Latest Snooker World Rankings: Selby Claims Title to Rise to Sixth, Five Chinese Players in Top 16, Ding Junhui Drops

On December 8th Beijing time, the much-watched UK Championship wrapped up with Selby showing peak form. After a grueling 18 frames, he beat defending champion Trump 10-8 to secure his third UK Championship crown. With this, the updated world rankings place Trump still at number one as runner-up, Selby soaring to sixth, Murphy seventh, O'Sullivan slipping to eighth, and Zhao Xintong as the highest-ranked Chinese player at tenth. Ding Junhui underperformed, falling to twelfth, but there remain five Chinese players in the top sixteen!

Selby has exploded this season, winning the Champion of Champions by defeating Trump. At the UK Championship, he showed peak form, decisively beating Zhou Yuelong, Hawkins, and Murphy to reach the final. Facing world number one Trump again, Selby dominated the first half, excelling in both offense and defense, and twice overturned deficits to lead 6-2. In the second half, Selby extended his lead to 7-2. Despite trailing, Trump launched a fierce comeback, winning five of six frames to narrow the gap to 7-8 and then took the first championship point at 9-7. Trump saved one match point, but Selby closed it out 10-8. His toughness was undeniable. Selby, arguably the strongest player born in the 1980s, completed three different major titles and earned £250,000, soaring to sixth in the rankings.

Trump has had a tough season, reaching three finals but finishing runner-up each time: losing to Lisowski at the Northern Ireland Open, and twice to Selby at the Champion of Champions and UK Championship. Despite winning £100,000, he remains firmly in first place with a significant lead. However, these two seasons have been difficult for Trump—last season he was dominated by Kyren Wilson, and this season by Selby. His frequent runner-up finishes in major events have been disappointing, making his performance in the three big tournaments quite underwhelming.

The Chinese contingent had 12 players qualify for the main draw in this event, but none advanced to the quarterfinals, still struggling against the "Big Four" from the 80s generation. Currently, five Chinese players remain in the top sixteen: Zhao Xintong leads at tenth, followed by Xiao Guodong at eleventh, Ding Junhui dropping to twelfth, Wu Yize at thirteenth, and Si Jiahui at fifteenth. It’s interesting that four of them share very close rankings!

Written by / Sports Novel