THE Unibet British Open is played at The Centaur within the grounds of Cheltenham racecourse and the FA Cup style format means predicting who will be first past the winning post is a tougher task than in most tournaments.

Several big names could be early fallers as the random draw shows no mercy for rankings or reputation. It keeps all the players on their toes and could be a chance for a lesser light to come through the pack and win their first ranking title.

That said, since the Unibet British Open was restored to the calendar in 2021 it’s been won twice by all-time great Mark Williams. Ryan Day was the other winner in 2022, and he already had three ranking titles to his name.

In any format the cream invariably rises to the top because the pressures of getting over the winning line remain the same and favour those with experience of landing trophies. But in general, predicting the winner of tournaments has become harder than in years gone by because there are now so many events that lots of players are match sharp.

This year’s Unibet British Open falls in early season but there has still been plenty of snooker played during the 2024/25 campaign. In fact, it’s the fifth ranking tournament. Add in the invitation Shanghai Masters and various qualifying action and there are plenty of players already in the swing and confident of landing the Clive Everton Trophy.

British players enjoy travelling the globe and chasing big first prizes in Saudi Arabia and China, but home-based events are also special as friends and family are often able to come and share in the winning moments.

Several of those in this year’s field are old enough to remember the early years of the British Open, which ran originally from 1985 to 2004. It was always a prestigious title to win – its first staging carried what was then the biggest ever first prize – and remains a key part of ITV Sport’s snooker portfolio.

But who could seriously threaten to pick up this much prized silverware?

Kyren Wilson outright at 14/1

Every new world champion will receive additional scrutiny and many struggle under the weight of these expectations. For instance, Luca Brecel seemed to go AWOL last season but Wilson has already proved a major point by winning the current campaign’s second ranking title, the Xi’an Grand Prix in China. He beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals and Judd Trump in the final, so nobody could claim the draw had opened up for him.

Wilson, known as the Warrior, has resolute self-belief and pride in performance. A few years ago he complained he wasn’t being given enough time on the main TV table, but his Crucible success now means he is centre stage. When he lost 6-0 to Zhou Yuelong in the Shanghai Masters in July he realised he needed to park his World Championship success and get back to work. He’s been in good nick ever since and doesn’t seem to mind having a target painted on his back. In fact, he relishes it.

This was a bitter pill for Zhou to swallow but he is too good a player not to go deep again. He has already appeared in three ranking finals and three further semi-finals so has experience at the business end of tournaments.