In the new regulations announced last August, the selection of the highest-ranked player from a single season in the European series has been changed to selecting the highest-ranked player only from the four domestic series events this season. The winner will receive an additional £150,000 bonus sponsored by BetVictor (however, this bonus does not count towards the ranking). The four domestic series events are the English Open, Northern Ireland Open, Scottish Open, and Welsh Open.
With three stations already completed, three different champions have emerged, making this year's competition particularly fierce. With only one Welsh Open remaining, it will only be determined after the Welsh Open ends on February 10-16, 2025, who will ultimately win the additional £150,000 bonus. In the final of the English Open, Neil Robertson defeated Chinese player Wu Yize, who reached the final for the first time, to win the championship, plus the results of the other two events, he is currently ranked first in the domestic series standings.
In the final of the Northern Ireland Open, world number two Kyren Wilson defeated world number one Judd Trump to win the championship, plus the results of the other two events, he is currently ranked second in the domestic series standings.
In the Scottish Open, Lei Peifan successfully advanced to the final by defeating many top players and won his first ranking event championship by defeating fellow Chinese player Wu Yize in the final, plus the results of the other two events, he is currently ranked third in the domestic series standings.
Chinese player Wu Yize played outstandingly this season, reaching the finals in both the English Open and the Scottish Open, finishing as runner-up. He is currently ranked fourth in the domestic series standings.
Since the first three stations produced three different champions, theoretically, the top ten players in the domestic series standings currently have a chance to win the additional £150,000 bonus. The current top ten rankings are:
- Neil Robertson: £118,600
- Kyren Wilson: £114,400
- Lei Peifan: £110,000
- Wu Yize: £90,000
- Judd Trump: £58,200
- Mark Allen: £39,600
- Chris Wakelin: £39,600
- Barry Hawkins: £31,200
- Ishpreet Singh Chawda: £30,000
- Pang Junxu: £30,000
As the Welsh qualifiers will be held from February 4-6, 2025, followed by the main event from February 10-16, all ten players above have the opportunity to participate in the competition and achieve good results. However, relatively speaking, the top five have a greater chance. It is worth noting that since this mechanism was introduced in the 2019-2020 season, no Chinese player has won this additional bonus. This year, Lei Peifan, who won his first ranking event championship, and Wu Yize, who reached the final twice, will have the opportunity to make a push. Do you think the two young Chinese players have a chance to win the additional £150,000 bonus? Welcome to leave your comments below for discussion!