It is a new venue for the World Snooker tour at Cheltenham Racecourse, but the format for this tournament remains the same. Starting on Monday evening with the 32 highest ranked players on this season's money list, Mark Allen will be the man to beat as the clear number one seed having won two titles and reached the UK final in this 2018/2019 season.
All of the other big guns will also be in the South West of England this week including Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Williams and Mark Selby, with Luca Brecel, Graeme Dott and Anthony McGill being the three highest ranked players not to qualify.
While it may be for the top 32 on the one-season list, that does not automatically mean all of the players will be in or around the top 32 on the two-year rankings. Zhao Xintong is the lowest ranked qualifier, provisionally outside of the top 64, but having only one-season of ranking points to his name. Yuan Sijun, Martin O'Donnell and Matthew Stevens are all also outside of the provisional top 40 on the main ranking list, while Stuart Carrington is provisionally 38th and both Gary Wilson and Mark Davis are on the fringes of making it into the 32, provisionally sitting 33rd and 34th respectively.
As always, this event is broadcast on ITV4 and is the first of a new three-part end of series with the following Players Championship for the top 16 on the one-year list now being joined by the Tour Championship in late March, for the top 8 on the one-year list so there is plenty to play for both this week and in the tournaments to come.
Quarter 1
Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold)
Mark Allen Vs Gary Wilson
Martin O'Donnell Vs Ali Carter
David Gilbert Vs Yan Bingtao
Jack Lisowski Vs Ding Junhui
Mark Allen opens up the tournament as number one seed by taking on Gary Wilson, who dodged a few bullets in the recent German Masters to take his place in this event. Wilson has Stephen Maguire to thank mainly for beating Robert Milkins in a match that would have seen Milkins overtake Wilson had he been victorious. Wilson is largely in the Grand Prix thanks to making the World Open quarter-finals at the start of the season and playing solidly enough since then. Allen meanwhile is International champion, Scottish Open champion and reached the UK Championship final to come here as number one seed and he will have another great chance to do well this week if he keeps playing in the same vein. The last time these two met was just under a year ago at the Welsh Open, with Wilson coming out on top 4-3 on the way to making the semi-finals, so Allen knows that he is a threat and won't be taking this one for granted. If he has his scoring boots on again this week, Allen is clearly one of the favourites.
Martin O'Donnell is one of the slight surprise packages in this year's Grand Prix based on his ranking coming into the 2018/2019 season, but as the 16th seed ahead of a lot of quality players he has certainly earned his right to be here and qualified comfortably. In a consistent season, O'Donnell has made quarter-finals in the China Championship, International Championship and UK Championship each earning him at least £20,000. On his way he has beaten some quality players and is certainly more than capable of overcoming Ali Carter in round one here. Carter's season has been solid if not spectacular, making quarter-finals at the English Open and International Championship as well as a few last 16 appearances. For me though, Carter has been vulnerable this season in the early rounds and O'Donnell is more than capable of getting another good win here.
David Gilbert will be hoping to bounce back quickly when he takes on young Yan Bingtao. Gilbert is the eighth seed having made the World Open final and of course last week's German Masters final. Losing another close final having been in front though must leave him feeling like his heart has been ripped out of his chest so it would hardly be a surprise if it takes him a couple of tournaments to really bounce back. Yan has had a decent season, reaching the last 16 on a few occasions and while he is not making headlines as often as he was in his first couple of professional seasons, he also isn't slipping down the rankings or playing badly. The threat he offers here, coupled with more heartbreak for Gilbert could see Yan come out on top in this one. If Gilbert is right mentally though, he could forge another title challenge.
Finally, there is a repeat of the first round clash from this year's Masters as Jack Lisowski takes on Ding Junhui. Lisowski is the ninth seed in Cheltenham having reached the Riga Masters final, International Championship semi-final and various quarter-finals over the course of the season. In recent times he has dipped slightly, losing 6-1 to Ding in the Masters and playing well below par there, before then losing in the last 32 of the German Masters 5-2 against Duane Jones in what was a huge surprise. What was more surprising though was that Jones went on to beat Ding in the quarter-finals of the same event. It highlights the fact that Ding is getting closer to his best form but is not quite there yet. Having been 3-1 up in that quarter-final he will be disappointed not to get over the line, but having reached the semi-finals of the Masters there is certainly progress for him and this week is another good opportunity to have a deep run.
