Joe O'Connor vs Elliot Slessor Prediction: Joe O'Connor to experience a difficult battle against Elliot Slessor despite his current form

Joe O'Connor vs Elliot Slessor: Prediction for the Match on July 18 2025

Snooker is back again, and this is the first stage of the Championship League. In this competition, the 28th-ranked world player, Joe O'Connor, will face the 29th-ranked world player, Elliot Slessor. All actions will be held at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. Elliot Slessor has recorded four wins across his last five matches, while Joe O'Connor has been on a perfect five. Who will win this next round of snooker? At Telecom Asia, we look at the match’s preview and offer free betting opportunities.

Joe O'Connor: Form and Statistics

Joe O'Connor is on a five-match winning streak. He defeated Zak Surety, Liam Pullen, A. Pagett, R. Walden, and J. Jun. The English players' score margins against the first three were 3-0, 3-0, and 3-1, respectively. The matches against fellow Englishman R. Walden and Chinese J. Jun ended with scores of 2-4 and 5-4. John Higgins demonstrated his skill with a 10-7 victory over Joe O’Connor. The Scotsman faced a challenge but showed his class, especially towards the end of the match, to prevail. John Higgins defeated Joe O'Connor 10-6 to win the Weide Cup World Open for the first time, earning his 32nd ranking win. He celebrated victories over R. Evans and H. Lyu, each with a score of 4-0. He was defeated 3-2 by Judd Trump and Thomas Ford. Starting in 2025, he had an impressive run with back-to-back wins, defeating top players like Jak Jones, Jimmy Robertson, Mark Selby, and Jackson Page. However, he then suffered four straight losses: to Stuart Bingham (3-0), Matthew Selt (3-2), Mark Selby (1-3), and Jak Jones (3-1). He also defeated Kyren Wilson in the 1/16 round. When Joe O'Connor faces Zak Surety, he will be hoping to maintain the strong performance he has shown in this match. The Englishman has been performing well, having won each of his matches against Mark Williams, Junhui Ding, Zhao Xintong, Mark Davis, and Zak Surety, respectively. 

Joe O'Connor: Strength

Joe O’Connor has been playing some quality Snooker recently, but his performance against Kyren Wilson was pretty much flawless. In 2024, Joe O'Connor made Snooker's 200th maximum break. An incredible moment of history achieved by the Leicester man in his home city.

Elliot Slessor: Form and Statistics

Elliot Slessor boasts a four-match streak in his last five matches, with six wins in his last ten. His most recent match was against Stan Moody, ending with a score of 3-1. Prior to that, he faced O. Brown and M. Lloyd, winning with scores of 3-0 and 3-1, respectively. British snooker pro Elliot Slessor was among the top four players at the inaugural Q School tournament, earning a spot on the professional Main Tour for the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons. The 28-year-old is currently ranked No. 29 in the world. He has victories over O. Lines and M. Fu. If the Northern Ireland player wants to advance to the next round, he will need to perform at a high level in his first match. Despite losing three matches, Slessor has won his last two, which suggests he is in good form for this tournament. He played against Shaun Murphy and Zak Surety, with scores of 6-3 and 1-4, respectively. Previously, before those defeats, Slessor had wins over Hayden Pinhey, Yuelong Zhou, and Ali Carter. In this tournament, Slessor achieved a 1-5 victory over Louis Heathcote in the quarterfinals and is hopeful here. He has also defeated Joe O’Connor, Long Zehuang, and Lei Peifan in earlier matches within the tournament. His wins over Zhang Jiankang of China and Sean O'Sullivan of England further bolster his prospects. Therefore, we expect a competitive and tough fight.

Elliot Slessor: Strength

Elliot Slessor possesses superb tips, great quality leather, and is excellent for cue ball control on quick tables.

Joe O'Connor vs Elliot Slessor: Betting Insights, Tips & Odds

• Both players have recorded four wins in the last five games. The odds the bookmakers have for Joe O'Connor to win are 2.37 and for Elliot Slessor to win at 3.00.;
• Joe O’Connor has been eye-catchingly impressive all week, defeating Trump, Murphy, and Carter on the way. The option is available at 1.72 odds in the 1xbet bookmaker for Joe O'Connor's first-frame winner.;
• Across the last three matches, Elliot Slessor has scored at most 8 points. In the last five, he recorded at least 6 frames. The option is available at 2.00 odds in the 1xbet bookmaker for Elliot Slessor to be the 1st frame winner.

Joe O'Connor vs Elliot Slessor match Prediction 18 July 2025

These are two good snooker players, and with the level of performance they showed in their various competitions, I expect solid play from them. This is going to be a close game, looking at the two players' past meetings. Elliot Slessor and Joe O'Connor have played against each other six times, dating back to 2020. In their last match, Slessor won by a score margin of 2-4. Comparing their last ten matches, Elliot Slessor has recorded six wins and four losses, while Joe O'Connor has recorded eight wins and two losses. Since both competitors have a chance of winning, we anticipate a very challenging competition. A wager on "over" should also be considered. Joe O'Connor will be determined to over turn the result of thier last meeting and won't be intimidated by the similar form in which Eliliot Slessor is currently on, especially in the last five matches. I have been impressed by the 29-year-old this season despite not collecting any silverware. He was in top form to come through a high-quality battle.

Our match prediction is Joe O'Connor to win odds available at 2.37 on the 1Xbet bookmaker. 

Our betting tip is Joe O'Connor 3-1 correct score with odds available at 3.75 on the Betway bookmaker. 

Our last match prediction is Joe O'Connor's first-frame winner with odds at 1.72 on the Bet365 bookmaker.