As the end of the year approaches, we have a ranking list that isn’t as one-sided as it once was. There’s now a more competitive balance residing in the Top 3 where a ranking event win for any player could result in a changing of the top spot. Meanwhile, recent impressive results have seen other players make a breakthrough in the Top 16 while others have dropped to a worryingly low position.
Mark Selby regained the No. 1 spot earlier in the season during the British Open, thanks to his World Championship success. Whilst Judd Trump had a phenomenal couple of seasons that propelled his ranking with no one else in sight, it was always going to be a struggle later down the line if he was unable to maintain his ranking with further wins. Of course, Trump is still in a very strong position at No. 2, with most still considering him the best currently, but the race to the top is now a lot closer particularly with Ronnie O’Sullivan’s recent Grand Prix win. A ranking win for any of these three will see them secure the No. 1 position, and there are numerous ranking events left in the season to accomplish this.
Neil Robertson will soon be losing 80,000 points from his European Masters win a couple of years ago which will slightly narrow the gap for Kyren Wilson to take the No. 4 spot. On the other hand, the rest of the Top 16 remains in close contention with the field in and around the 200-300,000 ranking points range. Zhao Xintong and Luca Brecel have seen their rankings improve to No. 9 and 16 due to their UK Championship performances (plus Brecel’s Scottish Open victory). This has also put them in positions 1 and 2 on the one-year ranking list, which should see them comfortably entered into the Players and Tour Championships.
The field is so competitive at the moment it’s difficult to believe that players like Jack Lisowski and David Gilbert aren’t in the Top 16. It’s also concerning to see how Ding Junhui has fallen down the rankings to No. 29, especially after him being well within the Top 16 since the 2007/08 season. Ali Carter and Gary Wilson are also in a vulnerable spot to fall out of the Top 32 which could make things difficult for them should they not automatically qualify as a seed for the World Championship.
Lastly, an unexpected observation in the rankings lies at No. 50 where Thepchaiya Un-Nooh stands to lose 11,000 ranking points which will have a substantial impact on his position, to the point where it could affect his ability to remain in the Top 64. However, a reasonable venture in a ranking tournament to at least a quarter-final will aid his rank significantly and improve his position by at least 10 places.
What are your ranking predictions for the remainder of the season? Who will be the player in the No. 1 spot, and which players are in danger of falling out of the Top 16/32/64?
Fun fact: Only four players out of the Top 16 come from outside the UK (Robertson, Xintong, Bingtao and Brecel).
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