Ronnie O’Sullivan believes Judd Trump is the clear favourite to win the World Snooker Championship.
O’Sullivan is looking to win a record eighth world title at the Crucible this year and has put down an early marker with an impressive 10-4 victory over Ali Carter in the first round.
Trump, meanwhile, is aiming for victory at the World Snooker Championship for the second time in his career having won his first title in 2019.
The 35-year-old, who is currently ranked No.1 in the world, has reached three World Snooker Championship finals but was beaten by John Higgins in 2011 and O’Sullivan in 2022.
Trump also made it through the first round this week after beating China’s Zhou Yuelong 10-4, but he faces a tricky test in the second round against Shaun Murphy, who won the Masters in January.
But O’Sullivan feels Trump remains the standout player at the tournament and claims defending champion Kyren Wilson, who was knocked out in the first round by Lei Peifan, was the ‘only danger’ to the world No.1.
Asked if Trump is the player to beat at the World Snooker Championship this year, O’Sullivan told TNT Sports: ‘One million per cent.
‘For me his only danger was Kyren Wilson, because Kyren matches up well with Judd, he kind of enjoys that match play, you know snooker is a bit like golf match play, you’re not playing the course, you’re playing the opponent sometimes.
‘I think Kyren is probably one of the only top players that relishes playing Judd and I think that makes it a really good game.
‘There’s still loads of other good players in this tournament who can give Judd a game, but he’s definitely the favourite by right.’
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When asked if he should consider himself as a favourite after beating Carter, O’Sullivan replied: ‘It’s very hard when you’re yourself and you’re not looking in on what’s going on, I can look in and see what’s going on with everybody else.
‘But when it comes to you, you just don’t quite see it how everybody else sees it.
‘Listen, it’s okay playing one good session, if there are 15 sessions in the tournament, I don’t know how many there are, you’ve got to play at least 10 good ones and you can have five mediocre ones.
‘That’s been my battle. It’s just finding some good consistency. So if I can find a bit of that then it will give me a little bit more belief.’
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