Adam Williams presents his prediction for the 2025 Tour Championship snooker tournament.
Xiao Guodong and Wu Yize will play in the first round of the Tour Championship. The winner will face John Higgins in the quarter-finals.
Xiao Guodong
Xiao Guodong is ranked 15th in the world, which means that he will play at the Crucible for the first time in seven years and for the first time in his career he will do so as a top 16 player without qualifying matches. Xiao has had good results this season, winning the Wuhan Open, beating Si Jiahui 10-7 in the final. Xiao also won the short-format Championship League and played in the final of the Champion of Champions. At the World Grand Prix, Xiao played three tough matches and lost to Neil Robertson in a hard-fought quarter-final 3-5, and at the Players Championship, he lost to John Higgins in the deciding frame 5-6.
Wu Yize
This season is definitely the best in the career of the 21-year-old snooker player. Wu Yize entered the top 32 for the first time and performed brilliantly in two Home Nations tournaments. In England, Wu Yize reached the final, where he lost to Neil Robertson 7-9, and in Scotland, he lost to Lei Peifan 5-9 in the final. And although Wu Yize failed to win these tournaments, this experience will help the young player to realise his potential and gain the necessary experience of big matches. If Wu Yize continues to play like this, he can enter the top 16 next season and become one of the most promising young players in China.
Xiao Guodong vs Wu Yize Prediction
This season, Xiao Guodong and Wu Yize have had two head-to-head games. In the semi-finals of the Scottish Open, Wu Yize won 6-4, and in the Players Championship, Xiao Guodong won 6-5. Now this will be a best of 19 match, so we expect a tough fight. Xiao Guodong has made 50 centuries this season, Wu Yize has made only 35. Xiao Guodong is a more experienced player and has played more long format matches. Xiao Guodong has a slight advantage, but I think the fate of this match will be decided in the last frames.
