As those of you who have followed my updates both on the blog and on Twitter will be aware (and probably sick of reading), it has been a big weekend in Gdynia for those players battling it out for their main tour places for next season, with eight places available through the European Order of Merit.
Click below then for a round-up of how the various lists look after the tournament and what now can change between now and the end of the season…
In another season which feels as though it has given us almost non-stop snooker so far, it is strange to think that following the Christmas break, and the invitational events that have dominated January so far, it has been other a month since we last saw the players in ranking event action.
With the start of the venue stages of the German Masters next Wednesday however, the second half of the current season gets right underway and what a hectic period it will be, with eight ranking events (including European and Asian Tour), squeezed into little over three months.
Click below for five themes that I will have an eye on during the coming weeks…
Congratulations to China’s Liang Wenbo, who yesterday defeated 15-year-old countryman Lyu Haotian to capture the AT3 title in his homeland, his first title carrying ranking points…
As you may have seen on Twitter this evening, today saw a very unusual incident involving world number 46 Anthony McGill and amateur opponent Yan Bingtao during their second round match at the ongoing Asian Tour 3 event.
As the seniors conclude their World Championship event in Portsmouth today, many miles away in China, a number of professionals have already moved on to their next tournament, with the AT3 event kicking off in Zhengzhou, ahead of next week’s International Championship.
Click below for a few thoughts as we prepare for the final Asian leg of a jam packed 2013 snooker year…
Congratulations to China’s Ju Reti, who today became the first ever amateur player to win either a European or Asian Tour event, with a 4-1 victory against the in-form Michael Holt.
With a win against Cao Yupeng in the earlier rounds and a string of fellow Chinese amateurs behind him, Ju hit top breaks of 58 and 55 on his way to establishing an early 3-0 lead, before soon coming through two frames later.
Having also hit a tournament high 142 earlier in the event, as well as also having defeated the likes of Mark Williams, Mike Dunn and Barry Pinches in previous events, Ju would appear to be a player of some talent. At 30 years of age it would be a stretch to label him as ‘up and coming’ but his victory this week assures him of a place in the PTC Finals, as well as a main tour spot, should he choose to accept it.
For a more detailed match reports and quotes from Ju, please click here to visit World Snooker, or alternatively see the links below for links to all of the updated ranking lists and results:
It might only be a matter of hours since Ding Junhui became the 2013 Shanghai Masters champion, but the snooker circus stops for no man these days, as the action resumes later today with the second of the season’s four Asian Tour events, this one in Zhangjiagang, China.
As ever, all of the links that you will need to follow the tournament can be found on the sidebar to the right, while you can also read my recent thoughts on the entry list for the event and just why this event is more important for some players than it might otherwise seem, here.
Whilst writing, the conclusion of the Shanghai Masters yesterday also marked the second mid-season revision to the tournament seeding list, with the final standings at this cut-off now being available here.
Accordingly, the latest projected seedings list has been updated here and will track the seedings race for the UK Championship over the next five events, culminating at the International Championship in November.
Of course, with the UK Championship being another tournament to be staged with a flat draw this season, the seedings will take on far less significance, with the main interest being in the top 64 bracket with better seedings available for those who can make it.
Still, it is always good to keep a track of where players are, particularly as we approach the end of the year and the ‘race to the Masters’ in January intensifies for those at the top of the game…
