Zhao Xintong confirmed as snooker's new world number one after Wuhan Open rankings revision

Following his quarter-final victory over Neil Robertson - who was his nearest rival in the standings - Zhao’s spot at the top was guaranteed, but he had to wait until the end of the tournament to be crowned as that’s when the world rankings were updated.

Snooker’s global standings are formulated on a prize money-based two-year rolling list; essentially, it’s the cumulative money players have earned from ranked competitions over the past 24 months.

These rankings are revised after every ranked event, with prize money going on, and coming off from the corresponding tournament two years before.

Heading into the televised stages in Wuhan, five players were in the race to end the competition as the world number one. Reigning World Champion Wu Yize blinked first after a shock opening round defeat to Artemijs Zizins, before Judd Trump and Mark Selby were eliminated in the last eight. Defeat for Trump ended his two-year stint at the top.

With just £2,500 separating them on the provisional list at the time, it meant that the winner between Zhao and Robertson would not only go through to the semi-finals, but also be assured of the number one accolade a few days later. Zhao won 5-1, stretching his 100% winning record over his opponent on the big stage.

Zhao was denied the Wuhan Open title after being defeated by Chinese compatriot Chang Bingyu, 10-7, in Saturday’s final, but the £75,000 runner-up prize he received means he now holds a lead of over £55,000 out on top.

Since snooker’s ranking system was introduced in the 1970s, Zhao becomes only the 13th player to claim the world number one spot, and only the second from Asia, following in the footsteps of fellow countryman Ding Junhui who made it there for the first time in 2014.

In recent times, the crowning of a brand new world number one is uncommon; over the past decade, the only other player to enjoy a maiden spell at the peak was Mark Allen in 2024.

The first player born in the 1990s to be snooker’s numero uno, 29-year-old’s Zhao’s achievement is even more notable by the fact that he doesn’t have a full two year’s worth of prize money to his name, as he only returned full time to the World Snooker Tour at the start of last season. Up until the 2027 World Championship, he has only £10,000 to defend from his tally.

New snooker rankings record for China

Elsewhere in the updated rankings, Wu has risen one place to third, meaning for the first time, two Chinese players are within the world’s top three.

Reigning UK Championship and China Open champion Selby is also up one spot to fourth, meanwhile Trump - who had £500,000 removed from his total, the amount he won at the 2024 Saudi Arabia Masters - drops from first to fifth in one go.

John Higgins-Shaun Murphy, Kyren Wilson-Mark Williams, and Barry Hawkins-Xiao Guodong all swap places.

Jack Lisowski - who didn't qualify for Wuhan - is back inside the world's top 16 in 16th - he replaces Si Jiahui who drops out to 17th.

Professional snooker's newest ranking event champion Chang enjoys a huge jump up the standings, rising 23 places to a career-high of 22nd.

Similar to Zhao, Chang only returned to the top-flight last season, so has no prize money to retain for the remainder of this campaign.

With the £175,000 he collected for his Wuhan Open glory, it's highly likely that he'll qualify for all three Players Series events later this term.

It is very close between several players for that final spot in the elite top 16, and with 15th-placed Ding Junhui set to lose a big amount in the autumn for his 2024 International Championship triumph, many will fancy their chances of UK Championship seeding, and a Masters invite.

Chang may now be the favourite to scoop all of that, with just £28,000 separating him and Lisowksi - a total that could be bridged at the upcoming British Open.

Elsewhere in the top 32, Zhou Yuelong moves up three to 18th, whilst Elliot Slessor goes down three to 23rd. David Gilbert drops out, descending two places to 33rd.

Further down the rankings, Jimmy Robertson has slipped 12 positions to 46th; the former European Masters champion had £50,000 taken from his tally - the prize he pocketed for making the quarter-finals in Saudi two years ago.

For the full, unofficial, update world snooker rankings - with positional changes - visit snooker.org, here.