Rankings Update – King On The Rise
Mark King jumped 13 places to 22nd in the world rankings following his victory at the Coral Northern Ireland Open.
King won the first ranking title of his 25-year pro career by beating Barry Hawkins 9-8 in the final in Belfast, capturing the £70,000 top prize.
Hawkins climbs from 14th to 11th on the official list while semi-finalist Anthony Hamilton jumps nine places to 67th.
Iran’s Hossein Vafaei Ayouri is climbing the rankings
Iran’s Hossein Vafaei Ayouri reached the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the first time in his career and he’s up seven spots to 75th.
The Betway UK Championship, which started today, is the last tournament before the vital cut off point for The Dafabet Masters, with only the top 16 seeds to earn a place at Alexandra Palace. For the latest on that race click here.
King has also flown up from 49th to eighth on the separate one-year list, which determines who will qualify for the World Grand Prix and Players Championship. The top 32 will make it to the World Grand Prix in Preston in February, then the top 16 will earn spots at the Players Championship in Llandudno in March. So every pound earned in ranking events over the coming months is vital.
Hawkins has moved from 14th to tenth while Hamilton is up from 38th to 19th.
Mark Selby continues to top both the two-year and one-year lists.
As its stands there are eight players inside the top 32 of the one-year list who are outside the top 32 of the two-year list. And three players inside the top 16 of the one-year list who are outside the top 16 of the two-year list.