Judd Trump has returned to the top four in the world snooker rankings after his triumph in the English Open on Sunday.
The Bristol potter fought back from four frames down to beat Zhang Anda 9-7 and claim the Steve Davis Trophy in Brentwood.
It was a 24th career ranking crown for Trump, which takes him to sixth place on his own in the all-time list.
Official World Snooker Tour rankings
Despite losing to eventual runner-up Zhang in round four, Ronnie O’Sullivan again holds onto top spot in the official two-year list.
The Rocket’s defeat left the door ajar for Luca Brecel to become world number one for the first time in his career.
But the Belgian Bullet was defeated at the same hurdle by Ding Junhui, the second time in as many tournaments that Brecel has suffered a deciding-frame reverse against the Chinese cueist.
Brecel stays in second ahead of Mark Allen, whose indifferent run of form continued following a third-round exit.
Trump’s success, representing his fifth overall in the Home Nations series, sees the 34 year-old move back into the top four.
The Englishman will seek to get closer to the top three when he takes part in this week’s lucrative Wuhan Open.
Trump will be among the betting favourites for glory again, with NewBettingSites providing plenty of offers and welcome bonuses if you think he can make it a quick double.
Mark Selby, meanwhile, drops to fifth in the world snooker rankings ahead of Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, and Kyren Wilson.
A semi-final run for John Higgins ensures the Scot replaces Mark Williams in ninth, while the only other change in the top 16 sees Ding Junhui edge in front of Hossein Vafaei into 15th spot.
Zhang’s superb display, reaching a maiden ranking final and coming within two frames of a famous glory, takes the 31 year-old up to a career-high ranking of 40.
| Official 2-Year World Rankings | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | £890,500 |
| 2 | Luca Brecel | £885,500 |
| 3 | Mark Allen | £845,000 |
| 4 | Judd Trump | £669,000 |
| 5 | Mark Selby | £612,000 |
| 6 | Neil Robertson | £545,000 |
| 7 | Shaun Murphy | £483,000 |
| 8 | Kyren Wilson | £440,000 |
| 9 | John Higgins | £429,500 |
| 10 | Mark Williams | £424,000 |
| 11 | Ali Carter | £311,500 |
| 12 | Robert Milkins | £302,000 |
| 13 | Jack Lisowski | £297,000 |
| 14 | Barry Hawkins | £295,500 |
| 15 | Ding Junhui | £262,500 |
| 16 | Hossein Vafaei | £261,500 |
| — | — | — |
| 17 | Ryan Day | £246,500 |
| 18 | Gary Wilson | £224,500 |
| 19 | Anthony McGill | £215,000 |
| 20 | Tom Ford | £203,500 |
Race to the World Grand Prix
The £80,000 champion’s cheque that Trump receives for winning the English Open will help him rise to second place in the one-year rankings.
This list is important as it will determine who qualifies for three lucrative events in the second half of the campaign.
The top 32 from the one-year list will feature at the World Grand Prix in January, before the top 16 play in the Players Championship and the top 12 at the Tour Championship.
Mark Williams stays in first place despite losing to Liu Hongyu in the last 16 of the English Open.
Zhang, meanwhile, moves into the top five, and his possible involvement in these prestigious snooker events could mark another step in his recent rise up the official rankings list.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, Luca Brecel, Mark Allen, and Neil Robertson are notable names currently ranked outside the top 32 on the one-year standings.
Note: The provisional list below was updated before matches took place at the venue stages of the Wuhan Open.
| 1-Year Rankings | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Williams | £144,500 |
| 2 | Judd Trump | £128,500 |
| 3 | Barry Hawkins | £102,000 |
| 4 | Mark Selby | £75,000 |
| 5 | Zhang Anda | £49,000 |
| 6 | Shaun Murphy | £48,500 |
| 7 | John Higgins | £47,500 |
| 8 | Xiao Guodong | £45,000 |
| 9 | Noppon Saengkham | £36,000 |
| 10 | Hossein Vafaei | £34,500 |
| 11 | Chris Wakelin | £32,500 |
| 12 | David Gilbert | £29,500 |
| 13 | Liu Hongyu | £29,500 |
| 14 | Tom Ford | £29,000 |
| 15 | Matthew Selt | £27,500 |
| 16 | Jack Lisowski | £27,500 |
| 17 | Kyren Wilson | £27,000 |
| 18 | Sanderson Lam | £26,000 |
| 19 | Lyu Haotian | £25,500 |
| 20 | Ashley Carty | £25,500 |
| 21 | Si Jiahui | £25,000 |
| 22 | Ali Carter | £24,500 |
| 23 | Oliver Lines | £24,000 |
| 24 | Jimmy Robertson | £24,000 |
| 25 | He Guoqiang | £24,000 |
| 26 | Scott Donaldson | £23,500 |
| 27 | Michael White | £23,000 |
| 28 | Cao Yupeng | £22,000 |
| 29 | Thepchaiya Un-Nooh | £22,000 |
| 30 | Fan Zhengyi | £22,000 |
| 31 | Ricky Walden | £21,000 |
| 32 | Robert Milkins | £21,000 |
| — | — | — |
| 39 | Mark Allen | £20,000 |
| 55 | Luca Brecel | £15,000 |
| 65 | Neil Robertson | £12,500 |
| 91 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | £7,500 |
BetVictor European Series
Finally, the English Open was the third event of eight this season on the BetVictor European Series.
As in previous seasons, the highest earner after the completion of the eight tournaments will receive a bumper bonus worth £150,000.
Trump received the jackpot in both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 snooker seasons, and victory in the English Open moves him into pole position this term as well.
There are still five more counting events, however, with the next one the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast later this month.
| BetVictor Series | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Judd Trump | £121,000 |
| 2 | Barry Hawkins | £85,000 |
| 3 | Shaun Murphy | £40,500 |
| 4 | Zhang Anda | £36,000 |
| 5 | John Higgins | £35,000 |
| 6 | Mark Williams | £35,000 |
When is the next snooker event?
Believe it or not, the next snooker event on the calendar begins on Monday on the other side of the globe in China.
The Wuhan Open, which represents the fifth ranking tournament of the season, boasts a top prize of £140,000 and runs until Sunday.
Featured photo credit: WST
Nice to see Ding Junhui slowly climbing back into contention and up the top 16 rankings. There’s a big gap in ranking points between 10th and 11th which is probably a good reflection on the gap between the premier players and the very good. Hawkins looks like he’s back into top gear this season however; maybe he and Ding can creep closer to the top ten “closed shop” this season.