India's number one Ishpreet Singh Chadha on course for World Snooker Tour survival

The 28-year-old cueist from Mumbai scored a fantastic victory on Monday afternoon at the 2025 Welsh Open in Llandudno when he knocked out reigning champion Gary Wilson 4-3 in the opening round in front of the live television cameras.

Singh Chadha claimed the first frame of the contest with the help of a 76 break, but world number 14 Wilson won three of the next four frames to reach the hill first at 3-2 up. However, Singh Chadha kept cool under pressure, securing the final two frames for a big victory as he moved to the last 32 of the ranking event where he is set to meet home soil player Jackson Page.

Currently one of two Indian professionals on the World Snooker Tour, Singh Chadha earned promotion to the sport's top tier for the first time after winning the second and final event at the Asia-Oceania Q School in 2023 where he defeated Hon Man Chau 4-0 in the final to pocket a two-year tour card.

The step-up to snooker's premier circuit can be pretty daunting and brutal - especially for non-UK players who are experiencing it for the first time. For a fresh rookie, Singh Chadha acquitted himself well during his maiden season, picking up over £26,000 and scoring several match wins.

Whilst he didn't go past the last 32 of an event - he achieved that feat twice, once at the British Open and the other at the German Masters - Singh Chadha accumulated ranking points from seven events, which was a decent effort for someone in his position.

Heading into his second season, though, Singh Chadha knew he would need to earn a lot more ranking points if he was to avoid relegation, and as it stands, he is meeting those targets.

There are currently a few ways a player can retain their professional status each season. One is by breaking into the world's top 64 rankings, and another is by finishing inside the top four of the one-year/seasonal list (excluding the top 64 players). It is seen as preferable for a player to survive via the former method, as it means they get to keep their ranking position and ranking points heading into the new season.

For this ongoing 2024/25 professional term, Singh Chadha has built on last season's solid start and gone up several levels. He has racked up ranking points from nine tournaments so far, with his highlight being an amazing run to the semi-finals of the 2024 English Open.

Having won two qualifying matches to reach the main draw - including success over former world champion Graeme Dott - Singh Chadha then won three of his four matches via a deciding frame to make the last four. In the quarter-finals, he dramatically ousted Mark Selby on the final black.

In fact, the Home Nations Series has been a revelation for the former competitive esports player this season, qualifying for the main draw of all four events (last 64 at the Northern Ireland Open, last 32 at the Scottish Open).

With several events for him still to go, Singh Chadha has earned more than double the amount of prize money this season than he did during the whole of the last. Before the start of the main venue stages at the 2025 Welsh Open, he was ranked 69th in the world rankings, and his live one-year ranking - at the time of writing - is 46th.

On the projected end-of-season provisional world rankings, Singh Chadha is currented rated 64th, although a lot can change before then, especially with the big-money World Championship coming up in April. He can earn more prize money and ranking points this week at the Venue Cymru - he still has a chance of qualifying for the World Grand Prix and even trousering the £150,000 Home Nations bonus prize - and has already qualified for the World Open in China later this month.

Singh Chadha’s safety net appears to be the one-year list. Excluding those in the world’s top 64, he is currently second in those standings, and will overtake Stan Moody and go into first if he defeats Page in round two on Wednesday.

Remember, the top four from that list will each earn a new two-year professional tour card (although their ranking points are reset to zero and they go to the back of the world rankings), so it looks very likely that Singh Chadha will remain on the World Snooker Tour next season.

Finishing inside the world’s top 64 rankings after your first two seasons as a pro is a fantastic achievement, and should Singh Chadha - one of the sport’s most improved players this 24/25 campaign - do this, it would be very significant for him, and could be for the prosperity of snooker in India.