The snooker stars to watch at World Cup 2017

The Snooker World Cup in Wuxi is set to be an all-star event, with six of the world’s top seven players set to battle it out between July 3 and 9.

Here’s a quick introduction to the main contenders for the title to watch out for next week.

1. John Higgins

Age: 42

Team: Scotland

Group: D

World Ranking: 2

One of snooker’s all-time greats, Higgins has won the World Championship on four occasions. Despite being one of the veterans on the tour, he had an excellent season in 2016-2017, winning the inaugural China Championship and reaching the World Championship final.

Higgins and his Scottish teammate Stephen Maguire also reached the final of the previous World Cup in Wuxi in 2015, where they suffered a shock loss to the Chinese wunderkinds Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao. Higgins will be keen to avenge that defeat this year.

John Higgins of Scotland reacts during the final match at the World Snooker Championship 2017 in Britain, on April 30, 2017. [Photo/ Xinhua]

2. Judd Trump

Age: 27

Team: England

Group: C

World Ranking: 3

One of the most gifted players on the tour, Trump won two ranking titles in the 2016-2017 season, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the European Masters and Marco Fu in the deciding game of the Players Championship. He’ll be keen to bounce back from a disappointing World Championship and get the 2017-2018 season off to a winning start.

Judd Trump of England celebrates winning his second China Open title in 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]