The new WST Classic might be a low-key affair starting this week, but it is a ranking event with a big top prize and plenty of consequences for the rest of the season.
The tournament at the Morningside Arena, Leicester has been thrown together at the last minute after the cancellation of the Turkish Masters due to financing issues.
As a result it runs, unusually, from Thursday-Wednesday (16-22 March), with supporters only in on the final day for the quarter-finals onwards and it will be streamed on Matchroom.Live rather than on a traditional TV channel.
As WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson admitted, ‘it’s not ideal but it is what it is’ and it is admirable that an event with an £80,000 winner’s prize was rustled up to replace the lost Turkish event.
That top prize means the WST Classic gives a string of players a chance to make it into the Tour Championship, the penultimate event of the season before the World Championship and one that comes with a winner’s prize of £150,000.
The prestigious tournament only features the top eight players on the one-year list and five men have already secured their spots – Mark Allen, Shaun Murphy, Ali Carter, Kyren Wilson and Ryan Day.
This leaves three places to be taken and there are 18 players who are able to book their ticket to Hull at the end of the month, although some have a considerably better chance than others.
Rob Milkins, Ding Junhui and Mark Selby are the three in possession of the prized three slots going into the Classic, so their hopes are in their own hands.
Next in line is Luca Brecel, who will need to win two matches to have a chance of making the Tour Championship, followed by Jack Lisowski who must make the quarter-finals.
Gary Wilson is 11th on the one-year list and must make the semis to get to Hull, while Judd Trump, Tom Ford and Joe O’Connor know they must make it to the final.
Nine players head to Leicester knowing they need to pick up the trophy to qualify for the Tour Championship and there are some big names among them: Zhou Yuelong, Chris Wakelin, Mark Williams, Barry Hawkins, Xiao Guodong, Neil Robertson, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Noppon Saengkham and Anthony McGill.
There are plenty heading to the WST Classic who could win the event, spoil the party for others and not make it to the Tour Championship. Recent Championship League Invitational winner John Higgins is among them, as are the likes of Hossein Vafaei, Stuart Bingham and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
There are plenty of permutations beyond the Tour Championship as we fast approach the end of the season, with seeded spots at the Crucible up for grabs as well over the Classic and Tour Championship.
Gary Wilson heads to Leicester 17th in the world rankings and Ryan Day one spot behind him. With Day’s place in the Tour Championship already guaranteed, Wilson could really do with significantly bettering his result at the Classic.
Thoughts of tour survival will also be on the mind of many as those hoping to retain their professional status will only have the World Championship to come after their trip to Leicester.
The likes of Mark Davis, David Grace and Alexander Ursenbacher are ranked dangerously around the cut-off point and need wins before the seasons ends to guarantee they remain professionals next season.
Some results may fly under the radar at the WST Classic in the coming days, but many will be very important.
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