Snooker's unpredictable season continues as outsiders star in ranking event finals

We often hear the case that snooker’s professional player roster is stronger in depth than ever before, and that thesis has gained more momentum over the past couple of months.

As we head into mid-Autumn with the clocks soon to go back in the UK, it has already been a fascinating and unpredictable snooker season, with a player ranked outside of the world’s elite top 16 having featured in the final of each and every ranking event, so far.

Following a block of early summer qualifying, the first ranking accolade of the 2026/27 top tier campaign was won by Jak Jones at the behind-closed-doors Championship League.

A former World Snooker Championship runner-up just over two years earlier, Welshman Jones - ranked 32nd at the time - ousted world number 31 David Gilbert, 3-2, in the final to claim his maiden professional crown.

However, as probably the lowest key event on the pro calendar - with the majority of top 16 stars electing to skip it these days - it wasn’t a surprise to see two players of the experienced calibre of Jones and Gilbert in the final.

After several weeks at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, it was time for the first big stage action of the new season, starting with the opening leg of the circuit’s new ‘Chinese swing’ at the Shanghai Masters that was won by Judd Trump. Being an elite 24-player invitational, though, it was always likely that two top 16 players would feature in the final - and it did, with Trump defeating Kyren Wilson for the crown.

The final two stops in China were ranking tournaments - the China Open and Wuhan Open - and both saw the world number 45, at the time, reach the final.

Back on the agenda for the first time since 2019, the China Open carried a prize fund in excess of £1.2 million. Held in a new host city of Taiyuan, Mark Selby claimed the title for a record fourth time after ending the fairy-tale run of Noppon Saengkham.

Thai ace Saengkham eliminated Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy en route to his second ranking event final and the biggest payday of his career before being halted by Selby.

Whilst Saengkham’s appearance in that final was a surprise, Chang Bingyu’s at the Wuhan Open was definitely less so.

One of the hottest young properties on the scene, Chang was near the top - if not top - of most pundits’ lists as the next new ranking event champion.

The Chinese youngster only returned to the professional ranks last season after the expiration of his ban from the sport and having re-earned his tour card, but inside just over 12 months he made his maiden ranking final at the 2025 Scottish Open, produced one of the greatest televised performances ever seen, and compiled three maximum 147 breaks.

At the Wuhan Open, Chang got the better of Trump and O’Sullivan - like Saengkham did in Taiyuan - on his way to the final where he defeated soon-to-be new world number one Zhao Xintong, 10-7, to secure his first top-flight title and a top prize of £175,000.

Both Saengkham and Chang had to navigate two rounds of qualifying - held in Leicester several weeks before - just to reach the televised phases of the respective events above.

As the snooker roadshow returned to UK shores, there was a change with no Asian players in the next two finals which were both English v Wales affairs.

Jones - who only a few weeks before had no professional titles on his CV - suddenly became snooker’s 46th multiple-time ranking event winner at the British Open.

Starring in the televised stages as the world number 31, Jones defeated Chang and Trump in Cheltenham before causing an upset by stopping Selby, 10-6, in the final to double up on his Championship League triumph.

Only a week later, Ali Carter - a former world number two but at the time ranked 25th in the global standings - recorded the seventh ranking success of his career at the English Open.

Playing in his home county of Essex, Carter overturned a first session deficit to usurp Mark Williams in the final, 9-6.

The latest event to be completed on the World Snooker Tour was the Shenzhen Open, won by reigning World Champion Wu Yize.

In another all-Chinese final, Wu ended the challenge of Yuan Sijun, who was playing as the world number 33. In a tournament where several big names in the top half of the draw exited early on, Yuan got to his first professional final without having to play anyone from inside the world’s top 32.

Like Saengkham and Chang in the first two Chinese ranking events of the term, Yuan had to negotiate qualifying at the Mattioli just to book a ticket for the main draw on the other side of the world.

Next up on the calendar is the second Home Nations Series of the season, the 2026 Northern Ireland Open that takes place at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast between October 18-25.