Both players were assigned to the same group and will now face each other in the Championship League: Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump. After defeating Si Jiahui in the German Masters final on Sunday, Trump will be looking to continue his winning ways in Berlin.
Because of his achievements in Germany, Trump has been transferred to a different group and is no longer scheduled to participate in the Championship League in Leicester this week. Henceforth, he will compete in Group 7, facing off against O’Sullivan and Si on February 28 and 29.
What seems to be the strongest season of his professional career has already seen the Bristol native win four ranking titles. At the end of the campaign, he will be aiming to surpass O’Sullivan to the top of the global rankings, but over the next several months, it will not be easy to unseat the Rocket.
Following his victory in the German Masters, Trump commented, “It feels good to be back there competing for the top spot at the end of the season.” It should be an exciting battle if Ronnie and I continue on our current trajectory, and maybe we may face off in a few more finals before the season ends.”
Having lost to John Higgins in the Championship League final the previous year, it is unclear how Trump will perform in this league. He will be determined to win and leave a lasting impression by finishing ahead of O’Sullivan, who has also been winning a lot of titles lately and is trying to make history.
The victor of every group advances to the Winners’ Group in the Championship League. Each group’s bottom two are removed, and the remaining four players—along with three new players—move on to the next one. Two players have already secured their spots in the Winners’ Group: Chris Wakelin and Stuart Bingham. A third player is scheduled to join them on Tuesday.
To secure the third slot in the Winners’ Group, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Kyren Wilson, Gary Wilson, Tom Ford, and Xiao Guodong will compete in Group 3. The top two finishers will be removed, while the remaining four will be grouped with Barry Hawkins, Jimmy Robertson, and Ricky Walden in Group 4. The winner will advance.
A seat in the Champion of Champions event at the end of this year, together with £10,000 in prize money, will be awarded to the ultimate champion.
