Best bets for the World Open

The World Open commences in Yushan during the early hours of Sunday morning (GMT). Despite a spate of withdrawals, there’s still plenty at stake, with crucial ranking points on offer.Snooker betting tips: World Open matches2pts Hammad Miah +3.5 frames to beat Kyren Wilson at 10/11 (Sky Bet)1.5pts Sunny Akani to beat Aaron Hill at 10/11 (General)1.5pts Martin O’Donnell to beat Michael Holt at 6/5 (Unibet)Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair SportsbookWhen the draw for the World Open was released, punters could be forgiven for quickly scanning by the Michael Holt v MARTIN O’DONNELL encounter.Written off as a 10/11 pick ‘em clash (for what it’s worth I have MOD 10/11 against Holt 11/10 betting to 100%) and move on was what I was expecting to see when the prices were published but the market disagrees as Holt is a best price of 8/11 against 6/5 O’Donnell.It’s great to see Holt back on the tour and his run to the UK Championship quarter-final is the best collective form on offer so far this season between the pair.As far as O’Donnell is concerned, it’s been steadier stuff, though he chose the right tournament to win back-to-back matches when banking £11k in the Saudi Arabia Masters.Recent matches do carry more weight but O’Donnell, a ranking finalist in Wales just over a year ago, has a far more persuasive body of work in the last few seasons and has had a higher rating that Holt with me since I’ve been keeping records.The pair’s win-loss record this term is very similar (though Holt has had the slightly harder schedule) and so too are their break-building numbers.With a two-year card secured, Holt doesn’t have to worry about the one-year list and as for O’Donnell, he’s inside the top 50 so tour survival is very much in his own hands. A cagey match still seems very likely given their playing styles but O’Donnell looks a no-brainer bet at the general 11/10 or 6/5 offered in a couple of places.Sunny delightIt’s far to say that the pandemic hit the overseas players on the tour really hard, perhaps none more so than SUNNY AKANI.The popular Thai player looked to be really finding his feet on the tour in 2018/19 but reportedly suffered with long Covid when the sport resumed which severely hampered his practice for a player previously known for his serious work ethic up in Darlington.He ended up dropping off the tour in the spring of 2022 and didn’t reclaim his professional status at the first attempt having left the UK.Akani did get it right last year via the Asia and Oceania Q School and while he hasn’t contested every event open to him this term, he’s made a really positive return to top-level snooker.Eight wins from 15 matches is more than respectable record in what has a been a fairly tough schedule, with wins over John Higgins and Mark Williams (to qualify for this) particularly impressive.Aaron Hill has been far more active this season and at 57th place on the one-year list, a win here or in a Sheffield qualifier will go a long way to ensuring he’s a professional for another year.Like Holt, Akani doesn’t have to worry about that this time and that relative freedom may well help his cause were this to get very close.Due to his fleeting appearances and false position in the rankings, in many mays Akani is a tough one to assess but I’ve got him clear favourite for this one rather than the 10/11 the pair on offer across the board.No Miah formalityOne player who will doubtless end up needing a couple of World Championship qualifying wins in April to retain his playing privileges is HAMMAD MIAH, unless he can pull off a big upset against Kyren Wilson in China.With Wilson arguably the second best player in the game at present, that seems most unlikely, hence the world champion’s price of 1/14 to advance.Miah hasn’t had a great deal of TV table exposure in his career and while the Home Nations series was fruitless this season, he offered a lot more in the German Masters.Having defeated Chris Totten and Matthew Stevens in qualifying, Miah looked very fluent when springing a surprise against Chris Wakelin at the Tempodrom. Miah then led Neil Robertson 4-2 before ultimately succumbing 5-4 in a match in which the Australian banged in four centuries to avoid the upset.That performance level from Miah in Berlin augurs well when looking at the handicap markets for this match.On the proviso that every frame is independent, based on their estimated level of ability, I’d expect Miah to cover the +3.5 frame handicap 59% of the time, which makes the 10/11 available on Miah recording at least two frames appealing enough for a decent bet.Posted at 1435 GMT on 21/02/25 Safer gamblingWe are committed in our support of safer gambling.Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.