Judd Trump looks set to lose his world number one spot this month after a shock first round defeat to Noppon Saengkham at the China Open.
The Thai star downed the former world champion 6-3 in Taiyuan on Sunday, with Trump failing to replicate the form which saw him win the Shanghai Masters earlier this month.
Saengkham managed breaks of 120, 78, 64 and 51 along the way and will take on either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Jackson Page in the last 16.
Defeat for Trump is a huge blow to his chances of holding on to the world number one spot and a change at the top of the rankings now looks likely in the coming weeks.
Snooker’s world rankings are based on prize money over a two-year period and Trump has £500,000 coming off his total after the Wuhan Open later this month having won that amount at the 2024 Saudi Arabia Masters.
That event is no longer on the calendar so he cannot defend that money. The China Open has returned to the tour this season for the first time since 2019, so that was his chance to make back some ranking points, but falling at the first hurdle means he gets none.
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Trump still has the upcoming Wuhan Open to try and rescue the situation, but his grip on the world number one spot is now very flimsy.
Hoping to usurp him at the top of the rankings are three players within reach in the chasing pack and still in the field at the China Open, which boasts a top prize of £250,000.
Neil Robertson is world number two, thanks largely to his own win at the Saudi Arabia Masters last year.
Then come 2025 world champion Zhao Xintong at number three and current world champ Wu Yize at four.
All three now have realistic chances of overtaking Trump this month, if they can go deep in Taiyuan and Wuhan.
Zhao is in the advantageous position of not having any ranking points to defend this season as he was not on the professional tour two seasons ago due to a ban.
Both Robertson and Wu will have some points coming off their totals this month, while everything the Cyclone wins will be pure profit on his total.
There have only been 12 world number ones in snooker history, with Robertson one of the players having held top spot before.
If Zhao or Wu can climb to the top of the rankings, that number would rise to 13.
Robertson gets his China Open campaign underway on Monday against impressive rising Chinese star Chang Bingyu.
Zhao Xintong takes on his compatriot Zhang Anda in his opening round on Tuesday, while Wu Yize has already booked a spot in the last 16 thanks to a 6-5 win over Yao Pengcheng.
The world champion faces Dave Gilbert in the second round after the Angry Farmer hammered Ding Junhui 6-1 in his first match in Taiyuan.
World number six Shaun Murphy may even fancy his chances of reaching top spot after battering Matt Selt 6-0 in the first round of the China Open.