There’s a fascinating battle on the prime of the rankings because the 2024 Cazoo World Snooker Championship commenced on Saturday in Sheffield.
Amazingly, eight gamers might nonetheless end the 2023/24 season as the game’s world primary.
Whereas Ronnie O’Sullivan at present holds onto the place on the official record, it’s truly Mark Allen who’s main the race within the provisional standings.
O’Sullivan has held the highest spot for greater than two years, his longest ever unbroken stint on the forefront of the snooker rankings.
However below the rolling two-year record, the Rocket’s substantial prize cash of £500,000 for profitable the 2022 World Snooker Championship crown is to be deducted from his tally.
That drops the 48 year-old to fifth within the provisional standings forward of his first-round encounter with Jackson Web page on the Crucible Theatre this 12 months.
With big rewards on supply in Sheffield, although, there are a number of permutations that would see Allen, O’Sullivan, or six different hopefuls finish the marketing campaign because the primary.
It’s nonetheless mathematically potential for Judd Trump, Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui, and Mark Williams to leapfrog their method into first place as nicely.
Let’s see what’s required for every participant.
Mark Allen
Having already accrued £935,000 forward of the World Championship, Allen is nicely positioned to turn out to be world primary for the primary time in his profession.
A maiden world title would clearly seal that achievement in type, however there are numerous different potential methods he might conclude this time period on prime.
If Allen reaches the ultimate, he’ll finish the season because the world primary until Trump is the participant to beat him.
Dropping within the earlier rounds would require some assist from his rivals.
However the Northern Irishman, who has gained two rating titles this season, is aware of that if he no less than matches Trump’s run in Sheffield, he’ll stand an excellent likelihood.
Judd Trump
Trump, a five-time rating champion this season, final held the primary place within the snooker rankings in November, 2021.
Trump trails Allen by £74,000 on the provisional two-year record, so he undoubtedly requires no less than a run to the semi-finals, which carries a prize of £100,000.
From that time onwards, if he goes additional than Allen within the competitors he’d greater than possible reclaim the world primary standing.
The one exceptions to that might be if he misplaced to both Luca Brecel or Mark Selby within the ultimate.
Provisional end-of-season rankings
| Prov. Rank | Participant | Prov. Factors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Allen | £935,000 |
| 2 | Judd Trump | £861,000 |
| 3 | Luca Brecel | £690,500 |
| 4 | Mark Selby | £648,500 |
| 5 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | £609,000 |
| 6 | Shaun Murphy | £468,000 |
| 7 | Ding Junhui | £466,500 |
| 8 | Mark Williams | £457,500 |
Luca Brecel and Mark Selby
Luca Brecel and Mark Selby contested a memorable World Championship ultimate in 2023, however a repeat gained’t be potential this 12 months as they’re in the identical half of the draw.
Whereas Brecel can be making an attempt to interrupt the “Curse of the Crucible” whereby no first-time champion has efficiently returned to defend the title, Selby is once more bidding for a fifth world crown.
A triumph for both Brecel or Selby within the 2024 World Championship would see them finish this season because the world primary.
For Brecel, it will be the primary time in his profession, whereas Selby has already spent virtually 2,500 days as the game’s top-ranked cueist.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
It has appeared like O’Sullivan’s standing has been below menace proper from the very begin of the season.
Brecel, then Allen, after which Trump have all already missed alternatives to take away the seven-time world champion from the summit.
But glories on the UK Championship and the World Grand Prix have helped O’Sullivan protection.
A file eighth world title in Sheffield would possible see him lengthen his streak because the world primary, albeit not if Allen have been his opponent within the ultimate.
World Championship Prize Cash
Winner: £500,000
Runner-up: £200,000
Semi-finalists: £100,000
Quarter-finalists: £50,000
Final 16: £30,000
Final 32: £20,000
Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui, and Mark Williams
Ding Junhui and Mark Williams haven’t been world quantity ones for 9 and 13 years respectively, whereas Shaun Murphy has by no means held the coveted standing.
The trio should win the title to have any likelihood, however they’d additionally want Allen to lose early and hope the opposite challengers don’t go deep both.
For Murphy and Ding, it will be okay for Allen to achieve the second spherical, however Williams wants the Pistol to misfire in spherical one.
To comply with the most recent end-of-season world primary race within the snooker rankings, go to snooker.org or WPBSA.
2024 World Snooker Championship Draw
Click on right here for reside scores and session occasions.
Spherical 1 (bo19)
Luca Brecel (1) vs David Gilbert
Robert Milkins (16) vs Pang Junxu
Ali Carter (9) vs Stephen Maguire
Shaun Murphy (8) vs Lyu Haotian
Mark Selby (5) vs Joe O’Connor
Kyren Wilson (12) vs Dominic Dale
John Higgins (13) vs Jamie Jones
Mark Allen (4) vs Robbie Williams
Judd Trump (3) vs Hossein Vafaei
Tom Ford (14) vs Ricky Walden
Zhang Anda (11) vs Jak Jones
Mark Williams (6) vs Si Jiahui
Ding Junhui (7) vs Jack Lisowski
Gary Wilson (10) vs Stuart Bingham
Barry Hawkins (15) vs Ryan Day
Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) vs Jackson Web page
Spherical 2 (bo25)
Brecel/Gilbert vs Milkins/Pang
Carter/Maguire vs Murphy/Lyu
Selby/O’Connor vs Okay. Wilson/Dale
Higgins/Jamie Jones vs Allen/R. Williams
Trump/Vafaei vs Ford/Walden
Zhang/Jak Jones vs M. Williams/Si
Ding/Lisowski vs G. Wilson/Bingham
Hawkins/Day vs O’Sullivan/Web page
Quarter-Finals (bo25)
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
Semi-Finals (bo33)
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
Ultimate (bo35)
TBC vs TBC
Featured picture credit score: WST