Martin O'Donnell is one of the slight surprise packages in this year's Grand Prix based on his ranking coming into the 2018/2019 season, but as the 16th seed ahead of a lot of quality players he has certainly earned his right to be here and qualified comfortably. In a consistent season, O'Donnell has made quarter-finals in the China Championship, International Championship and UK Championship each earning him at least £20,000. On his way he has beaten some quality players and is certainly more than capable of overcoming Ali Carter in round one here. Carter's season has been solid if not spectacular, making quarter-finals at the English Open and International Championship as well as a few last 16 appearances. For me though, Carter has been vulnerable this season in the early rounds and O'Donnell is more than capable of getting another good win here.
David Gilbert will be hoping to bounce back quickly when he takes on young Yan Bingtao. Gilbert is the eighth seed having made the World Open final and of course last week's German Masters final. Losing another close final having been in front though must leave him feeling like his heart has been ripped out of his chest so it would hardly be a surprise if it takes him a couple of tournaments to really bounce back. Yan has had a decent season, reaching the last 16 on a few occasions and while he is not making headlines as often as he was in his first couple of professional seasons, he also isn't slipping down the rankings or playing badly. The threat he offers here, coupled with more heartbreak for Gilbert could see Yan come out on top in this one. If Gilbert is right mentally though, he could forge another title challenge.
Finally, there is a repeat of the first round clash from this year's Masters as Jack Lisowski takes on Ding Junhui. Lisowski is the ninth seed in Cheltenham having reached the Riga Masters final, International Championship semi-final and various quarter-finals over the course of the season. In recent times he has dipped slightly, losing 6-1 to Ding in the Masters and playing well below par there, before then losing in the last 32 of the German Masters 5-2 against Duane Jones in what was a huge surprise. What was more surprising though was that Jones went on to beat Ding in the quarter-finals of the same event. It highlights the fact that Ding is getting closer to his best form but is not quite there yet. Having been 3-1 up in that quarter-final he will be disappointed not to get over the line, but having reached the semi-finals of the Masters there is certainly progress for him and this week is another good opportunity to have a deep run.
Best of the rest: Mark Allen
Quarter winner: Ding Junhui
Quarter 2
Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold)
Neil Robertson Vs Xiao Guodong
Jimmy Robertson Vs Mark Davis
Stephen Maguire Vs Mark King
Mark Williams Vs Yuan Sijun
World champion Mark Williams is the fourth seed in this year's World Grand Prix, despite not having as good a season as he had last year. 75% of his ranking money has come from the World Open win in the summer and even though he made the quarters last week in Berlin and the last 16 of the UK Championship there have also been some early exits in there and he could suffer another this week. His opponent Yuan Sijun is a big threat here, especially after beating John Higgins in the German Masters to add to his list of big name scalps this season. In all he has reached a quarter-final at the China Championship as well as the last 16 of the International Championship and last week in Berlin. Over the best-of-7 frames upsets will certainly be on the cards this week and this match could certainly provide one.
Jimmy Robertson and Mark Davis is a draw between two players that know each other well and got to ranking finals in back-to-back weeks in October. Robertson won his at the European Masters to claim his first ranking title, while Davis just missed out in a tight final against Stuart Bingham at the English Open. Neither player has earned more than £5,000 in an event since then and with both players guaranteed £5,000 just for qualifying, while the winner will move on to a guaranteed £7,500, that will change this week. In all, this shapes up to be a really tight match which really could be a coin flip between the two players.
