The 2025/26 snooker season hasn’t even gotten beneath manner but, however the first rankings lists have already been devised.
Amongst these is the provisional end-of-season snooker rankings, a significantly helpful information that’s at all times obtainable over on the glorious snooker.org web site.
In latest days, that web site has revealed its new end-of-season submit that can assist us observe the tour survival tales to come back throughout the upcoming marketing campaign.
Final season, plenty of high-profile gamers have been relegated from the World Snooker Tour after failing to make the highest 64 lower.
Each Joe Perry and Anthony Hamilton, former rating occasion winners and members of the highest 16, dropped off and introduced their respective retirements after greater than three a long time {of professional} service.
Reigning world seniors champion Alfie Burden and seasoned fundamental tour participant Tian Pengfei have been among the many different notable names to endure demotion.
As issues stand, there are 16 rating occasions on the calendar for the 2025/26 snooker season, giving loads of alternatives to gamers to earn beneficial factors.
But there are a number of established opponents who may get drawn into the battle for tour survival come the top of the marketing campaign and the World Championship subsequent April.
Let’s check out a few of those that are in a spot of trouble forward of the brand new season.
Matthew Stevens
It has been a number of years since Matthew Stevens, as soon as a mainstay of the highest 16, featured on the enterprise finish of a event.
The Welshman boasts an honest buffer of round £15,000 to the highest 64 cut-off level for tour survival, however he’ll be after a fast begin to the brand new season in an effort to keep away from any drama in a while.
Within the batch of qualifiers on the finish of June that can launch the 2025/26 season, Stevens faces Canadian rookie Sahil Nayyar and Huang Jiahao within the Wuhan Open and British Open respectively.
Provisional end-of-season rating: 53 (£63,550)
Lyu Haotian
Lyu Haotian was ranked as excessive as quantity 24 on the earth just a few years in the past, however the former Indian Open runner-up has struggled in latest seasons.
Nonetheless solely 27 however on the tour for the perfect a part of 12 years, Lyu has an official two-year rating of 38 at present however is ready to slide down quickly when his factors for reaching the 2023 Wuhan Open semi-finals are substracted.
Lyu meets Bai Yulu and Robbie McGuigan within the upcoming qualifiers and a fast begin could be welcome.
Provisional end-of-season rating: 56 (£61,500)
Mark Davis
In some methods, each further season that Mark Davis performs today is a bonus.
The Englishman was set to endure relegation in 2023 when he was dramatically overwhelmed by Joe Perry in that yr’s World Championship qualifiers.
However Davis was given a reprieve after spots opened up by means of the Chinese language match-fixing suspensions at the moment, and he has made essentially the most of it since then.
After Perry and Hamilton’s demise, plus the departure of Dominic Dale, Davis is without doubt one of the longest-serving professionals left on the circuit.
Certainly, solely Jimmy White and Ken Doherty have been skilled gamers for longer.
Provisional end-of-season rating: 58 (£57,650)
Graeme Dott
The scenario surrounding Graeme Dott stays unclear as he continues to contest very severe allegations made towards him.
The previous world champion was suspended earlier this yr after it was revealed that he was in courtroom on fees pertaining to the sexual abuse of minors.
Relying on the result of that ongoing case, Dott could or will not be banned from the primary tour completely.
But when he’s to return, the Scot’s rating scenario can also be perilous with a buffer of simply £3,450 to the highest 64 cut-off level following a dismal spell of kind.
Provisional end-of-season rating: 60 (£51,800)
Anthony McGill
One other Scot who’s in bother within the provisional end-of-season snooker rankings listing and in peril of getting embroiled in a tour survival battle is Anthony McGill.
Lots of people had tipped McGill as a qualifier for the season-ending World Championship, however he misplaced in his opening conflict on the preliminaries.
McGill has accrued inventory primarily based on his standing as a former rating occasion winner and a Crucible semi-finalist.
However the truth of the matter is that he has been scuffling with inconsistency for years, and his perilous place within the snooker rankings isn’t actually that a lot of a shock.
Provisional end-of-season rating: 61 (£51,540)
Jordan Brown
When Jordan Brown famously beat Ronnie O’Sullivan to win the 2022 Welsh Open, he was ranked at quantity 81 on the earth.
Simply over a yr later, the Northern Irishman had leapfrogged his manner as much as a career-high of quantity 22.
However Brown has been on a gentle downward curve since then, and along with his factors from a run to the 2023 Worldwide Championship semi-finals to come back off his rolling two-year tally this time period, he appears to be like to be in bother.
In reality, Brown is teetering proper on the top-64 cut-off level and there can be immense strain on his shoulders from the off.
Provisional finish of season rating: 64 (£48,650)
Robert Milkins
Maybe the most important shock amongst all of those gamers is Robert Milkins, who has collapsed down the pecking order of late.
Milkins was ranked as excessive as twelfth on the earth rankings as not too long ago as 24 months in the past – helped by his victories in each the 2022 Gibraltar Open and 2023 Welsh Open.
Since then, although, constructive outcomes have been arduous to come back by and Milkins has plummetted to only inside the highest 50 on the official two-year listing.
If the Milkman is to increase his lengthy tenure on the primary tour, he’ll have to begin delivering on the baize once more and rapidly.
Provisional end-of-season rating: 70 (£37,700)
Featured picture credit score: WST
