SINCE snooker began its rankings system in 1975, only 12 players have held the number one spot. This is fewer than the number of players who have won the World Championship in the same period, a tally that now stands at 25 after first-time winners in each of the last four years.One of those winners, in 2025, was Zhao Xintong, who will become the 13th world number one at the conclusion of the Wuhan Open on Saturday, thanks to his quarter-final win against Neil Robertson.