The 2024/25 World Snooker season commences with its first big event this week from July 15th-July 21st for the 24-player non-ranked Shanghai Masters, with the world’s top 16 accompanied by eight Chinese stars.
World Snooker strengthens its relationship with China year on year. The inaugural Shanghai Masters took place in 2007; since then, it has been a key stakeholder on the calendar.
From 2007 to 2017, the tournament started as a ranking event before later becoming an invitational event in 2018.
The massive 13,000-capacity crowd in attendance will be showing their long-lasting love for the game with the biggest names displaying their respective talent.
This three-man list of ones to watch are all previous winners but are strong contenders of winning one of the sport’s biggest tournaments on the calendar.
3 – Kyren Wilson
Kyren Wilson will be going into his first big tournament with a newly attached title to his name – the reigning and defending world champion.
His recent success at the top of the sport’s summit will always show that he has what it takes to win any tournament at any given opportunity.
It goes without saying that nine years ago – back when the Shanghai Masters was a ranking event in 2015 – this was when the Kettering-based star rose to fame as he picked up his first ranking title.
Despite not appearing in another final since, his confidence will never be higher going into the new season, and his familiarity with winning in Shanghai makes him one to keep a close eye on.
2 – Ding Junhui
Snooker’s most successful Chinese star, Ding Junhui’s 23/24 season was arguably his best since the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching the final of the UK Championship and World Open before losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump, respectively.
The prolific breaker will always look to impress in front of his home crowd and would want to add a third Shanghai Masters title to his name, having previously won this very competition in 2013 and 2016.
‘The Dragon’ defeated Xiao Guodong and Mark Selby by 10-6 scorelines in the final in both years.
The Jiangsu-born star will aim to claim more silverware after a five-year drought since his last big tournament win which arrived at the Barbican Theatre in York back in 2019.
1 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
Perhaps the most unsurprising snooker star on this list is seven-time world champion O’Sullivan, who is placed as number one on the ones to watch list.
‘The Rocket’ is on a seven-year unbeaten streak in Shanghai, having won four tournaments on the spin in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023. The 2020-2022 editions were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
O’Sullivan has vocally expressed on multiple occasions his love for China, its culture, and his passion for playing in the country.
Once these factors are considered, will anyone have what it takes to stop the all-time great in China? Considering that he won his last three finals to an 11-9 scoreline over Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy, and Luca Brecel, he is able to find something extra in front of 13,000-capacity crowds when up against it.