The cream of the cream of world snooker is in Wuhan, China, this week for the third ranking event of the season. There’s plenty of prize money up for grabs, plus a big glittering trophy for the winner, but for three players, there’s also the chance to claim the Number 1 spot in the world rankings, so plenty to play for in China this week.
- Start: Underway; finishes August 29
- Venue: Optics Valley Gymnasium, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China
- Live Coverage: Eurosport
Best Bet: Back Zhao Xintong to Win the Wuhan Open @3.7
In sports like snooker, tennis or darts, being on the easier side of the draw is halfway to making the final if you’re one of the top contenders.
And one man who can’t complain about his draw here in Wuhan is Zhao Xintong, the 29-year-old Chinese who won the 2025 World Championship. He’ll avoid playing tough opponents in his next two rounds before a likely quarter-final against either Neil Robertson or Iranian maverick Hossein Vafaei, where he’ll be the favourite whoever he plays.
This is in stark contrast to the bottom part of the draw where all of Murphy, Selby, O’Sullivan and Stephen Maguire will be fighting it out for one quarter-final spot.
Xintong is yet to make a final here in three attempts, but he won four tournaments during the 2025-6 season and has an outstanding record in finals, winning all of his first five, so if he does get down to the last two, you’d expect him to go and win it.
Who Else Is in It and at What Odds?
Outside those five, other contenders include Ronnie O’Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, Kieran Wilson, Mark Williams, John Higgins, Ali Carter and Ding Junhui, so as you can see, most of the sport’s big names are all there in Wutan, looking to secure as much big prize money and ranking points as possible.
Trump, the winner here two years ago, the current World Number 1, and third seed, is 4.0, will benefit from a slightly easier draw, though he will probably have to play the dangerous Kieran Wilson in three matches’ time.
You Never Know With Ronnie
An interesting runner is the patient, resourceful and brilliant Mark Selby who at 43 is just as competitive as he’s ever been and is fresh from winning the China Open a few weeks ago. He’s around the 7.0 mark and only isn’t shorter because he’s likely to play the equally tough Shaun Murphy in two rounds’ time.
O'Sullivan? Snooker fans will know only too well that it’s anyone’s guess as to which Ronnie will show up at any given tournament these days. A motivated, relaxed but focused one who can blow anyone off the table?
Or a rusty one from not having practised enough who comes across as disinterested, moody and like he’d rather be somewhere else?
We’ll have to wait and see, but 12.0 is a big-looking price right now for someone of his ability and track record.
What is the Wuhan Open?
The Wuhan Open is an important snooker tournament making up the third event of the season on the snooker calendar.
First held in 2023, it is now in its fourth edition after Judd Trump won it in 2023 and local player Xiao Guodong won it back-to-back in 2024 and 2025. For interest's sake, despite being an established player on the Tour for many years and compiling four 147s in his career, these remain his only two Tour victories.
With qualifying for the tournament taking place in Leicester earlier this year, the Wuhan Open has grown into an important fixture since its introduction four years ago.
This year's tournament has a £825,000 total prize fund, with the winner receiving a substantial £175,000. The runner-up earns £75,000, while the semi-finalists receive £33,000. There is also a £5,000 prize for the highest break, which you’d expect to be somewhere around 140- 145, though it’s not impossible that someone could go out and shoot a perfect 147.
Fun Fact
We mention below how the defending champion, Zhao Xintong, has only ever won two events in his career...both right here in Wuhan!
But that’s only half the story.
In 2025, he retained his Wuhan Open title, defeating Gary Wilson 10–9 in the final, and becoming only the fourth player in professional snooker history to defend their maiden (first event win) ranking title, after John Parrott, Mark Allen and Wilson himself.
