German Masters 2026 Betting Tips: Wakelin continues to be undervalued

At Betfred, snooker analyst and former professional Craig Edwards provides readers of Betfred Insights with his top betting selections. The German Masters commences on Monday, featuring the final 48 competitors who will travel to Berlin to compete at the renowned Tempodrom.

The event is highly anticipated among German snooker enthusiasts, and the inclusion of all leading seeds for an extended seven-day tournament represents a positive initiative by World Snooker Tour (WST).

The competition format includes matches played as best of nine frames until the semi-finals, which are contested as best of eleven frames. The final is played over nineteen frames, with the champion receiving a prize of £100,000.

Quarter 1

Prior to the Masters, I believed this top section would be one to get involved in, particularly with Anthony McGill who is much improved this season, and interestingly, his best effort of a poor 2024/2025 was when reaching the quarterfinals.

Kyren Wilson winning the Masters, has scuppered those plans and I will pass now, given the quarter has Barry Hawkins, Zhang Anda, Shaun Murphy, and Mark Allen also in there pitching.

Chris Wakelin – 1-point each-way @ 25/1

Chris Wakelin continues to be consistently undervalued by bookmakers, despite his ongoing progression in the world rankings. The thirty-three-year-old from Rugby has significantly improved both his performance and mentality at the highest level since securing the Shootout title a few seasons ago.

Although some observers and players — particularly those with Shootout victories — question the status of that event as a world ranking tournament, Wakelin dispelled any doubts by capturing the 2025 Scottish Open title in commanding fashion.

Following this achievement, Wakelin received a late invitation to the Masters, while he was competing in the Championship League, during which he recorded his first official maximum break of 147. In 2023, he reached the quarterfinals at the Tempodrom, notably defeating Neil Robertson along the way.

With these positive results and experience, Wakelin is a strong each-way contender, especially considering his favourable draw in quarter two, which could provide him with an ideal start to the event.

Si Jiahui – 1-point each-way @ 25/1

There are indications that Si Jiahui continues to develop steadily, despite a disappointing performance at the Masters.

Jiahui has demonstrated his ability to thrive in major competitive environments, as evidenced by his appearance in the final two seasons ago, where he narrowly lost to Judd Trump. Furthermore, his impressive progress through the qualifiers to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 World Championship—falling only to the eventual champion Luca Brecel in a keenly contested match—underscores his potential.

The Tempodrom offers a unique and vibrant atmosphere, with German fans recognized for their enthusiasm. Observations suggest that such settings may serve as motivation for Jiahui throughout the tournament week.

Reflecting on the Masters, it is important to note that Jiahui was defeated by Kyren Wilson, who won the event and delivered exceptional performances throughout. This result is understandable, especially considering Jiahui had shown promising form by winning the Championship League just the previous week.

Given the competitive odds offered by Betfred and the open nature of quarter 3, there is reason to anticipate that the Chinese player will deliver a powerful performance once again in Germany.

Quarter 4

The bottom section looks interesting, especially with Ronnie O’Sullivan playing, and I think, given his ranking points situation and the limited number of days he has left in the UK, he will play in Germany.

That means a potential round-of-16 clash with Mark Selby, which would be a fantastic match-up for German fans. The winner would progress on to play the World Champion, Zhao Xintong, who, interestingly, before his ban was a winner of the German Masters.

My sources tell me “The Rocket” has been practising hard and with an easy opener against Long Zehuang to find his range, it is possible Ronnie has gone under the radar of layers this week.

Another potential selection in this section is Xu Si, who has gone deep at the Tempodrom before, only a couple of years ago, when he reached the round of 16, beating Shaun Murphy in the process. His recent Championship League form gives him a chance in an open-looking section.

Likewise, Tom Ford will be fancying his chance of a deep run if he can see off the world champion, Zhao Xintong, in his opening match, given the Leicester man made the final here in 2023.

Check out the rest of our Snooker Betting Tips over at Betfred Insights.