Adam Williams presents his prediction for the UK Championship snooker match.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan hasn't won a single tournament this season. At the Shanghai Masters, Ronnie lost in the semi-finals to Judd Trump 10-3, and at the Grand Prix, he was defeated by Kyren Wilson in the semi-finals 6-4. There were high hopes for the Saudi Arabia Masters, but Ronnie fell to Si Jiahui in the quarter-finals 6-4. Following that, he suffered losses to Pan Junxu 6-4 and Xiao Guodong 4-3. Ronnie acknowledges that his game is far from ideal, and if he had faced a tough qualifier, he could have easily lost in the first round. However, he was fortunate with the draw.
Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins has dropped out of the top 16 and has reached the quarter-finals twice this season, mostly losing to the same opponents as Ronnie—Kyren Wilson, Judd Trump, and Xiao Guodong. However, Barry did manage a convincing 6-2 win over Neil Robertson at the International Championship. In the UK Championship qualifiers, Barry defeated Alfie Burden 6-1 and Wang Yuchen 6-3 with solid breaks. Barry knows how to play with discipline. Over the last two years, he has been eliminated from the UK Championship earlier than expected, but he reached the semi-finals in 2021.
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Barry Hawkins Prediction
We usually don't consider head-to-head matchups, but this is a special case—Barry Hawkins is a frequent opponent of Ronnie O'Sullivan. Throughout his career, Barry has only beaten Ronnie twice, with his most significant victory coming in 2016 at the World Championship (13-12). In all other encounters, Ronnie has always emerged victorious. Thus, in this match, Ronnie was fortunate with the draw, and Barry was less so. Considering Ronnie's current form, we would advise a bet on Barry to win; however, due to their head-to-head history, we recommend a 2.5 frame handicap.
