Belgium’s Luca Brecel will be expecting a tough night’s work as he prepares to take on Ricky Walden in his first round match at the World Championships. The 23-year-old is currently priced at 100/1 to win the tournament but his recent form suggests Walden will have a chance to progress. Brecel has endured a tough start to the year after being knocked out in the first round at the Masters, World Grand Prix, Gibraltar Open, Romanian Masters, Players Championship and China Open.
He failed to advance out of the group in the Championship League after recording just win, while his best result was a second round exit at the Welsh Open. The 13th seed is the slight outsider at odds of 1/1, while Walden is priced at 3/4 to reach the second round. Walden was forced to qualify for the World Championships but he beat Joe Swail, Lee Walker and Andrew Higginson. The 35-year-old reached the semi-finals of the Championship League and he will be confident of advancing into the next round. England’s Barry Hawkins is also in action and he is the heavy favourite to beat fellow countryman Stuart Carrington.
Hawkins reached the final of the China Open last week, but was well beaten by Mark Selby. Carrington was also forced to qualify for the tournament but he shown glimpses of good form on occasions this season. He is expected to struggle against Hawkins during their first round encounter, with Hawkins still priced at 20/1 to win the event.
Snooker odds available at Dafabet.