Race to the Masters 2020: Latest Updates
The 2019 Betway UK Championship starts today at the York Barbican with all of the world’s leading stars set to contest the first triple crown title of the season.
There is of course another sub-plot that we will be keeping a close eye on over the next two weeks as the final places at January’s Dafabet Masters are also decided.
For a full preview as to who looks safe and who could still miss out, check out last week’s blog, while you can read below for regular updates through the UK Championship as to how the situation is unfolding..
Race to the Masters
The top 16 players in the official world ranking list following the UK Championship will qualify to play at the 2020 Dafabet Masters.
Latest Race to the Masters (07/12/2019):
13th – Ding Junhui – £359,750 (F) – SAFE
14th – Stephen Maguire – £310,500 (SF) – SAFE
15th – Joe Perry – £294,000 (r32) – SAFE
16th – Ali Carter – £287,500 (r32) – SAFE
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17th – Gary Wilson – £264,100 (r16) – final minimum
18th – Yan Bingtao – £261,500 (SF) – final minimum
19th – Graeme Dott – £236,250 (r32) – final minimum
20th– Thepchaiya Un-Nooh – £228,225 (r64) – final minimum
33rd – Matthew Stevens – £155,750 (QF) – title required
35th – Liang Wenbo – £152,000 (QF) – title required
Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Masters. Ali Carter (ranked 17th) will take his place in the draw.
Semi-finals news
Saturday 8 Dec
Defeat for Yan Bingtao against Ding Junhui at the semi-final stage has ended his chances of a place at the Masters in January, confirming that Joe Perry is now assured of returning to snooker’s premier invitational event.
The subsequent withdrawal of Ronnie O’Sullivan from the competition also means that Ali Carter will return to the event having missed out on a place at the Alexandra Palace in 2019.
R16 News
Thursday 5 Dec
Following today’s results Ding Junhui is now assured of his place at the Masters after his victory against Ronnie O’Sullivan, combined with defeat for Gary Wilson meant that he can now finish no lower than 16th position.
Remaining scenarios are:
- Stephen Maguire – Will qualify UNLESS he loses in the next round and Matthew Stevens defeats Yan Bingtao in the final.
- Joe Perry – Will qualify unless Yan Bingtao reaches the final or Liang Wenbo/Matthew Stevens win the title.
R32 News
Tuesday 3 Dec
Stephen Maguire has today defeated Graeme Dott 6-2 to land a potentially significant blow in the Race to the Masters. This is because with Ali Carter losing out 6-4 Ding Junhui during the same session, this means that both Maguire and Carter are level on £287,500 on the latest provisional seedings list.
Should this be the final outcome, it would be Maguire who would clinch the 16th and final place at the Alexandra Palace, unless a player further down the ranking list is able to reach at least the final.
R64 News
Saturday 30 Nov
There was just one directly relevant match contested on day one of the last 64 as Thepchaiya Un-Nooh exited at the hands of Riga Masters champion Yan Bingtao.
The result leaves four players who can still break into the top 16 without needing to win the tile
R128 News
Thursday 28 Nov
China’s Yan Bingtao has kept his hopes alive of a place at the Masters following a 6-1 win against Igor Figueiredo this morning, while Thepchaiya Un-Nooh followed suit with a comeback win against Jamie O’Neill.
There was also a crucial win for Joe Perry who recovered from 5-3 down to defeat Simon Lichtenberg 6-5 and climb back to 14th position in the latest standings, having been temporarily overtaken by Ding Junhui and Ali Carter following their wins earlier in the week.
Wednesday 27 Nov
Wins so far for Ding Junhui, Stephen Maguire and Graeme Dott have maintained the status quo in the qualification race for the Masters, with just Joe Perry of the main protagonists still to complete his opening round match.
Tuesday 26 Nov
A comprehensive 6-0 victory for Ali Carter against Brandon Sargeant in York has kept him in the hunt for a place at the Masters next year, lifting him up above Ding Junhui to 15th position in the latest provisional list.
The result means that 17th placed Stephen Maguire now must win at least two matches this week to remain in contention.
