Barry Hawkins vs Chris Wakelin Preview & Prediction | 2026 Champion of Champions | Group One
by Trystan Pugh ·
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It's a meeting between the world number ten and 11 on Monday as Barry Hawkins takes on Chris Wakelin in the Group One semi-finals.
Start date/time:
Venue: Mattioli Arena, Leicester, England
How to watch on TV & online: UK – ITV & ITVX / USA – FanDuel
Tickets: Visit here for the latest ticket information
Barry Hawkins vs Chris Wakelin prediction
Barry Hawkins, the 2026 Welsh Open champion, has struggled to really get going in the 2026-27 season with a string of early exits in recent months. To make matters worse, the world number ten was forced to pull out of the International Championship – the tournament preceding the Champion of Champions – due to illness, so his preparation has hardly been ideal.
This is the Hawk's seventh appearance in the Champion of Champions, with a run to the semi-finals in the 2023-24 season his best showing.
Chris Wakelin is just one place behind Hawkins in the rankings and earned his spot in this event by winning the Scottish Open last year. He then found some real consistency at the beginning of 2026 and also reached the quarter-finals of the Shenzhen Open a little over a month ago.
The form book very much points towards Wakelin here, who has had better preparation and should be feeling confident about his game.
Barry Hawkins vs Chris Wakelin tip: Chris Wakelin to win
