On August 31st Beijing time, following Xiao Guodong’s hard-fought 10-9 victory over Gary Wilson to secure the title, the Snooker Wuhan Open ended and the updated world rankings were released. Trump leads comfortably at number one, Kyren Wilson is second, Robertson third, and O'Sullivan fourth. Ding Junhui remains the highest-ranked Chinese player at seventh, while Xiao Guodong’s championship win propelled him up to eighth. The Chinese contingent has five players solidly placed in the top sixteen!

Xiao Guodong can be described as a late bloomer who exploded onto the scene last season by winning the Wuhan Open, marking a major breakthrough in his career. Since then, it seems he has unlocked a new level, with his overall performance becoming very consistent. In this Wuhan event, Xiao played steadily and powerfully to reach the final. Facing a tough challenge in the final, he battled through 19 frames and edged out Gary Wilson 10-9 to claim his second ranking title, securing a championship for China and earning £170,000 in prize money. Xiao’s world ranking surged dramatically from 12th to 8th, closing in on Ding Junhui and reaching new career heights and milestones. It’s safe to say Xiao’s game is now very reliable, and he is poised to win even more titles in the future!

During the final against Xiao Guodong, Gary Wilson was trailing for most of the match. Although he made a strong comeback to lead 8-6 and fought back to tie 9-9, he made several errors in the deciding frame. Xiao took advantage repeatedly to secure the championship, while Wilson had to settle for runner-up. However, Wilson still earned £63,000 in prize money and climbed into the top sixteen rankings, effectively becoming the gatekeeper there!

The Chinese team still has five players ranked in the top sixteen. Ding Junhui was unexpectedly eliminated early by Moody in this event, exiting at the last 64 and earning only a small amount of prize money, but he remains the highest-ranked Chinese player at seventh. Xiao Guodong sharpened his skills to win the title and moved into the top eight. Zhao Xintong was narrowly defeated by Maguire in the last 32 and holds steady at 11th in the world rankings. Zhang Anda and Si Jiahui both reached the quarterfinals in this tournament, ranked 13th and 15th respectively!

Among other players, Trump, Kyren Wilson, and Robertson occupy the top three spots, each having earned over a million pounds in prize money, with Trump nearing two million. His hold on the number one position is very secure. The “Big Three” of the ’75 generation — O'Sullivan, Mark Williams, and Higgins — rank fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. These three legends remain incredibly strong and sharp despite their years!

Written by / Sports Fiction