Shanghai Masters outright predictions and snooker betting tips: Mark Allen holds the trump card

Where to watch Shanghai Masters

Eurosport 2, 7.30am Monday

Best bets for Shanghai Masters

Mark Allen to win Shanghai Masters
1pt each-way 11-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Shanghai Masters predictions

Elite snooker returns to mainland China for the first time since 2019 this week with a high-class field assembled for the Shanghai Masters.

The top 16 players on the two-year rankings are joined by eight Chinese players - four wildcards from the Chinese Billiard Snooker Association's under-21 rankings and the four best-placed Chinese cuemen outside of the top 16 - and it has made for an intriguing betting heat.

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump are the market leaders to land the title at the Shanghai Grand Stage, but with top potters Mark Selby, John Higgins, Jack Lisowski and Kyren Wilson housed alongsinde the Rocket and Trump in the top half of the draw, an each-way play in the second section could be the way to go. 

Mark Allen enjoyed the best season of his career last term and there is no reason to think that the Antrim ace won’t shine again. 

The Pistol, who receives as a bye to the last 16 as one of the top eight seeds, won the Northern Ireland Open, UK Championship and the World Grand Prix last season, and the 37-year-old also reached the final of the British Open and the semi-finals of the World Championship. 

That is just about the most impressive body of work of any player on tour last term and it’s difficult to see why bottom-half rivals Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson are seen as likelier winners by bookmakers. 

Robertson endured a pretty ordinary season by his standards last year. The Aussie failed to make a final of a ranking event last season and he will face either Ding Junhui or Si Jiahui, who made it to the semi-finals at the Crucible this year, in round two.

Murphy has been in far better form, winning the Championship League in the summer, but the Magician is as inconsistent as he is brilliant and at 15-2 he is short enough.

Mark Williams and world champion Luca Brecel will be a threat, but Allen seems far more likely to give his best and the Northern Irishman looks a solid each-way bet at 11-1. 

Sign up to emails from Racing Post Sport and get all the latest news and tips

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport