Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Stuart Bingham and John Higgins are among the leading snooker stars who have entered next month’s Ladbrokes World Grand Prix in Llandudno.
The tournament at Venue Cymru runs from March 8 to 13 and it will be a world ranking event for the first time this year.
O’Sullivan had to win last week’s Welsh Open in order to climb into the top 32 on the World Grand Prix ranking list and qualify for the event, and he did just that, beating Robertson 9-5 in the final in Cardiff on Sunday.
The Rocket then had to rearrange an exhibition in Casablanca in order to clear his diary, and he confirmed today that he will be in Llandudno. It will be his last televised tournament before the World Championship in April.
O’Sullivan reached the final last year, though he was denied the £100,000 top prize by potting sensation Trump, who came from 7-4 down to win the final 10-7.
The World Grand Prix ranking list runs from the start of the season until the final qualifying event in Poland, the Gdynia Open, which finishes this Sunday. The top 32 on the list are then eligible for the ITV4-televised tournament at Venue Cymru.
Stephen Maguire currently lies in 32nd place on the list and will be hoping to win matches in Gdynia to fend off the chasing pack.
World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “I’m delighted to see such a strong field for the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix, it will be a fantastic tournament.
“Ronnie is the man in form having won the Masters and Welsh Open in recent weeks. The fact that he has earned a place in Llandudno with victory in Cardiff shows that success is rewarded. The opportunities are there for everyone to win big prizes and jump up the ranking lists.
“It will be fascinating to follow the action in Gdynia from Friday and see if anyone currently outside the top 32 can grab a spot.
“Anyone who hasn’t booked their tickets yet for Llandudno needs to do so fast, as with such a strong line-up many sessions will be selling out soon.”
The final line up for the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix as well as the draw and format will be announced on Monday.
Tickets are available and start at just £10, for details call 01492 872 000 or visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
Current top 32 on World Grand Prix ranking list, ahead of the Gdynia Open.
1 John Higgins
2 Neil Robertson
3 Kyren Wilson
4 Martin Gould
5 Liang Wenbo
6 Mark Allen
7 Mark Selby
8 David Gilbert
9 Judd Trump
10 Marco Fu
11 Ronnie O’Sullivan
12 Luca Brecel
13 Joe Perry
14 Shaun Murphy
15 Matthew Selt
16 Ryan Day
17 Ben Woollaston
18 Ali Carter
19 Ding Junhui
20 Michael White
21 Michael Holt
22 Mark Williams
23 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
24 Stuart Bingham
25 Barry Hawkins
26 David Grace
27 Graeme Dott
28 Jamie Jones
29 Tom Ford
30 Tian Pengfei
31 Peter Ebdon
32 Stephen Maguire
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