With the fight for survival almost resolved, attention now turns to the race for top 48 places which of course are vital because it means one less qualifying match to contend with next season compared to those further down…
Having said that it is a fight though, following today’s third round results it is clear that the top 48 places are now largely settled, unless someone makes a deep run at the Crucible or out in China.
The one man who can still realistically change things however is Leicester’s Tom Ford who currently sits in 49th position provisionally. If he can defeat Mark Williams in the final qualifying round next week then he will move up into 47th position at the expense of Jimmy Michie who would then lose his top 48 status.
There are still another eight players below Tom who are still involved in either the World Championship or the China Open and can theoretically move up into the top 48, but realistically speaking I would not expect them to come into it.
You can view the very latest two-year rankings here.