Richard Mann's free snooker betting tips: Players Championship preview - including Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump
Ronnie O'Sullivan will defend his Coral Players Championship title in Preston this week but Richard Mann isn't sure he is the man to beat.
Recommended bets: Players Championship
3pts Judd Trump to win the Coral Players Championship at 4/1
In the midst of a stellar campaign that included wins at the English Open, UK Championship and World Grand Prix, Ronnie O'Sullivan won the Players Championship 12 months ago in nothing more than a canter.
A 6-5 defeat of Judd Trump in the last four was the only time The Rocket was tested all week and his 10-4 victory over Shaun Murphy in the final was almost a disappointment given how one-sided that match became.
O'Sullivan is around the 11/4 mark to successfully defend his title this week but following a strong start to this season, which included victories at the Shanghai Masters, Champions of Champions, UK Championship and a run to the final of The Masters, his more recent form has taken a downturn in fortunes.
Marco Fu inflicted a first-round defeat on O'Sullivan at the World Grand Prix and the latter suffered another early exit at the Welsh Open a week later when Alexander Ursenbacher claimed one of the biggest wins of his career.
It might be the case that O'Sullivan is making a conscious effort to lighten his workload both on and off the table in an attempt to peak at the World Championships having looked a little jaded when below his best in Sheffield in the last few years.
As ever, his form is certainly worth watching over the next few weeks but I'm happy to leave him alone this week, especially at those prices, with Judd Trump looking rock solid at the 4/1 mark.
If O'Sullivan was the player of the season up until Christmas, Trump has certainly stolen the limelight since the turn of the year and his victory in the final of The Masters was as significant as it was impressive.
While winning a Triple Crown event for the first time is always a touchstone moment in the career of any professional snooker player, the manner in which Trump dismantled O'Sullivan 10-4 in that final sent out a real message of intent to the rest of the tour, including O'Sullivan himself.
Having also beaten O'Sullivan in the final of the Northern Ireland Open earlier in the campaign, Trump is one of few the players whom The Rocket fears when it comes to big finals, Mark Selby and John Higgins possibly being the other two but neither anywhere near their best of late and both hard to make a strong case for this week.
Trump's new-found dedication on the practice table has clearly been the key factor in his excellent recent run but winning breeds success and despite failing to play to his very best at the World Grand Prix last month, it was telling that he was able to find a way to lift the trophy having come through a number of close matches.
Make no mistake, Trump is now the real deal with a real hunger to lift trophies and a much-improved safety game that gives him another crucial tool in an already frightening armoury.
My one fear about Trump heading towards the back end of the season was potential burn out following such a hectic schedule but he has had a good break since exiting early from the Welsh Open and there is every reason to expect him to be firing on all cylinders this week.
His draw, which pitches him on the opposite side to the likes of O'Sullivan, Selby and Higgins, looks as favourable as one can expect in an event as rich in quality as this one and he is worth supporting at 4/1.
A potential semi-final clash with in-form Welsh Open victor Neil Roberston certainly whets the appetite but Trump was too strong for that rival when they met at The Masters and quotes of 9/1 about the Australian look about right all things considered.
Following a desperate season to date, there were definite shoots of promise from John Higgins' performances at the Welsh Open and Indian Open and he might not be far away from finding his best, similarly Mark Selby, who continues to display patches of brilliance and frustrating inconsistency in equal measure.
Also housed in the top half of the draw, English Open hero Stuart Bingham is certainly playing well enough at present to warrant consideration at 20/1 while Barry Hawkins is another to catch the eye at 28/1.
Hawkins has the unenviable task of taking on O'Sullivan in round one but recent form tells us that he has a real chance of springing a surprise there and were that result to go his way, the top half of the draw would be blown wide open.
Nevertheless, I'm happy to stick with Trump who looks the one to beat on what we have seen in the last couple of months, and he would have nothing to fear if him and O'Sullivan were to meet in yet another major title.
Players Championship Round One Draw
- Mark Allen v Stephen Maguire
- David Gilbert v Stuart Bingham
- Ronnie O'Sullivan v Barry Hawkins
- Mark Selby v John Higgins
- Neil Robertson v Joe Perry
- Mark Williams v Ali Carter
- Kyren Wilson v Jack Lisowski
- Judd Trump v Jimmy Robertson
Posted at 1315 GMT on 04/03/19