2016 UK Championship final tips: O’Sullivan and Selby battle at Barbican
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2016 UK Championship final tips
Snooker genius Ronnie O’Sullivan has three wins out of three against world number one Mark Selby this year, and 16 victories from 25 career meetings ahead of their UK Championship final clash in York.
The Rocket remains odds-on at 4/6 with Coral to secure a sixth success in this sport’s second most prestigious ranking event held at the Barbican Centre.
Fellow Triple Crown winner Selby, meanwhile, is 6/5 to win the UK title for a second time, but what are the best bets for this fixture?
Our snooker experts assess the most tempting O’Sullivan v Selby odds and give these 2016 UK Championship final tips, as the Jester from Leicester takes on Rocket Ronnie…
O’Sullivan v Selby odds say side with experience
Both potters made largely serene progress in their respective trophy tilts at this tournament, and that suggests we should be in line for a close encounter.
John Higgins forced Selby into a decider during the quarter-finals, then it was Marco Fu who pushed Ronnie all the way in the semis. A 19/4 price says the UK Championship final will go the distance.
While the Jester booked passage with an impressive 6-2 victory over Shaun Murphy, there was also a lot to like about how O’Sullivan dug deep to thwart Fu and make an excellent century break to seal his spot.
A good start is essential and both players led their semis 3-1 after four frames. The Rocket managed to hold such an advantage over Selby at both the Welsh Open and Masters events earlier this year, so is worth siding with to record such a scoreline again at 23/10.
Unlike other UK Championship matches, which are all the best of 11, the final is a first to 10 frames affair set over two sessions. There’s a tempting 3/1 bet on offer for Rocket Ronnie to lead 5-3 after eight, with the Jester unlikely to allow him to build early momentum.
With the handicap market set at just 1.5 frames, punters can get evens on O’Sullivan overcoming such a small imagined deficit which requires him to win 10-8 or better.
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