Snooker latest world rankings: Selby wins title and rises to fifth, China has five in the top 16, Ding Junhui 15th.

On August 17, Beijing time, the Snooker China Open ended. The post-80s tiger Mark Selby stormed through the tournament, using flawless play to defeat Thai dark horse Noppon Saengkham 10-6 in the final and win the title. Thus, the latest world rankings were refreshed. Trump remains No. 1, Robertson is close behind at No. 2, Chinese players Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize sit at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively, and Xiao Guodong has moved into the top ten. Ding Junhui and Si Jiahui stay unchanged at 15th and 16th, meaning China still has five players in the top 16.

In last night's final, Selby once again displayed his peak form: sharp offense, impenetrable defense, precise control of the game's tempo, and frequent brilliant snookers. Despite struggling in the first half, he managed to keep the score at 4-4. After finding his rhythm in the second half, he went on a winning streak, pulling away with a flurry of high-quality play to take control. He then played steadily, winning 10-6 to claim the £250,000 prize. His world ranking rose four spots from ninth to fifth.

Saengkham, as the biggest dark horse of the tournament, created a miracle on the snooker table. Although he knocked out three Grand Slam champions—Trump, O'Sullivan, and Murphy—in a row, he showed a lack of experience in the final. The first half could have been 6-2 in his favor, but Selby fought back to 4-4. In the second half, Saengkham collapsed, falling behind by a large margin and into a hopeless situation. The turning point came in the third-to-last frame when Selby made a stunning comeback after Saengkham scored 68 points. This reversal was truly demoralizing and completely shattered Saengkham's fighting spirit. He eventually lost 6-10 to Selby, finishing as runner-up in a ranking event for the second time without a title. However, Saengkham earned £100,000 in prize money, skyrocketing from 45th to 27th in the rankings—a leap of 18 places, which is a significant improvement.

The Chinese team's overall performance in this home tournament was disappointing. Ding Junhui exited in the first round, and the highly anticipated Wu Yize and Zhao Xintong also left early, failing to challenge for the world No. 1 spot. Currently, we still have five players in the top 16, with three in the top 10. However, Ding Junhui and Si Jiahui need to work hard; being the gatekeepers of the top 16 is very dangerous. If they cannot achieve good results in the future, dropping out of the top 16 is only a matter of time.

Text/Sports Novel