Zhao Xintong vs Scott Donaldson

🔅 Zhao has slowed down a bit in recent tournaments: after a solid run at the British Open, he suffered a heavy 1-5 defeat to Trump and then surprisingly lost 2-4 to Lines in the opening round of the English Open. Donaldson, on the other hand, has looked much sharper this September—he got past Leone Crowley and recently defeated Mitchell Mann 4-2.

However, there’s still a clear gap in class and attacking potential: Zhao comes into the Shenzhen Open as the fifth seed, while Donaldson sits somewhere around the mid-50s in the rankings. Rather than backing a hefty handicap, I prefer a moderate cushion for the favourite here—it reflects Donaldson’s current form but still leans on Zhao’s significant edge when it comes to building breaks. My pick: Zhao Xintong to win with a -2.5 frame handicap.