While the race to become the 2024 world snooker champion is heating up, there is still the ongoing subplot to determine the season-ending world number one.
At the start of this year’s World Snooker Championship just over a week ago, eight players had a chance of finishing the campaign in top spot.
That figure has been reduced to only three, and among those just two are left contending for the silverware at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Reigning world champion Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, Ding Junhui, Shaun Murphy, and Mark Williams all could have leapfrogged their way into first place on the official two-year list.
But all five bowed out before the quarter-final stage of the 2024 World Snooker Championship.
Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen, as he did at the start of the 17-day competition, continues to lead the way in the provisional standings.
But the Pistol suffered a gut-wrenching defeat on the final black to John Higgins on Monday night, ending his hopes of capturing a maiden world title for another year.
That leaves Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan as Allen’s two closest challengers who can still upset the order at the summit.
World Championship Ranking Points
Winner: £500,000
Runner-up: £200,000
Semi-finalists: £100,000
Quarter-finalists: £50,000
Last 16: £30,000
Last 32: £20,000
Trump trailed Allen by £74,000 heading into the World Championship, meaning Allen’s first-round victory could yet prove crucial in his aspirations to become the newest world number one in snooker.
Allen pockets £30,000 for his efforts in Sheffield, and with £100,000 on offer at the semi-final stage, it means Trump will have to reach the final if he’s to reclaim the world number one position for the first time since 2021.
Trump faces Jak Jones in the quarter-finals on the Tuesday and Wednesday before a potential mouthwatering last-four showdown with pre-tournament favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The Rocket, who is officially still ranked number one, takes on Stuart Bingham in the last eight.
O’Sullivan, whose earnings from his 2022 world success is to be deducted from his total, can extend his two-year stranglehold on the number one spot.
But he can only do so if he wins what would be a record-breaking eighth world title of the modern era.
While the main goal will of course be to win the World Championship, the rankings race adds another exciting element to this term’s concluding act.
Provisional end-of-season snooker rankings
| Prov. Rank | Player | Prov. Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £965,000 | |
| 2 | Judd Trump | £911,000 |
| 3 | £690,500 | |
| 4 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | £659,000 |
| 5 | £648,500 | |
| 6 | £498,000 | |
| 7 | £466,500 | |
| 8 | £457,500 |
Crossed-out players have been eliminated from the 2024 World Snooker Championship.
2024 World Snooker Championship Draw
Round 1 (bo19)
Luca Brecel (1) 9-10 David Gilbert
Robert Milkins (16) 10-9 Pang Junxu
Ali Carter (9) 7-10 Stephen Maguire
Shaun Murphy (8) 10-5 Lyu Haotian
Mark Selby (5) 6-10 Joe O’Connor
Kyren Wilson (12) 10-1 Dominic Dale
John Higgins (13) 10-6 Jamie Jones
Mark Allen (4) 10-6 Robbie Williams
Judd Trump (3) 10-5 Hossein Vafaei
Tom Ford (14) 10-6 Ricky Walden
Zhang Anda (11) 4-10 Jak Jones
Mark Williams (6) 9-10 Si Jiahui
Ding Junhui (7) 9-10 Jack Lisowski
Gary Wilson (10) 5-10 Stuart Bingham
Barry Hawkins (15) 8-10 Ryan Day
Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) 10-1 Jackson Page
Round 2 (bo25)
David Gilbert 13-4 Robert Milkins (16)
Stephen Maguire 13-9 Shaun Murphy (8)
Joe O’Connor 6-13 Kyren Wilson (12)
John Higgins (13) 13-12 Mark Allen (4)
Judd Trump (3) 13-7 Tom Ford (14)
Jak Jones 13-9 Si Jiahui
Jack Lisowski 11-13 Stuart Bingham
Ryan Day 7-13 Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
Quarter-Finals (bo25)
David Gilbert 13-8 Stephen Maguire
Kyren Wilson (12) 13-8 John Higgins (13)
Judd Trump (3) 9-13 Jak Jones
Stuart Bingham 13-10 Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
Semi-Finals (bo33)
David Gilbert 11-17 Kyren Wilson (12)
Jak Jones 17-12 Stuart Bingham
Final (bo35)
Kyren Wilson (12) 18-14 Jak Jones
Click here for the latest live scores and session times.
Featured photo credit: WST
