O'Sullivan betting favourite to win Premier League again - 26/11/2010

RONNIE O’Sullivan is the betting favourite to win the PartyCasino.com Premier League snooker tournament this weekend.

O’Sullivan was the only player to remain undefeated through the league phase ahead of the semi-finals and final at the Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk.

Last year O’Sullivan suffered a shock 7-3 loss to Shaun Murphy in the final, the first time the Rocket had not won the title in six seasons.

He meets reigning World Champion Neil Robertson in the semi-final and a victory would see him face either Murphy or Marco Fu in the final.

Ronnie O'Sullivan

Skybet have O’Sullivan as evens favourite to win the tournament for the ninth time, while Murphy is 11/4, Robertson 4/1 and Fu 5/1.

Robertson, who lost 5-1 to O’Sullivan in their league match, admits he will have to be on the top of his game to claim a victory.

“I can’t wait for the finals weekend and I’ve always said I would produce my best form if I got to the finals,” said Robertson.

“Ronnie is the favourite for the tournament and he won it for five years before he lost to Shaun last year so Ronnie is definitely the man to beat.

“Shaun beat him in the final last year and that opened a few people’s eyes and you think ‘he can be beaten in this format’.

“It gave a lot of confidence to the other players so you know you’re now not just competing for second place.”

The first semi-final on Saturday night is between two former winners – defending champion Murphy and Fu, the winner in 2003.

Fu finished second in the league and defeated Murphy 4-2 in their meeting in Preston in September.

However, Murphy, third in the league phase, believes the league position does not matter after he clinched the 2009 title after qualifying in fourth.

Shaun Murphy

“It doesn’t matter where you finish in the top four, so finishing top of the league does not make any difference,” said Murphy.

“This tournament is considered by most players to be the fifth unofficial major in our sport so everyone wants to win it.

“If you get to be in it then it’s a massive pat on the back and I’m proud to have been invited into it three times.

“Marco is a past winner of this tournament and knows what the format is all about so it will definitely be a tough match.

“It’s going to be very difficult to lift the trophy again but Ronnie did it for five years so it can be done.”

All the action will be broadcast live on Sky Sports 4 from 7.30pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

2010 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker
Potters Leisure Resort, Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk
Semi-finals (Saturday, November 27, 2010) – First to five frames
7.30pm – Marco Fu v Shaun Murphy then Ronnie O’Sullivan v Neil Robertson

Final (Sunday, November 28, 2010) – First to seven frames
7.30pm – Winner of semi-final 1 v winner of semi-final 2

Betting odds to win the tournament (with Skybet)
Evens – Ronnie O’Sullivan
11/4 – Shaun Murphy
4/1 – Neil Robertson
5/1 – Marco Fu