Thursday's Champion of Champions first-round predictions: Rocket to lift off

Free snooker tips, best bets and analysis for Thursday's matches at the Champion of Champions from the University of Bolton Stadium.

Where to watch

ITV4, from 1pm Thursday

Best bets

Ronnie O'Sullivan -2.5 frames
1pt 6-5 bet365

Match previews

There have already been a number of shocks in this year’s Champion of Champions tournament, with 1-6 shot Neil Robertson turned over by Fan Zhengyi, who subsequently reached the semi-finals after following up against Ryan Day 6-5.

Those shocks will give hope to Mink Nutcharut, the Women’s World Champion, as she takes on world number eight Zhao Xintong.

Nutcharut’s world title win gave her a two-year card to compete on the World Snooker Tour and she also won the World Mixed Doubles title this summer with Robertson.

The 22-year-old recently beat world number 72 Mitchell Mann and has been whitewashed only once in nine matches on the tour, albeit at lower levels of competition than this.

In the other game of the first-round, Racing Post Sport’s ante-post selection Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on Gibraltar Open winner Robert Milkins as he begins the pursuit of a fourth Champion of Champions title.

The Rocket has lost only once to Milkins in ten previous meetings and that was a single frame shootout. He has dropped just three frames in their last seven head-to-heads, winning 30 in return.

O’Sullivan was recently shocked in the Northern Ireland Open but saves his best for the big events and was imperious as he took the recent Hong Kong Masters. Take the Rocket to overcome a 2.5 frame deficit on the handicap.

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