Will Zhou Yuelong qualify for the Players

First round matches of the Welsh Open completed.

The top 11 on the 1-year list are guaranteed places in the Players next week.

The next five will add to their totals with each additional win in Llandudno except Zhou Yuelong whose Welsh Open campaign ended in Barnsley, knocked out by the upwardly travelling Wu Yize.

12 Shaun Murphy £80,000
13 Zhou Yuelong £79,500
14 Chris Wakelin £73,500
15 Mark Williams £71,500
16 Barry Hawkins £69,500

Below that Neil Robertson on £68,000 would overtake Zhou Yuelong with a run to the semi-finals whilst those further behind would need either the final (Ronnie O'Sullivan for example) or to win the event (which covers everybody).

There are few scenarios which would result in Shaun Murphy failing to qualify for Wolverhampton. All of them require Chris Wakelin to lose at the quarter-final stage in Llandudno.

But what of Zhou Yuelong a mere £500 behind?

I voted yes.

Where is the ‘don’t care’ option?

No. He always has bad luck with these things.

It's all over. Zhou Yuelong has qualified for the Players following defeats for Neil Robertson, Mark Williams and Chris Wakelin at the Welsh Open last 64 stage.

gninnur karona wrote:It's all over. Zhou Yuelong has qualified for the Players following defeats for Neil Robertson, Mark Williams and Chris Wakelin at the Welsh Open last 64 stage.

Now you tell me after I just voted "No"

must learn to read all posts before voting

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:No. He always has bad luck with these things.

I wondered how much that history of bad luck would play a part in the answers.

Zhou Yuelong is the only player to have finished 33rd twice on the list for the WGP, and he's already ended 17th once on the list for the Players. Last season only WST intransigence prevented him from participating in the English and Scottish Opens where he would surely have gained the single win he required to have qualified for the WGP.

Overdue a change of luck. Happy that results have gone his way this week.

No easy draws in the Players but Zhou Yuelong can be content that he cannot now fall further than 15th on the merit list before this event, so is guaranteed to avoid form player of the season Mark Allen in the opening two rounds.

Iranu wrote:What was the WST intransigence?

I think they were an experimental jazz trio, in the 80s

Zhou Yuelong couldn't enter the qualifiers for the 2020 World Championship for obvious reasons. The loss of ranking points cost him a Top 16 spot for the 2021 tournament which he failed to qualify for. Last year he was in the same section as Stephen Maguire who as out of form as he was/is was still the hardest opponent he could have got and who went on to reach the quarter finals.

Iranu wrote:What was the WST intransigence?

Last season Zhou Yuelong missed both the English Open and Scottish Open because of Covid. He was seeded 17 for both events and thus designated to play in his opening match of each event at Barnsley Metrodome in September - the English Open matches took place 17th-22nd September 2021, the Scottish Open matches 24th-29th September 2021. Zhou Yuelong was scheduled to play on 17th and 24th September - he was replaced by Ross Muir and John Astley.

The English Open concluded 1st-7th November 2021 in Milton Keynes. Mark Williams number eight seed was forced to pull out of his 1st round match on 1st November 2021 due to a positive Covid test - he was replaced by Mark Lloyd.

The Scottish Open concluded 6th-12th December 2021 in Llandudno, Wales. Mark Williams seeded 8 withdrew for personal reasons (replaced by James Cahill), Neil Robertson seeded 4 withdrew for medical reasons (replaced by Bai Langning).

WST could have postponed Zhou Yuelong's opening matches to the venue.

WST could have in turn replaced Mark Williams and/or Neil Robertson by Zhou Yuelong.

They chose to do neither.

By preventing Zhou Yuelong playing in those two events WST at minimum hampered Zhou Yuelong's prospects of qualifying for the World Grand Prix and the Masters. FWIW I think that on the balance of probability Zhou Yuelong would have at least qualified for the World Grand Prix.

Should WST have been more flexible?

It's of note that this season WST switched opening round Welsh Open matches for 17th and 18th seeded Hossein Vafaei and David Gilbert to Llandudno on 13th February 2023 in order to give both players the opportunity to concentrate on the Masters without the need to spend one day in Barnsley. IMO a pragmatic decision favouring sporting integrity - and that should be the number one priority.

Yes, but he'll lose in the first round.