Shaun Murphy climbs from tenth to to second place on the one-year ranking list following his victory at the Duelbits Players Championship, which guarantees him a place in the third and final event of the 2023 Duelbits Series.
The Bonus Arena in Hull will host the top eight players
Murphy beat Ali Carter 10-4 in the final in Wolverhampton on Sunday night to win his first ranking title in three years, and the £125,000 prize sees him leap eight places to second. Carter earned £50,000 as runner-up and he rises from fifth to third.
Only the top eight on the list will qualify for the Duelbits Tour Championship in Hull, which runs from March 27 to April 2, and there is only one remaining counting event – the WST Classic which runs from March 16-22 in Leicester.
The top five are now safe for a place in Hull: Mark Allen, Murphy, Carter, Kyren Wilson and Ryan Day. But the other three spots, currently occupied by Robert Milkins, Ding Junhui and Mark Selby, are still in doubt.
In eighth place is Selby with £135,500, a lead of £4,500 over ninth-placed Luca Brecel. But with an £80,000 top prize available in Leicester, there are 15 players currently outside the top eight, still in with a chance:
Luca Brecel: Needs at least last 32
Jack Lisowski: Needs at least quarter-finals
Gary Wilson: Needs at least semi-finals
Judd Trump: Needs at least the final
Tom Ford: Needs at least the final
Joe O’Connor: Needs at least the final
Zhou Yuelong, Chris Wakelin, Mark Williams, Barry Hawkins, Xiao Guodong, Neil Robertson, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Noppon Saengkham and Anthony McGill all need the title.
WST Classic Prize Money
Winner: £80,000
Runner-up: £35,000
Semi-finals: £17,500
Quarter-finals: £11,000
Last 16: £7,500
Last 32: £4,500
Last 64: £3,000
On the official two-year list, Murphy is up from 11th to sixth while Carter improves his position from 15th to 12th. O’Connor continues to enjoy the best season of his career and his semi-final run last week boosts him six places to 31st. O’Sullivan remains on top, with a lead of £143,500 over Selby.
In the Race to the Crucible there are just two counting events to go before the line-up of 16 seeds for Sheffield is confirmed: the WST Classic (March 16-22) and the Duelbits Tour Championship. Gary Wilson is currently in 16th place, with Day behind him in 18th, though Day will be guaranteed an extra £20,000 in Hull so that puts him on target for a Crucible place. Similarly, if Ding can secure a place in Hull then that will boost him several places from his current position of 23rd.
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