THE rain descended on Cheltenham ahead of the Unibet British Open and dampness affecting playing conditions proved trying for some on day 1, but Judd Trump once again impressed, dispatching Robert Milkins 4-1 in 50 minutes with career century no.999.

Trump has already won two big titles this season and is miles ahead of the rest at the head of the rankings. With Ronnie O’Sullivan’s withdrawal and Mark Williams’s shock exit to Rory Thor, Trump is already looking like the man to beat this week.

However, Neil Robertson enters the fray today fresh from his dramatic capture of the English Open title on Sunday night. His 8-2 lead over Wu Yize was reduced to just 8-7 as his inspired opponent produced five brilliant frames before the Aussie got over the line.

Wu is also back in action, up against Chris Wakelin, who Robertson beat in the semi-finals in Brentwood, and is likely to have quite a following after his dazzling display in Essex.

Youngsters Stan Moody (18), Gong Chenzhi (18) and Ali Carter’s conqueror Bulscu Revesz (17) represent the next wave of talent making their way. Moody faces the experienced Michael Holt, Gong meets fellow Chinese Xu Si and Revesz is up against 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham.

Today’s predictions:

Noppon Saengkham to beat Thepchaiya Un Nooh – 10/11

This promises to be one of the day’s most entertaining matches as Thailand’s two best players go head-to-head.

Un Nooh, at his brilliant best, is awesome to watch. He plays on instinct and can at times make the game look ridiculously easy, but he lacks a solid B-game to fall back on if he is not on song and this is where Saengkham can take advantage.

Saengkham has made two maximum breaks during 2024 and has an even temperament. He reached his first ranking final at last season’s Scottish Open and overall is the more reliable of these two entertaining Thais.

Elliot Slessor to beat Martin O’Donnell – 4/6

This is not the day’s highest profile match but there’s an interesting subplot to it as O’Donnell and Slessor met in the semi-finals of last season’s Welsh Open. It came down to a decider in which O’Donnell impressively made a break of 126 to win in one visit.

Slessor could only watch in agony as his chance of reaching a maiden ranking final slipped by, so will be motivated to gain a measure of revenge when they meet tonight.

World no.37 Slessor is a perfect example of how the middle ranked players are much improved compared to years gone by. Indeed, he reached the semi-finals of this event three years ago. He just needs to keep his patience against the methodical O’Donnell and another good run could be on the cards.

Double: Stephen Maguire and Neil Robertson

Maguire reached the British Open final 20 years ago and shortly afterwards won the UK Championship. At that point Ronnie O’Sullivan tipped him to become the game’s next dominant figure. It didn’t quite happen, but the Scot remains fiercely competitive and will surely be too strong for his compatriot Liam Graham, who turned professional last year.

Like many other youngsters, Graham has struggled to make the step up from amateur to professional ranks. He won only two matches last season and has been successful in two so far this campaign.

Robertson may have preferred a few days off after the emotional rollercoaster of the English Open final but he is now riding a wave of momentum and that makes him dangerous. His opponent, Chris Totten, regained a place on tour through the Q School at the start of the season but has very little big match experience.

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