Rankings Update: Wake Up – World Snooker – Snooker Freaks

Chris Wakelin’s victory in the BetVictor Shoot Out has vaulted him 76 places up the one-year ranking list  and set him on course to qualify for next month’s Duelbits Players Championship.

Wakelin won his first ranking title on Saturday night when he beat Julien LeClercq in the final in Leicester, and the £50,000 reward moves him from 91st to 15th. Only the top 16 will progress to the Duelbits Players Championship which runs from February 20 to 26 in Wolverhampton, and there are just two counting events left in that race: this week’s BetVictor German Masters and the BetVictor Welsh Open (February 13 to 19).

Nuneaton’s Wakelin has qualified for both of those events already so has two more chances to add to his tally. Just behind him in 16th is Xiao Guodong, who has qualified for Berlin but not for Llandudno. Neil Robertson, who won the Players Championship last season, is 18th but has both of those events to make up ground. This week’s tournament at the Tempodrom is also crucial for the likes of Joe O’Connor, Ali Carter, Anthony McGill and Sam Craigie as they chase a place in Wolverhampton.

LeClercq, playing his first season on the pro tour, enjoyed a fine run to the final and £20,000 lifts him from 101st to 41st, and he has qualified for Llandudno so another appearance in the final could get him into the top 16.

BetVictor German Masters final stages 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

Wakelin has jumped to sixth place in the BetVictor Series rankings albeit still £47,500 behind leader Mark Allen. This week in Germany it’s the penultimate counting event, then at the end of the BetVictor Welsh Open the player top of the list will collect the huge £150,000 bonus.

Allen holds a slender lead with £107,000, just ahead of Mark Selby with £104,000. In third place is Kyren Wilson with £102,000, but he is the only one of that trio to have qualified for Berlin, so a deep run this week could leave him in control heading to North Wales.

On the official two-year list, Wakelin climbs 14 places to 33rd while LeClercq is up from 109th to 85th. Ronnie O’Sullivan remains on top as the official world number one, with a lead of £202,000 over Mark Selby.

There are five counting events to go in the Race to the Crucible. Barry Hawkins continues to cling on to 16th spot, but is closely pursued by the likes of Anthony McGill, David Gilbert and Ryan Day.

Tickets for all of these tournaments are on sale now – for details click here.