Shanghai Masters Predictions - Betting Tips & Odds

🎱 Shanghai Masters Betting Preview

Ronnie O’Sullivan is a heavy betting favourite to win the Shanghai Masters for the sixth time. However, 2011 winner Mark Selby has also reached the quarters and will face either Mark Allen or Pang Junxu in the last eight. Three-time runner-up Judd Trump is also in the mix, so this competition will be fiercely competitive. Let’s take a closer look at the contenders and their current form.

1️⃣ Ronnie O’Sullivan

Ronnie O’Sullivan enjoyed one of his best ever seasons in 2023/24, winning two major titles (the UK Championship and World Grand Prix) and five overall. This haul also included last year's Shanghai Masters as he defeated Belgian Luca Brecel in a thrilling final and made eight century breaks during the course of the tournament.

O’Sullivan has frequently spoken out about his love of Chinese tournaments and how appreciated he feels in Asia, and there’s no doubt he often reserves his best performances for this part of the world. He also remains the ultimate match player and is difficult to stop once he reaches the latter stages of events, so is the deserved favourite to triumph once again in Shanghai.

2️⃣ Judd Trump

Judd Trump also enjoyed a stellar 2023/24 campaign, winning an incredible five ranking titles and prevailing at the English Open, Wuhan Open, Northern Ireland Open, German Masters and the World Open; and while he was ultimately defeated by Ronnie O'Sullivan in the World Grand Prix, he can still add a runner-up position to that impressive slew of accolades.

Trump didn’t participate in the 2024/25 season opener (the Championship League), so he’s looking to hit the ground running at the Shanghai Masters. Although he was impressive when defeating veteran Mark Williams in the second round, he has often fallen short at this tournament, losing three times in the final and slumping to a 10–3 defeat to O’Sullivan in 2017.

3️⃣ Mark Selby

Four-time world champion Mark Selby performed superbly in the first round of the Shanghai Masters, thrashing Cao Jin 6-1 in a best-of-11 encounter. However, the ‘Jester from Leicester’ has continued to cut a frustrated figure on the world snooker tour since the beginning of the 2021/22 season, winning just a single ranking title during this time (and the non-ranking Championship League in July 2023).

Selby has spoken candidly about his personal trials, even discussing the prospect of quitting the tour, but he still remains a well-rounded player with a superb tactical game. He’s always a contender if he’s in the right frame of mind - no pun intended.

🏆 Our Shanghai Masters Prediction

O’Sullivan will look to extend his winning run at the Shanghai Masters to 21 matches on Thursday, when he takes on crowd favourite Ding Junhui in the last eight. Incredibly, he hasn’t lost here since a shock 5-2 defeat to Michael Holt in the 2016 round of 16.

A victory over Ding Junhui would book a potential last four clash with Judd Trump, who will be favourite to overcome the 17th seed Si Jiahui in their quarter-final match-up. This would be a mouth-watering encounter - one that both players would likely treat as a de facto final. O’Sullivan, however, loves this tournament and is incredibly tough to beat when he’s fully focused, so I believe he will manage a narrow victory against Trump before bowling over his last competition in the final.

⭐ Shanghai Masters Betting Tips

Now that I’ve offered my prediction for the 2024 Shanghai Masters, I’m also going to share some insightful snooker betting tips for the event.

1️⃣ Back Ronnie O’Sullivan to Win Outright

O’Sullivan is the deserved favourite to win here, whether you consider his consistent run of excellent form in 2023/24 or his previous record at the Shanghai Masters. Although you’ll be unable to back him at enhanced or lengthy odds, there’s a high implied probability of him prevailing and winning this title for the sixth time - fifth consecutively. Remember, the Rocket has also won 20 successive matches at the Shanghai Masters since the 2016 renewal, so it is fair to say that he is in impeccable form.

2️⃣ Back Mark Selby or Mark Allen to Reach the Final

There may also be value in backing Selby to reach the final, considering that he seems to have rediscovered some of his best form in the opening round of this year's Shanghai Masters.

Third seed Mark Allen is another contender potentially to reach the final if he can overcome local qualifier Pang Junxu. The Ulsterman has already won three titles during the 2023/24 season (including the coveted Players’ Championship), so it's not a crazy idea to think he will display some quality snooker in the later stages of this tournament.

3️⃣ Back Mark Selby Each-Way

Selby’s potential return to form is intriguing, especially given his impressive performance in the opening round. The former world champion also won this event in 2011 and was a beaten finalist in 2016. He also managed to reach the last eight at the Shanghai Masters in 2023/24. Arguably, he has a slightly easier path to the final than either O’Sullivan and Trump too, and he’ll definitely benefit from the longer match play format deployed in the semi-finals and final (which are best-of-19 and best-of-21 matches respectively).

📊 Previous Shanghai Masters Winners

❓ Frequently Asked Questions about the Shanghai Masters

✒️ Lewis Humphries: Snooker Betting Expert and Tipster

Lewis is a sports betting enthusiast and writer from the UK. He is a keen snooker fan and has written content across all major snooker championships. Lewis has also written an extensive number of bookmaker reviews for our site and has been previously featured on Yahoo Sports, 90 Minutes, and Think Football Ideas.