China Open snooker betting tips & preview

Recommended bet: China Open

2pts Mark Selby to win at 5/1 - good recent record in Beijing and will be determined to find his best form with Worlds looming

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With the World Championship in Sheffield now looming large on the horizon next month, the pressure is really on for virtually every player on the circuit.

Perhaps Judd Trump aside, each and every one of them has room for improvement heading to the Crucible.

Yet there are some players who seem capable to switch form on like the flick of a switch, with world number one Mark Selby top of that very select list.

In the first half of the season the 33-year-old was almost unstoppable.

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He beat fellow Leicester potter Tom Ford 4-2 to win the Paul Hunter Classic, knocked in seven breaks of over 50 to thrash Ding Junhui 10-1 to lift the International Championship title before ousting Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-7 to win his second UK Championship and second Triple Crown of his career.

Selby also reached the Shanghai Masters final and semi-finals of the European Masters to be a runaway leader at the top of the world rankings.

Yet he has had a barren streak since the turn of the year and reaching the last eight of the Masters and recent Players Championship in Llandudno are his best efforts in 2017.

If it was virtually any other player you might be worried, but Selby is well on his way to being the most dominant player of his generation, just like Steve Davis was in the 1980s and Stephen Hendry in the 90s.

For this reason, you have to accept there will be spells like this, but there will also be times where he is winning everything in sight.

Being number one means Selby is the player everyone else wants to beat, but he is relishing the challenge.

"I’d like to think I’m still as dedicated as I was years ago, and still want to work hard to try to win more," Selby told Eurosport.

"I don't think anybody fears anybody in snooker these days with the standard being so high, and the fact you are facing different players all the time."

The snooker roadshow will be in Beijing next for the penultimate event of the season - the China Open.

It's the perfect opportunity for someone to lay down a marker ahead of Sheffield and Selby is my pick to do just that.

He has a good record at the event having beaten Gary Wilson 10-2 to win it back in 2015, as well as reaching the final in 2011 and 2013 and semi-finals in both 2002 and 2008. 

A 10-time ranking event winner, Selby will know he will need to be at his best at The Crucible as things are never easy for the defending champion and he's sure to be fully focused in the coming week.

With the notable exceptions of Neil Robertson, Marco Fu and Mark Allen, most of the big names you would expect to see are in attendance in Beijing in what should be a very competitive event.

Selby is the joint tournament favourite with Ronnie O'Sullivan at a general 5/1 and that looks good value.

O'Sullivan does not travel well and, as I've already said, most of the rest are struggling for form.

Trump is the obvious dangerman having won the last ranking event played, the Players Championship. He also reached the finals of the Welsh Open and Gibraltar Open prior to that.

But it could be that his season has peaked too soon and I feel he will struggle to retain that consistency.

Renowned as a patient, tough competitor with strong safety play, Selby is also a prolific break-builder and has compiled more than 450 century breaks as professional. Class is permanent and now, with that big event looming on the horizon, looks the time to back him.

Selby has a decent draw in the bottom half where he kicks off with a qualifier against Adam Stefanow before facing Alfie Burden in round one. A meeting against David Gilbert or Ricky Walden would follow.

That's a nice introduction to the tournament, a good chance for him to get his A-game in place. If he does, no other player can live with him. 

Where to watch on TV: Eurosport/Quest

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Posted at 1315 GMT on 24/03/17 .