At the end of the 2021/22 snooker season, the great Ronnie O’Sullivan achieved another significant milestone as he matched a long-standing record. Victory in the 2022 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible brought The Rocket his seventh title, putting him alongside Stephen Hendry.
Another win in 2023 would put Ronnie clear as the record holder in the modern era. Will this season produce a great eight for O’Sullivan or will he be made to wait for the new landmark?
Early Showings
The 2022/23 season began with the conclusion of the long-running Championship League in Leicester. The tournament was eventually won by Belgium’s Luca Brecel who defeated Lu Ning of China in the final.
Ronnie O’Sullivan made it through the initial phase but was eliminated at stage two where he won just one of his three group matches.
Next up was the European Masters in Germany where Kyren Wilson came through an all-English final with a victory over Barry Hawkins. O’Sullivan didn’t feature in this tournament so the Rocket should be nicely rested when the circuit resumes at the end of September.
There are many tournaments to be played between now and the conclusion of the season, but the focus for all players involved is firmly on that World Championship which starts next April.
The Independent Verdict
Can Ronnie O’Sullivan make it eight World titles in 2023? There is some support among the neutrals and the independent view is supplied by the bookmakers. According to the top betting sites linked to SBO.net, Rocket Ronnie is a joint favourite for the World Snooker Championship, along with Judd Trump.
There are no surprises in the list of closest challengers. Behind the top two in the market, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, Kyren Wilson. John Higgins and Yan Bingtao are all carrying relatively short odds.
The markets supplied will be subject to change between now and the start of the tournament. There is lots of snooker still to be played and the odds will adjust on the back of every result. SBO will update their readers on the latest figures while publishing other useful information.
Breaking news stories and opinion articles are here, along with handy betting guides. Each sportsbook gets its own review and, if site visitors like what they see, it’s possible to stake on snooker.
If a sportsbook is mentioned on those pages, they will be ready to accept new players, subject to eligibility requirements and a completed online form. Only essential information is needed and, when the process is complete, many operators will publish a generous welcome promotion.
There is a range of deposit options to cover qualifying bets and players who stick around can look forward to other benefits. Efficient customer service is in place at all times while there will be other advantages moving forward.
Anyone looking to bet on a more regular basis can look forward to in-play markets, mobile staking via an app, plus the opportunity to consider ongoing promotions. It’s certainly the site to follow in terms of snooker betting, but does the World Championship market point to a likely winner?
A Grueling Tournament
Ronnie O’Sullivan may be his own biggest opponent when the World Championship arrives in Sheffield in 2023. He has previously admitted in interviews that the nature of the event means that he doesn’t enjoy it as much as other tournaments.
He spoke of anxiety that surrounds the competition. The expectation on him during the 17 days of the event is enormous and it’s clearly a difficult time. O’Sullivan has the quality but there’s more to winning than what happens out on the green baize.
In terms of initial results, it’s too early to make a judgement based on the two tournaments that have already been played. As 2022 draws to a close, there will be higher profile ranking events such as the British Open and the UK Championship.
A significant non-ranking tournament, the Masters follows at the start of 2023 and it will kick off a New Year that builds up to the World Championships from April through to May. By then, the snooker loving public will have a better idea as to whether Rocket Ronnie is set to soar towards an eighth world title.