Ronnie O’Sullivan will develop into the brand new world primary if he can win the Welsh Open title this week in Newport.
Mark Selby’s defeat to Liam Highfield within the final 64 of the competitors on the Celtic Manor Resort on Wednesday means the Jester’s place is underneath menace once more.
O’Sullivan, who will face fellow former Welsh Open champion Ding Junhui within the final 32, hasn’t held the world primary spot since 2019.
The Rocket beforehand had a possibility to regain the coveted rating in final month’s Gamers Championship, however a quarter-final defeat meant he got here up quick.
O’Sullivan is presently £35,000 behind Selby on the provisional two-year rankings, that means that if he have been to land the £70,000 prime prize in Wales it could be sufficient to see him usurp his outdated rival.
The 46 year-old has already received the World Grand Prix this season and was narrowly crushed within the remaining of final week’s European Masters in Milton Keynes.
Whereas there are nonetheless 5 extra wins required this week to land the Residence Nations crown, O’Sullivan is the favorite to progress from his half of the draw no less than.
Selby wasn’t the one high-profile casualty of that part on the third day, with John Higgins dropping to Ali Carter and Mark Allen being dumped by Joe Perry as effectively.
There are nonetheless loads of heavy hitters left within the hunt, although, with Neil Robertson and Judd Trump amongst these within the prime half of the draw.
On Thursday, the motion continues with the remaining matches from the final 32 earlier than the quarter-finalists will likely be decided in a while.
The Welsh Open can be the seventh leg out of eight on the European Sequence, from which the best earner will earn a bumper bonus value £150,000.
Final 32 Draw Mitchell Mann 0-4 Matthew Stevens Zhang Anda 4-2 Yuan Sijun Hossein Vafaei vs Jak Jones Ryan Day vs Shaun Murphy Neil Robertson 4-1 Graeme Dott Barry Hawkins vs Ben Woollaston Jimmy Robertson 4-2 Fergal O'Brien Si Jiahui 2-4 Judd Trump Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Ding Junhui Yan Bingtao vs Ricky Walden Joe Perry 4-3 Mark Allen Matthew Selt vs Kyren Wilson John Higgins 2-4 Ali Carter Kurt Maflin 1-4 Scott Donaldson Jack Lisowski vs Elliot Slessor Michael White vs Liam Highfield
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Featured picture credit score: WST
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