Xiao Guodong Defends Wuhan Open Title in Nail-Biting Final, Soars to Career-High World No. 8
China's snooker star Xiao Guodong clinched his second ranking title in a thrilling 10-9 victory over Gary Wilson at the Wuhan Open, defending his crown and breaking into the world’s top eight for the first time in his career. The event reshuffled key spots in the world rankings and set the stage for upcoming qualifying events.
In a dramatic and closely contested final at the Optics Valley Gymnasium, China’s Xiao Guodong captured his second career ranking title by successfully defending the Wuhan Open crown on Saturday. The 36-year-old battled fiercely against Gary Wilson in a final that swung back and forth before Xiao eventually sealed a breathtaking 10-9 victory.
The win not only earned him the champion’s prize of £140,000 but also propelled him six places up the rankings to a career-high World No. 8. This repeat triumph guarantees Xiao a spot in the upcoming Champion of Champions invitational event — one of snooker’s most exclusive tournaments.
The latest update to the two-year ranking list saw little movement at the very top. Judd Trump retains his World No. 1 position despite a difficult start to the season and a last-16 exit in Wuhan. He continues to lead Kyren Wilson by more than £600,000. Neil Robertson, Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Mark Williams complete the top five, while John Higgins and China’s Ding Junhui remain in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
Further down, Gary Wilson’s strong run to the final — during which he defeated Trump — earned him £63,000 and a return to the world’s top 16, breaking in at 16th. That came at the expense of Shaun Murphy, who dropped to 17th and saw his remarkable 19-year uninterrupted run inside the top 16 come to an end.
There were also concerns for Zhang Anda, who currently sits 13th but is at risk of dropping down when his 2023 International Championship points are removed soon. On the one-year list, which is used to qualify for the World Grand Prix, Players Championship, and Tour Championship, Xiao Guodong jumped all the way to third after having earned no ranking points prior to the Wuhan Open. Robertson and O’Sullivan continue to lead that ranking.
Other notable performers included young Stan Moody, who reached his first ranking quarter-final and rose to a new career-high of 57th. Mark Allen also played himself into the one-year top 32 after a semi-final run in Wuhan.
The tour now moves to the qualifying events for the Xi’an Grand Prix and Northern Ireland Open, to be held this week at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. The next full ranking event is the English Open, scheduled for September 11–21 at the Brentwood Leisure Centre, where Neil Robertson will return as defending champion.