Champion of Champions 2018 – Lommel Update
Jimmy Robertson became the latest player to secure his place at the ManBetX Champion of Champions after he claimed his maiden ranking title last weekend at the European Masters in Lommel.
The world number 26 becomes only the 11th player to have qualified for this season’s event as a tournament winner, booking his place at the Ricoh Arena this November for the first time in his career after his 9-6 victory against Joe Perry.
Qualification for the event will be determined by the winners of professional tournaments dating back to Shaun Murphy’s victory in 2017, events having been ordered in a specific line of priority.
Players currently qualified are set out below, numbered by qualification priority, not seeding:
1. 2017 Champion of Champions – Shaun Murphy (1)
2. 2017 UK Championship – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
3. 2018 Masters – Mark Allen (3)
4. 2018 World Championship – Mark Williams (4)
5. 2017 Shanghai Masters – Ronnie O’Sullivan
6. 2018 German Masters – Mark Williams
7. 2018 World Grand Prix – Ronnie O’Sullivan
8. 2018 Players Championship – Ronnie O’Sullivan
9. 2018 Championship League – John Higgins (5)
10. 2018 China Open – Mark Selby (6)
11. 2018 World Open – Mark Williams
12. 2018 Shanghai Masters – Ronnie O’Sullivan
13. 2018 China Championship – Mark Selby
14. 2018 European Masters – Jimmy Robertson (7)
15. 2018 International Championship –
16. 2017 Northern Ireland Open – Mark Williams
17. 2017 Scottish Open – Neil Robertson (8)
18. 2018 Welsh Open – John Higgins
19. 2018 English Open –
20. 2018 Gibraltar Open – Ryan Day (9)
21. 2018 World Championship runner-up – John Higgins
22. 2018 Riga Masters – Neil Robertson
23. 2018 Paul Hunter Classic – Kyren Wilson (10)
24. 2018 Shoot Out – Michael Georgiou (11)
25. 2018 Romanian Masters – Ryan Day
26. 2018 Six Red World Championship – Kyren Wilson
Ranking top-ups
With just two qualifying events remaining prior to this year’s event and five places still to fill, already we know that at least the top three players on the official world ranking list after the English Open, not already qualified for the Champion of Champions, will be invited to complete the line-up.
Taking into account the ranking points that will be removed from the 2016 English Open at that cut-off, the current players in close contention to claim these places are:
- Judd Trump – £587,000 (cannot be caught)
- Barry Hawkins – £555,225
- Ding Junhui – £511,025
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- Luca Brecel – £323,500
- Marco Fu – £299,500
- Stephen Maguire – £283,025
- Stuart Bingham – £280,000
- Joe Perry – £256,400
- Anthony McGill – £247,525
- Mark King – £244,000
Should either of the two remaining qualifying events be won by players already qualified, up to five players from the ranking list will be selected to play at the Champion of Champions.
The penultimate qualifying event will be the BetVictor English Open which will run on 15-21 October 2018.
Learn more about the ManBetX Champion of Champions at the tournament website.
