Latest Snooker World Rankings: Dark Horse Wins Without Ranking, Zhao Xintong Rises to Ninth & Five Chinese in Top 16

On December 15th Beijing time, the Snooker One-Frame Shootout finished with wildcard Boden’s outstanding performance, defeating Bingham 63-8 in the final to claim the championship. Consequently, the latest world rankings were updated. Because Boden is an amateur, although he received £50,000 in prize money, he does not gain any ranking points. Other player rankings saw little change, with the top eight players stable. Defending champion Mark Allen failed to retain his title and dropped to tenth place, while Zhao Xintong climbed to ninth. Currently, five Chinese players remain in the top sixteen!

This One-Frame Shootout was extremely thrilling due to its single-frame format, which greatly increased the unpredictability of the outcomes. Veteran amateur Boden fought through all rounds to reach the final, where he decisively defeated World Championship winner Bingham 63-8. This stunning upset earned Boden his first professional ranking title after 30 years of perseverance. However, despite winning £50,000, Boden’s amateur status means the prize money does not count towards his ranking!

Regarding Chinese players, five remain in the top sixteen. New World Champion Zhao Xintong benefited from Mark Allen’s deduction of the £50,000 prize money in the One-Frame Shootout, allowing Zhao to rise one spot to ninth, becoming the highest-ranked Chinese player. Xiao Guodong advanced to 11th place. Ding Junhui’s ranking continues to decline, now at 12th, with potential further drops if his performance does not improve. Wu Yize is ranked 13th, and Si Jiahui sits at 15th!

Among other players, Trump remains firmly at number one, alongside second-ranked Kyren Wilson and Robertson, who are the three players with over a million pounds in earnings. Mark Williams, ranked fourth, is close to reaching the million-pound mark. O’Sullivan has struggled this season with poor results, dropping to eighth place, just one spot ahead of Chinese player Zhao Xintong!

The Snooker Scottish Open kicks off today, with the Chinese team aiming for the championship. Before the matches began, they received good news as two opponents withdrew, allowing Chinese players He Guoqiang and Zhao Xintong to advance directly to the last 32 without playing—a very fortunate break!

Written by / Sports Fiction