World Championship qualifying predictions and snooker betting tips: Day can make hay and seal Crucible berth

When qualifying starts

10am Monday

Best bets

Ryan Day to qualify for the main draw from section one
2pts 11-10 Coral, Ladbrokes

Joe O’Connor to qualify for the main draw from section six
2pts Evs Hills

Fan Zhengyi to qualify for the main draw from section 15
1pt 11-4 Hills

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World Snooker Championship qualifying predictions

The battle to join the top 16 at the Crucible for the World Championships starts at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport on Monday and Ryan Day, the highest-ranked player in qualifying, can justify his lofty status.

Day’s level has dropped since he won the British Open in October, ultimately costing him his seeding spot in the Crucible marathon, but there was plenty of promise in his recent Tour Championship quarter-final defeat to Mark Selby.

Although beaten 10-7, the Welshman had a maximum break as well as a 139, and he won’t meet an opponent anywhere near as daunting as Selby in his bid to qualify.

Day must win two best-of-19-frame matches to make the main draw and on paper his toughest possible route in section one would be meeting Lukas Kleckers and then Yuan Sijun.

Anthony McGill and Barry Hawkins should reward odds-on backers in sections nine and 16, but Joe O’Connor is the other favourite that appeals most at the prices in section six.

O’Connor has yet to qualify for the Crucible but has such a good temperament that his inexperience is not a worry and it’s likely that he will only have to overcome Louis Heathcote and Sam Craigie to make his debut in the World Championship finals.

The Leicester cueman, who regularly practises with Selby and Tom Ford, finished runner-up to Gary Wilson in the Scottish Open in December and then made the semi-finals of February’s Players Championship, which is by some way the best form on offer.

One favourite worth opposing is last season’s quarter-finalist Stephen Maguire who, after a miserable season, has slipped to 31st in the world rankings.

Maguire could meet Fan Zhengyi in the final qualifying round and that makes the Chinese cueman, who won last season’s European Masters after taking care of Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-9 in the title match, a touch of value.

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