Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby tipped to reach 2023 World Snooker Championship final by Jimmy White

Snooker legend Jimmy White has tipped Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby to contest the 2023 World Championship final at the Crucible.

The tournament kicks off in Sheffield on Saturday, with defending champion O’Sullivan meeting debutant Pang Junxu and four-time winner Selby facing Matthew Selt.

O’Sullivan has not progressed beyond the quarter-finals at a ranking tournament this season, although he was won two invitational events, the Hong Kong Masters and Champion of Champions. Meanwhile, Selby has lifted the English Open and last month’s WST Classic.

Speaking to Eurosport ahead of the tournament in Sheffield, White gave his predictions for each first-round match and who he thinks will reach the final.

“On paper, I think the two finalists will be Mark Selby and the GOAT, Ronnie O’Sullivan,” said White.

Should the pair come through four matches on snooker’s biggest stage, they would clash in the final on April 30 and May 1.

O’Sullivan is chasing a record eighth title, having drawn level with Stephen Hendry after beating Judd Trump in last year’s showdown. He has only defended his world title once – in 2013 – when he did not play for most of the season.

JW: "Tough game, Pang got to the final of the last ranking tournament [the WST Classic] and lost narrowly to Mark Selby. He was 4-0 down against Ken Doherty and ended up winning his match to qualify, so he’s obviously a very tough opponent. But he’s playing the GOAT! So you’ve got to fancy Ronnie."

JW: "Anthony McGill has come from behind in all his games and managed to get through. So he’ll be match sharp and playing Judd Trump, who we know has been struggling. So I think McGill is probably the one to back with value…"

JW: "For some reason, Mark Allen has gone missing the last three-four tournaments and I don’t know why. He went on that streak – and okay, some of the way he played wasn’t pretty, but he got the result and that’s all that mattered. He’s got a very tough match here but you’ve got to fancy Mark Allen to edge that."

JW: "Every year, I have an argument with Neal Foulds. I say ‘look at Robertson’s form, he’s got to go deep’. And Neal says ‘his form in the World Championship aside from when he won it, and one other semi-final, has been diabolical’. And it is true. I think he likes to walk into a shot. So who knows? He might have gone to ground, really practised hard and got ready for this. But I’ve watched Wu Yize for the last two years, he’s just started to come through. He’s a fantastic player. He’s going to win tournaments. So a real tough game for Neil Robertson, but you’ve got to fancy Neil because he’s such a good scorer."

JW: "John Higgins is one of the greatest players we’ve ever had. He’s consistent and plays all the right shots. He’s just not had any results and had a few big disappointments the last couple of seasons in a few finals – one especially with Neil Robertson when he was 9-4 up and lost 10-9. But listen, you’ve got fancy to him to beat David Grace and Higgins could go deep."

JW: "It’s tailormade for Mark Selby, he’s too good for Matt Selt because Matt Selt is a bit of a tactical player and Mark Selby’s a genius at that. Mark Selby has had a few problems off the table, he’s got them all sorted, he’s in a good place. He’s won a tournament, [reached the] semi-final of the last tournament, played really well."

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