In the early morning of December 4, 2023, the final of the **Croatian-British Championship came to an end, and China's first-class Croatian player Ding Junhui once again had a fierce competition with England's famous "Rocket" O'Sullivan. After 17 rounds of fierce battles, Ding Junhui lost to his opponent with a score of 7-10 and once again fell to the runner-up. O'Sullivan cemented his lead at the top of the world rankings with a £250,000 championship bonus, 22 ahead of second-place Judda Trumpda£150,000. Ding Junhui, on the other hand, won a runner-up prize of £100,000 and re-entered the top 16 in the world rankings, ranking 12th, and thus re-qualified for the Masters.
This year's British Championship is one of the season's key ranking events and a key battle to determine the Masters spot. The Masters, the second major tournament of the season, only allows the top 16 players in the world to participate. Prior to the British Championships, Ding Junhui was only ranked 17th in the world, so he would need to pass the qualifying rounds to qualify for the main event. Although Ding Junhui failed to win the fourth championship of the British Championships, he once again showed his strong strength and reached the final of the British Championships for two consecutive years, which can be described as a succession. Unfortunately, he ended up in second place again with the same score of 7-10.
O'Sullivan won 250,000 pounds with eight British Championships and 40th ranking crown, with a total prize fund of 113At £750,000, it continued to sit firmly at the top of the list, further extending the advantage of being number one in the world. Judd Trump finished with 91With £60,000 in prize money, Belgium's new world champion Brecel finished with 81The prize money of 150,000 continues to rank third. The top five players in the world rankings are Allen, Selby, Robertson, Murphy and Williams, with a prize fund of 7910,000 pounds, 6340,000 pounds, 48£350,000, £48150,000 pounds and 44£750,000.
Ding Junhui rose five places to 37The £50,000 prize money re-entered the top 16 and placed 12th. The other top 16 players are Anda Zhang, Milkins, Hawkins and Lisowski, who each have a prize fund of 3290,000 pounds, 31£550,000, £3150,000 pounds and 30.£70,000. The 2024 Masters will welcome the top 16 players from the world rankings, and their seeding in the tournament will depend on their world ranking. Ding Junhui's return to the top 16 marks his second entry to the Masters after a two-year hiatus, which is no easy feat.
We look forward to Ding Junhui seizing this precious opportunity and continuing to perform well in the Grand Slam tournaments.