Stephen Hendry sends warning over World Snooker Championship predictions

Stephen Hendry says there is little point in making World Snooker Championship predictions before the nerve-jangling first round is at an end.

The showpiece of the snooker season begins next month in Sheffield, with Kyren Wilson looking to defend his title and break the Crucible Curse.

No first-time winner has retained the World Snooker Championship title in Sheffield but the Warrior will be one of the favourites to get his hands on the trophy and banish the curse forever.

Wilson will be tipped by many, as will world number one Judd Trump and plenty of other contenders will be touted as possible champions, but Hendry reckons it is hardly worth backing a runner until just 16 players remain.

Indeed last year Wilson was being tipped by almost no one before he demolished Dominic Dale 10-1 in the opening round and he never looked back from there.

Speaking on the Snooker Club podcast, the seven-time world champions said: ‘It all depends on who gets through that first round and then you really get into the bones of the tournament and think who’s going to win it.

‘You can have all your favourites and all the picks you like but you need to get that first round out of the way and then see what’s happening.’

Despite that, Hendry feels his fellow Scottish legend John Higgins has returned to the status of genuine contender in Sheffield after the 49-year-old won the World Open in Yushan last week.

The four-time world champ claimed his 32nd ranking title but his first for four years, and Hendry thinks it will do a lot for Higgins’ mindset.

‘This win will have given him tremendous belief of certainly winning again,’ said Hendry. ‘He might have thought, “am I ever going to win again?” With some of the beats he’s had to put up with the last three-four years.

‘The emotions he showed in some of his victories shows you that the fire’s still burning, he still wants to win.

‘He’s not going to be a prolific winner again, those days are behind him, but having got that win now you can certainly see him winning at least one tournament every season for however long he’s going to play.

‘The interesting thing for me is going to be Sheffield. John Higgins going to Sheffield with that belief of a win behind him, I wouldn’t like to write him off.’

While not tipping him for World Championship success just yet, Hendry was also very impressed with World Open runner-up Joe O’Connor, who beat Trump, Shaun Murphy and Ali Carter to reach the final.

He fell short against Higgins, but showed to Hendry that he has a future at the top of the sport.

‘I think he’s better than I thought he was,’ said the 56-year-old. ‘That might seem like a back-handed compliment.

‘I’ve not seen a lot of Joe O’Connor, I’ve watched him in some tournaments and think, ok he’s having a good tournament but does he look that good? But I think the performances this week tell me that he’s a future top 16 player, no doubt about it.’

O’Connor has not qualified, but Higgins is in action this week at the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong as he looks to continue the form which took him to World Open glory.