Stephen Maguire is worth keeping an eye on this week. The 13th seed comes into this event off the back of a semi-final in the German Masters, having already made semi-finals this season in the Riga Masters and English Open as well as another UK quarter-final. It may be six years since he last won a ranking title but he has now started working with a coach and seems to be knocking on the door more and more all the time and a player as good as Maguire has to knock that door back down eventually if he keeps on getting close. His first round opponent Mark King has had a good season, making the European Masters semi-finals for his biggest payday of the campaign, but unless he is on absolutely top form then he will need Maguire to have an off day because the Scot is playing good stuff at the moment.
Neil Robertson is definitely a title contender again this week. The number five seed for this week has had a great season, already earning £180,500 in ranking events prior to this week. Much like my first quarter choice Ding, he comes into this event off the back of a Masters semi-final, which he lost to eventual winner Judd Trump, and a quarter-final in the German Masters where he led 3-1 against David Gilbert, with Gilbert going on to make the final. I said in my preview for Berlin that I still think he will win a second ranking title this season and if he plays well then I don't think he will have any problem making the latter stages of this tournament, especially if he is scoring heavily. His first round opponent Xiao Guodong seemed to scoring heavily himself in Berlin, thrashing Ryan Day 5-1 before fighting back against Ding in the last 16 only to lose out 5-4. That is certainly a test for Robertson and one that will force the Australian to play well if he is to come through and if he manages that it should set him up really well for the week ahead.
Jimmy Robertson and Mark Davis is a draw between two players that know each other well and got to ranking finals in back-to-back weeks in October. Robertson won his at the European Masters to claim his first ranking title, while Davis just missed out in a tight final against Stuart Bingham at the English Open. Neither player has earned more than £5,000 in an event since then and with both players guaranteed £5,000 just for qualifying, while the winner will move on to a guaranteed £7,500, that will change this week. In all, this shapes up to be a really tight match which really could be a coin flip between the two players.
Stephen Maguire is worth keeping an eye on this week. The 13th seed comes into this event off the back of a semi-final in the German Masters, having already made semi-finals this season in the Riga Masters and English Open as well as another UK quarter-final. It may be six years since he last won a ranking title but he has now started working with a coach and seems to be knocking on the door more and more all the time and a player as good as Maguire has to knock that door back down eventually if he keeps on getting close. His first round opponent Mark King has had a good season, making the European Masters semi-finals for his biggest payday of the campaign, but unless he is on absolutely top form then he will need Maguire to have an off day because the Scot is playing good stuff at the moment.
Neil Robertson is definitely a title contender again this week. The number five seed for this week has had a great season, already earning £180,500 in ranking events prior to this week. Much like my first quarter choice Ding, he comes into this event off the back of a Masters semi-final, which he lost to eventual winner Judd Trump, and a quarter-final in the German Masters where he led 3-1 against David Gilbert, with Gilbert going on to make the final. I said in my preview for Berlin that I still think he will win a second ranking title this season and if he plays well then I don't think he will have any problem making the latter stages of this tournament, especially if he is scoring heavily. His first round opponent Xiao Guodong seemed to scoring heavily himself in Berlin, thrashing Ryan Day 5-1 before fighting back against Ding in the last 16 only to lose out 5-4. That is certainly a test for Robertson and one that will force the Australian to play well if he is to come through and if he manages that it should set him up really well for the week ahead.
Best of the rest: Stephen Maguire
Quarter winner: Neil Robertson
Quarter 3
Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold)
Mark Selby Vs Shaun Murphy
John Higgins Vs Noppon Saengkham
Joe Perry Vs Tom Ford
Judd Trump Vs Stuart Carrington
The headline grabbing tie in the third quarter and certainly one of the top ties of the round is world number one Mark Selby taking on Shaun Murphy. The reason this tie has come about is because Murphy is only seeded 30 this week in Cheltenham after a poor season on the baize. The only reason he has edged into the top 32 is thanks to the final he made in Scotland prior to Christmas with that making up well over 50% of his ranking money for the season. Selby meanwhile is the third seed after winning the China Championship early in the season, while also making the International Championship quarter-finals and the semi-finals in Northern Ireland, with those three events making up most of his money for the season. Murphy lost in round of the Masters and in the last 32 of the German Masters last week so is still looking for his first win in 2019 while Selby has been pretty inconsistent of late. In both the Masters and German Masters he made three centuries in comfortable first round wins, before then losing in the next round and playing well below the standard he had set just a round previously - not what you would usually expect from him. You still have to make Selby a big favourite for this one given Murphy's form, but with Higgins and Trump also lurking in this section it will not be an easy route to glory for Selby this week.
