Champion of Champions 2018 – Yushan Update
The race for places at this season’s ManBetX Champion of Champions is now hotting up following victory for Mark Williams at the World Open in Yushan yesterday.
Following his previous title winning exploits of the past year Williams was already assured of his place at the Ricoh Arena this November, with the beneficiary of his latest success being Shoot Out winner Michael Georgiou who is now guaranteed a place at the Champion of Champions for the first time in his career.
In fact, with nine of the 19 events so far counting towards qualificiation won by the same players and just eight more to be completed, it looks likely that all of the winners from this season’s counting events will automatically qualify for this season’s event.
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 –
13. 2018 Indian Open –
14. 2018 China Championship –
15. 2018 European Masters –
16. 2018 International Championship –
17. 2017 Northern Ireland Open – Mark Williams
18. 2017 Scottish Open – Neil Robertson (7)
19. 2018 Welsh Open – John Higgins
20. 2018 English Open –
21. 2018 Gibraltar Open – Ryan Day (8)
22. 2018 World Championship runner-up – John Higgins
23. 2018 Riga Masters – Neil Robertson
24. 2018 Paul Hunter Classic –
25. 2018 Shoot Out – Michael Georgiou (9)
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26. 2018 Romanian Masters – Ryan Day
27. 2018 Six Red World Championship –
Not yet qualified
With relatively few different winners of this year’s counting events compared to previous seasons, that means that there are a number of big names not yet certain of their places at this year’s competition including the likes of Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, Barry Hawkins, Kyren Wilson and former world champion Stuart Bingham.
The next place will be decided at the Paul Hunter Classic which will run from 22-26 August in Germany, with the winner guaranteed to qualify for the Champion of Champions.
Learn more about the ManBetX Champion of Champions at the tournament website.
