Ronnie O'Sullivan has suffered the biggest ranking drop of all top seeds at the World Snooker Championships following Kyren Wilson's triumph over Jak Jones on Monday evening.
The Crucible event marks the end of the season and results in a huge change in the rankings due to any prize money from the 2022 campaign being removed.
O'Sullivan won his seventh world title that year, meaning he needed to do the same in order to maintain his position at the summit of the rankings.
He was defending £500,000 in prize money heading into the world championship and sat fifth on the provisional end-of-season list.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has dropped down to fifth in the rankings
Reuters
But his exit at the quarter-final stage has meant he failed to climb any higher than fifth in the rankings after his surprise defeat to Stuart Bingham.
No player inside the top 20 dropped more than O'Sullivan as he fell down four places.
O'Sullivan had sat on top of the rankings for two years, but his run now comes to an end.
Wilson's £500,000 prize for winning his first world title has bumped him all the way up to third in the world rankings while runner-up Jak Jones was the biggest mover up 30 places to 14th.
Jones' climb up the rankings has seen Robert Milkins drop out of the top 16 while John Higgins' run to the quarter-finals was enough to ensure he extended his 29-year run among the elite group.
Mark Allen is the biggest benefactor of all as he heads into next season as the new world No 1.
The Northern Irishman has won five ranking titles in the last two years, including the 2024 Players Championship and last season's UK Championship.
The new season gets underway on June 10 with the Champions League starting.
The tour then heads to China where O'Sullivan will be looking to defend his Shanghai Masters crown.
Kyren Wilson has jumped up to third in the rankings
REUTERS
Wilson cut an emotional figure after his historic win over Jones on Monday and was delighted to avenge his defeat to O'Sullivan in the 2020 final.
"I have dreamed of this since I was six years old," Wilson said.
"To win it with all my family there was just how I imagined it. Jack fought and made it so hard for me, it was tough to hold it all together.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
- World Snooker Championship commentator leaves Crucible audience in hysterics after intruder stops play
- Lewis Hamilton spotted making gesture to Lando Norris after McLaren star's first F1 win at Miami Grand Prix
- Kyren Wilson breaks down in tears after beating Jak Jones to win maiden World Snooker Championship title
Jake Jones has moved up 30 places in the rankings
REUTERS
"In the last frame, I just kept potting balls and suddenly I had potted match ball and I was world champion. It means everything.
"I was gutted to lose the final to Ronnie in 2020 and if that had been my only final I would have been heart-broken.
"I remember being drained in the first session of that final. This time I felt great, and when I saw Jak I thought he might struggle, I knew that was the moment to kick on
."From 7-0 I knew I just had to avoid losing a session heavily, and to keep making it hard for him."