Having said that, Higgins is another out of form man at the moment who, like Murphy lost in round one of the Masters and the last 32 of the German Masters. Overall he is the 14th seed, having earned £96,000 in ranking money this season, though £75,000 of that came as got to the China Championship final in September. Since then it has been a rough run for Higgins who looks low confidence and sounds that way in his interviews week after week. Much like in Berlin, he opens his campaign here against a threatening young player - Thailand's Noppon Saengkham. The Thai is seeded 19th, largely thanks to his run in the World Open where he made the semi-finals, while he has also been a quarter-finalist this season at the English Open. He is not frightened of the top players, having beaten Selby this season on the way to that semi-final, while defeating Judd Trump around 12 months ago on the way to the Welsh Open semi-final. If Higgins does not find something for this game then it could well be another early bath for the Scotsman.
Elsewhere, Joe Perry will meet Tom Ford in a repeat of their UK Championship quarter-final from December. On that occasion, Ford came out on top comfortably before losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi's and that semi-final forms over half of his season's points tally and is the reason for his 22nd seeding. Perry meanwhile has also been a finalist at the European Masters, helping him to 11th in the seedings, though he will want to bounce back here in Cheltenham after taking a 5-0 thrashing off of Mark Williams in Berlin. Ford has only played a couple of games since that UK semi-final so that long break makes it tough to know what to expect from him and if there is any rust, Perry will certainly take advantage.
Judd Trump though is certainly the front runner once again in this quarter. The Masters champion may not have been at his absolute best at times as he fell to a quarter-final defeat last week in Berlin against Maguire, but the way this draw shapes up for him, I think he'll be going deep again this week. In all he is the sixth seed this week, having picked up £174,500 in ranking money, a figure you can more than double with his non-ranking Masters winnings added on. His first round opponent is Stuart Carrington, a player he knows well and has played a few times now. The latest of these was at the Scottish Open, where Trump came out on top at the quarter-final stage and unfortunately for Carrington, who was also a semi-finalist in the season opening Riga Masters, that is the tale of their head-to-head. Over the last few months Trump has really started to step up and his name stands out even more in the draw, because you know he could dominate the remainder of this season if he puts his mind to it. Another final could be on the horizon for him this week if he is close to top form here.
Having said that, Higgins is another out of form man at the moment who, like Murphy lost in round one of the Masters and the last 32 of the German Masters. Overall he is the 14th seed, having earned £96,000 in ranking money this season, though £75,000 of that came as got to the China Championship final in September. Since then it has been a rough run for Higgins who looks low confidence and sounds that way in his interviews week after week. Much like in Berlin, he opens his campaign here against a threatening young player - Thailand's Noppon Saengkham. The Thai is seeded 19th, largely thanks to his run in the World Open where he made the semi-finals, while he has also been a quarter-finalist this season at the English Open. He is not frightened of the top players, having beaten Selby this season on the way to that semi-final, while defeating Judd Trump around 12 months ago on the way to the Welsh Open semi-final. If Higgins does not find something for this game then it could well be another early bath for the Scotsman.
Elsewhere, Joe Perry will meet Tom Ford in a repeat of their UK Championship quarter-final from December. On that occasion, Ford came out on top comfortably before losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi's and that semi-final forms over half of his season's points tally and is the reason for his 22nd seeding. Perry meanwhile has also been a finalist at the European Masters, helping him to 11th in the seedings, though he will want to bounce back here in Cheltenham after taking a 5-0 thrashing off of Mark Williams in Berlin. Ford has only played a couple of games since that UK semi-final so that long break makes it tough to know what to expect from him and if there is any rust, Perry will certainly take advantage.
