Judd Trump Returns to World Number One Spot

There could be a lot of chopping and changing this season.

Judd Trump is back in the world number one position upon usurping Mark Selby at the top of the standings after the conclusion of the Northern Ireland Open.

The 32 year-old was already guaranteed to move back in front of Selby regardless of what happened in Belfast, with the official list determined on a rolling two-year basis.

Trump previously held the world number one spot for two straight years between August 2019 and the same month of this year.

Selby, founded mostly on his World Championship success from May that carried with it £500,000 in ranking points, briefly took over at the summit but has now returned to second place.

Trading places could become a regular theme between the pair in the coming months, however, with not much between them at present and with both having plenty of points to defend.

Meanwhile, Mark Allen’s terrific triumph in the Northern Ireland Open at the Waterfront Hall sees the Antrim man rise up a couple of places to ninth.

Allen fought back from 8-6 down to deny John Higgins in a deciding-frame thriller and capture the Alex Higgins Trophy on home soil, with Higgins moving up one spot to sixth.

With just two counting events remaining – the English Open and the UK Championship – until the cut-off point for qualification to the 2022 Masters, there’s a significant battle ongoing around the top 16.

Barry Hawkins, Jack Lisowski, and Anthony McGill are in 14th, 15th, and 16th as things stand and look in good shape to feature at the Alexandra Palace, but a strong showing from Zhou Yuelong in particular could see the Chinese competitor force his way into contention.

Zhou’s esteemed countryman Ding Junhui, a former Masters champion, is officially 10th in the world but as low as 25th on the provisional Race to the Masters list – with the earnings from his 2019 UK Championship victory set to come off his tally soon.

Separately, the one-year ranking list will determine the players who will feature in the Cazoo Series of tournaments that begins with the World Grand Prix in December.

The top 32 on that list will qualify, with Mark Williams, Allen, and David Gilbert at the forefront thanks to their ranking event glories so far this term.

Featured photo credit: WST