The China Open takes place annually in March/April in Beijing and it is the last of snooker’s ranking events before the World Championship at the Crucible in Sheffield. One of three ranking events held in China (along with the Shanghai Masters and the International Championship), the China Open has become one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar. Here we bring you all the information you need about the China Open, including our live betting odds comparison, to help you make money betting on it.
The China Open started life under a different name – the China International – back in September 1997, when it was a non-ranking event made up of the top 16 players in the world and some local players. Steve Davis won the inaugural event, beating Jimmy White in the final.
The following season the tournament became a ranking event and took place in March 1999, before its name was changed to the China Open and it was shifted again to December. After the 2000/01 event, the China Open was shelved, though it was revived for the 2004/05 season when it became apparent that snooker was gaining widespread popularity in China.
The 2004/05 tournament saw three local players invited to compete as wildcards, one of whom was a certain young player called Ding Junhui. He went on to win the tournament, beating Peter Ebdon, Marco Fu and Ken Doherty en route to the final where he met the great Stephen Hendry. In front of an astounding TV audience of 110 million people (a record for a snooker match), he beat Hendry by nine frames to five. Unfortunately for Ding, because he entered as a wildcard he was unable to claim either the prize money or the ranking points. Still, he did win the admiration and love of a nation.
The China Open has been won by many of the recent greats of the game including Ronnie O’Sullivan (1999, 2000), Mark Williams (2002, 2006, 2010) and Mark Selby (2015) and it is always a competitive event that produces some top class snooker.
From a betting perspective, trying to work out which player to back in the outright winner market is never an easy task. Form plays a big role in snooker and assessing the performances of the main contenders in the events that take place in the week before the China Open is always a good betting strategy. With the Masters, the German Masters, the Welsh Open and the Players Championship all taking place prior to the China Open, players who performed well and who were cuing nicely in those tournaments are worth considering for this one. It should also be noted that some players seem to thrive on UK soil and don’t travel so well, while others relish the overseas events.
Of course, seeking out the best betting odds for whichever player you choose to back is always going to be the thing to do. While this can prove a painstaking process with so many bookies around these days, our betting odds comparison tables mean that you can quickly ascertain the best prices for all of the contenders in the China Open.
Aside from the outright winner market, there are a few other betting markets that might be of interest to snooker punters. You can back the correct score in a given match, or back a player in the handicaps market or even which player will commit a foul first.
Whatever you back, though, be sure to use our odds comparison for the best betting value.