Judd Trump though is certainly the front runner once again in this quarter. The Masters champion may not have been at his absolute best at times as he fell to a quarter-final defeat last week in Berlin against Maguire, but the way this draw shapes up for him, I think he'll be going deep again this week. In all he is the sixth seed this week, having picked up £174,500 in ranking money, a figure you can more than double with his non-ranking Masters winnings added on. His first round opponent is Stuart Carrington, a player he knows well and has played a few times now. The latest of these was at the Scottish Open, where Trump came out on top at the quarter-final stage and unfortunately for Carrington, who was also a semi-finalist in the season opening Riga Masters, that is the tale of their head-to-head. Over the last few months Trump has really started to step up and his name stands out even more in the draw, because you know he could dominate the remainder of this season if he puts his mind to it. Another final could be on the horizon for him this week if he is close to top form here.
Best of the rest: Mark Selby
Quarter winner: Judd Trump
Quarter 4
Last 32 draw: (Picks in bold)
Kyren Wilson Vs Matthew Stevens
Stuart Bingham Vs Zhao Xintong
Barry Hawkins Vs Ryan Day
Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Marco Fu
The final quarter is packed with top players and stories this week. Starting with the new German Masters champion Kyren Wilson. He will be over the moon to have won another big title. There was a lot of talk after he won the Paul Hunter Classic as to whether or not it was a big ranking title, but you cannot argue about this one and he certainly deserves it. The win last week helps him up to seventh in the seedings this week and sees him face Matthew Stevens in round one. Stevens is back in the big time courtesy of a run to the semi-finals of the International Championship, a week where he really played some excellent snooker and if he keeps producing that sort of form he will be climbing up the rankings again in no time. The last meeting between these two was over the much longer format of the first round of the World Championships. There were reports that Stevens was not 100% well for that match, as he fell to a 10-3 loss but I expect him to prove more challenging for Stevens on this occasion. Again there is the question of whether Wilson having won last week will be able to go deep into an event two weeks in a row and in a challenging quarter it would be a big effort if he makes the semi-finals or beyond.
If Wilson does lose out early, Stuart Bingham could be the man to inflict such a defeat, if the pair meet in the last 16. Bingham is the tenth seed thanks to his English Open win in October and making the UK Championship semi-finals in December. Those two runs contribute £105,000 of his £125,500 ranking tally for the season so far, as there have also been some early exits in there for Bingham. He will want to bounce back quickly after being whitewashed by Neil Robertson in the last 16 of the German Masters, but he faces a very tricky first round tie against young talent Zhao Xintong. This of course is an immense achievement for Zhao who only won back his tour card in May and by September he was a ranking semi-finalist at the China Championships. He has put a lot of solid displays in since and had some very unlucky losses too which will help him to grow as a player and if he comes out of the blocks firing this week he really is capable of causing an upset or two.
Barry Hawkins takes on Ryan Day in what is another exciting tie. The pair are seeded 15th and 18th respectively, with Hawkins' best result of the season in ranking events coming in China early on in the season, while Day has had a string of quarter-finals, especially in the home nations events. Last week, both players fell at the last 32 stage in Berlin, having also lost at the quarter-final stage of the Masters. To show just how good this is as a first round tie, it has only been two years since the pair contested the World Grand Final, with Hawkins coming out on top 10-7. Day has won their three meetings since then, which have all been over the same best-of-7 frame format that the pair will contest this match over. On paper, most will be expecting a really tight match between these two, but the recent head-to-head may give Day the very slightest of edges.
The 'reward' for the winner could be a last 16 tie against Ronnie O'Sullivan no less. Once again he will be the tournament favourite and when you look at his results when he has entered a tournament this season, it is easy to see why this is still the case. Having played in the Shanghai Masters, Champion of Champions and January's Masters as invitationals, making the final in all three and winning the first two of those, he has also made the final in Northern Ireland, won the UK Championship and his worst result out of six this season is a semi-final at the English Open. From just three ranking event starts he has managed to elevate himself to number two on the one-season list and as such he takes on 31st seed Marco Fu in round one. Fu is not someone you would expect to be as low as 31 on the one-season list, but that is a reflection on the struggle he has suffered since returning from eye surgery last year. His World Open quarter-final is the main reason he is even here, with a number of early exits being suffered since then and this draw hardly gives Fu fans hope of a big run this week to turn the tide. The head-to-head does not make pretty reading either, with this match coming just two weeks shy of the 10 year anniversary of Fu's last win over O'Sullivan, with a Premier League 3-3 draw in 2010 his best showing in 12 meetings since then in all competitions. If O'Sullivan turns up in the same form he has done throughout this season, then once more he will be expected to line-up in the latter stages.
