The last (and first) time I did an update on the overview of the rankings was back in February whilst we were in the middle of the Welsh Open. We are now at the end of the season and despite the challenges the remainder of the 2019/20 campaign had to deal with, the snooker did go on as we observe some movements among the rankings from where we last left off.
Due to it being the end of the season and the rankings following a two-year rolling total structure, it’s quite simple to follow as there are no 2017/18 prize funds to worry about anymore – meaning we can now just look at the totals from the past two seasons. So what’s changed since February?
It’s probably easier to start with what hasn’t changed, and that’s the World No. 1, Judd Trump’s position. It was clear even back then that Trump would remain at the helm of the rankings given his very strong performance this season. However, he continued to add to his successes with victories in the Players Championship and Gibraltar to further add to his tally. This only extended his already significant lead in the rankings from the rest of his fellow competitors. It would only take multiple major wins from the rest of the field to be able to close the gap.
Although, Ronnie O’Sullivan – formerly World No.6, now World no. 2 – has made a formidable effort in reducing the arrears with his historic win at this year’s World Championship. His efforts saw him overtake Robertson in the rankings as Robertson’s position remained fairly stagnant for the rest of the season. O’Sullivan’s ranking position was looking fairly bleak since we last saw it, particularly with the deduction of his earnings from his impressive 2017/18 season. However, his current standings would have welcomed this injection of ranking points from his venture at the Worlds.
The difference between 2 and 3 is approximately £150,000 while the gap between 3 and 4 stands at just over £200,000, meaning that the top three respectively, are running away with their rankings, leaving the others to try and catch up. Mark Selby is one of those individuals who will try and accomplish this as he returned to form at the WSC; a performance which saw his ranking improve three places to No. 4, as he gained an extra £100,000 in ranking points.
Previously, I warned that some players could stand to lose a substantial amount of ranking points should they not perform at the WSC. Kyren Wilson, who could have potentially fallen to the lower end of the Top 16, raised his own bar by reaching the final of the WSC – which not only protected his position, but improved his ranking by two places as he becomes World No. 6.
On the other hand, Mark Williams (winner of WSC 2018) lost around £375,000 in ranking points as his winnings from two years ago are subtracted from his rankings, subsequently dropping him from No. 3 to No. 10. Furthermore, Barry Hawkins who I previously mentioned could fall out of the Top 16 now resides at No. 17, as the ranking success that came with his string of WSC semi-finals have expired. Also, something worth noting is that Joe Perry (current No. 16) has £276,500 in ranking points and I consider those within £100,000 reach of him as viable threats to that ranking position. Therefore, those up to Top 32 have a good chance of catching up to this threshold.
Other notable changes worth mentioning include Noppon Saengkham rising ten places to No. 32. Despite his earnings from the WSC only netting him £21,000 in ranking points, this jump in placement shows just how close rankings are around this part of the table. This is similarly true for Kurt Maflin, who jumps sixteen places to No. 27 and Anthony McGill, who rose seventeen places to No. 22, following their noteworthy performances at the Worlds.
I think the upcoming season will act as motivators for specific individuals. Players like Mark Allen, whose position had been protected by his solid performance a couple of seasons ago, will see those points chipped away as the new season gets under way. As will someone like John Higgins although, he will have until the end of the season before drastic deductions are made to his rank. Also, those that reside from No. 7-16 will see some fluctuation in their rankings throughout the following season as they aim to protect their elite, Top 16 status.
Personally, I can’t wait for the upcoming 2020/21 season to commence with the Championship League – which has been upgraded to ranking status for this season as the first event of the calendar. Who do you think will be the climbers in the rankings? And which players, if any, do you think will lose their top positions? Let me know in the comments!
Like this Short? Click here to read: Snooker Rankings Update (February 2020)
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