agonisingly lost in a decider 10-9 to Xiao Guodong.
His route to the final couldn’t have been any harder either, taking out Mark Allen, John Higgins, Trump and Murphy. Wilson made his sixth maximum 147 last week
in qualifying, becoming only the 10th player in history to have made six maxis.
Wilson made his first ranking final in China 10 years ago (losing to Selby) and is now a proven winner on the circuit. If Wilson gets his teeth into the event, I can see him atoning the loss in Wuhan here in Xi’an.