If Wilson does lose out early, Stuart Bingham could be the man to inflict such a defeat, if the pair meet in the last 16. Bingham is the tenth seed thanks to his English Open win in October and making the UK Championship semi-finals in December. Those two runs contribute £105,000 of his £125,500 ranking tally for the season so far, as there have also been some early exits in there for Bingham. He will want to bounce back quickly after being whitewashed by Neil Robertson in the last 16 of the German Masters, but he faces a very tricky first round tie against young talent Zhao Xintong. This of course is an immense achievement for Zhao who only won back his tour card in May and by September he was a ranking semi-finalist at the China Championships. He has put a lot of solid displays in since and had some very unlucky losses too which will help him to grow as a player and if he comes out of the blocks firing this week he really is capable of causing an upset or two.
Barry Hawkins takes on Ryan Day in what is another exciting tie. The pair are seeded 15th and 18th respectively, with Hawkins' best result of the season in ranking events coming in China early on in the season, while Day has had a string of quarter-finals, especially in the home nations events. Last week, both players fell at the last 32 stage in Berlin, having also lost at the quarter-final stage of the Masters. To show just how good this is as a first round tie, it has only been two years since the pair contested the World Grand Final, with Hawkins coming out on top 10-7. Day has won their three meetings since then, which have all been over the same best-of-7 frame format that the pair will contest this match over. On paper, most will be expecting a really tight match between these two, but the recent head-to-head may give Day the very slightest of edges.
The 'reward' for the winner could be a last 16 tie against Ronnie O'Sullivan no less. Once again he will be the tournament favourite and when you look at his results when he has entered a tournament this season, it is easy to see why this is still the case. Having played in the Shanghai Masters, Champion of Champions and January's Masters as invitationals, making the final in all three and winning the first two of those, he has also made the final in Northern Ireland, won the UK Championship and his worst result out of six this season is a semi-final at the English Open. From just three ranking event starts he has managed to elevate himself to number two on the one-season list and as such he takes on 31st seed Marco Fu in round one. Fu is not someone you would expect to be as low as 31 on the one-season list, but that is a reflection on the struggle he has suffered since returning from eye surgery last year. His World Open quarter-final is the main reason he is even here, with a number of early exits being suffered since then and this draw hardly gives Fu fans hope of a big run this week to turn the tide. The head-to-head does not make pretty reading either, with this match coming just two weeks shy of the 10 year anniversary of Fu's last win over O'Sullivan, with a Premier League 3-3 draw in 2010 his best showing in 12 meetings since then in all competitions. If O'Sullivan turns up in the same form he has done throughout this season, then once more he will be expected to line-up in the latter stages.
Best of the rest: Stuart Bingham
Quarter winner: Ronnie O'Sullivan
Tournament winner selection: Neil Robertson
The first two rounds of play this week take place over the best-of-7 frames with the first round ending on Wednesday afternoon, while the last 16 will take place over Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon. Thursday evening and Friday afternoon will play host to the best-of-9 frame quarter-finals before the best-of-11 frame semi-finals on Friday and Saturday evening sessions, with all this culminating in a best-of-19 final on Sunday.
Tournament winner selection: Neil Robertson
The first two rounds of play this week take place over the best-of-7 frames with the first round ending on Wednesday afternoon, while the last 16 will take place over Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon. Thursday evening and Friday afternoon will play host to the best-of-9 frame quarter-finals before the best-of-11 frame semi-finals on Friday and Saturday evening sessions, with all this culminating in a best-of-19 final on Sunday.
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