Trump reclaims world No. 1 spot, but O'Sullivan in mix to return to summit in Saudi Arabia

Judd Trump ended a three-year wait to return to the top of the world rankings by reaching the Xi’an Grand Prix final, but it could be a short stay at the summit for the 2019 Crucible winner.

The inaugural Saudi Arabia Masters begins in Riyadh on Friday, running August 30 to September 7. The new event boasts the same financial incentives as the World Championship in Sheffield, and is set to have a similar effect on the standings in the sport.

Trump is on the same amount of points as Mark Allen ahead of the trip to the Middle East, but the 28-time ranking event winner takes over at the top because he earned more than the Northern Irish professional at the Xi’an Open.

A 10-8 defeat to world champion Kyren Wilson in the final on Sunday saw Trump collect a runners-up cheque worth £76,000, while Allen was forced to settle for £14,000 in his 5-3 loss to Barry Hawkins in the last 16.

The first winner of the Saudi Arabia Masters, the third ranking event of the new season – live on Eurosport and discovery+ – will take home the same amount of prize money as Wilson’s £500,000 first prize in Sheffield.

The new tournament also matches the World Championship for the rest of the field with runner-up (£200,000), semi-finalists (£100,000), quarter-finalists (£50,000), last 16 (£30,000) and last 32 (£20,000) earning record sums for a ranking event outside of the Crucible.

Watch as O’Sullivan clinches glory in final of Riyadh Season World Masters

It will follow the same structure as the World Championship with the top 16 seeds entering the competition in round five, which commences on September 3, and face the eventual winners of the remaining 128 players.

World No. 3 Wilson picked up £177,000 for his victory in Xi’an to move within 25,500 points of Trump and Allen at the top. Ronnie O’Sullivan lost 6-4 to Wilson in the semi-finals, but moves above Mark Selby into fourth spot in the standings courtesy of a £34,500 cheque.

O’Sullivan is 284,500 points off top spot, but a title victory in Saudi would see him return to the summit of the rankings after relinquishing the coveted world No. 1 ranking in May following a two-year stay on top between 2022-2024.

Mark Selby and Luca Brecel also have the chance to take over at the top by claming the £500,000 first prize, but world No. 7 Shaun Murphy would need to carry off the title and hope Trump, Allen and Wilson suffer early exits to boost his prospects.