Who’s going to finish the snooker season because the world No.1?

Whereas the race to change into the 2024 world snooker champion is heating up, there’s nonetheless the continuing subplot to find out the season-ending world primary.

Initially of this yr’s World Snooker Championship simply over per week in the past, eight gamers had an opportunity of ending the marketing campaign in high spot.

That determine has been lowered to solely three, and amongst these simply two are left contending for the silverware on the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

Reigning world champion Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, Ding Junhui, Shaun Murphy, and Mark Williams all may have leapfrogged their approach into first place on the official two-year checklist.

However all 5 bowed out earlier than the quarter-final stage of the 2024 World Snooker Championship.

Northern Eire’s Mark Allen, as he did in the beginning of the 17-day competitors, continues to prepared the ground within the provisional standings.

However the Pistol suffered a gut-wrenching defeat on the ultimate black to John Higgins on Monday night time, ending his hopes of capturing a maiden world title for one more yr.

That leaves Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan as Allen’s two closest challengers who can nonetheless upset the order on the summit.

World Championship Rating Factors
Winner: £500,000
Runner-up: £200,000
Semi-finalists: £100,000
Quarter-finalists: £50,000
Final 16: £30,000
Final 32: £20,000

Trump trailed Allen by £74,000 heading into the World Championship, which means Allen’s first-round victory may but show essential in his aspirations to change into the latest world primary in snooker.

Allen pockets £30,000 for his efforts in Sheffield, and with £100,000 on provide on the semi-final stage, it means Trump should attain the ultimate if he’s to reclaim the world primary place for the primary time since 2021.

Trump faces Jak Jones within the quarter-finals on the Tuesday and Wednesday earlier than a possible mouthwatering last-four showdown with pre-tournament favorite Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The Rocket, who’s formally nonetheless ranked primary, takes on Stuart Bingham within the final eight.

O’Sullivan, whose earnings from his 2022 world success is to be deducted from his complete, can prolong his two-year stranglehold on the primary spot.

However he can solely achieve this if he wins what could be a record-breaking eighth world title of the trendy period.

Whereas the primary purpose will after all be to win the World Championship, the rankings race provides one other thrilling component to this time period’s concluding act.

Provisional end-of-season snooker rankings

2024 World Snooker Championship Draw

Spherical 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 Web page

Spherical 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)

Click on right here for stay scores and session occasions.

David Gilbert vs Stephen Maguire
Kyren Wilson (12) vs John Higgins (13)

Judd Trump (3) vs Jak Jones
Stuart Bingham vs Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)

Semi-Finals (bo33)

Gilbert/Maguire vs Wilson/Higgins
Trump/Jones vs Bingham/O’Sullivan

Ultimate (bo35)

TBC vs TBC

Featured picture credit score: WST