Tom Jarvis is aiming for a big step towards the top 50 in the world when he makes his debut in the main draw of the Singapore Smash on Thursday.
England’s number 1 has played at this level before. He was eliminated in the second round of qualifying at the Swedish Smash last August, but did one better the following month at the China Smash, where he defeated the higher-ranked Liao Cheng-Ting of Chinese Taipei.
This time Jarvis, currently number 59 in the world, goes straight to the main draw after receiving a wildcard.
Unsurprisingly, he finds himself in lofty company, with nine of the world’s top 10 participating and most of the world’s top 50.
Even losing in the first round would give Jarvis 20 points in the world rankings, but there are huge incentives to pick up a win or two – reaching the last 32 would increase the winnings to 100 points.
A whopping 380 points are available for those who win twice and reach the last 16, with a step change in each subsequent round, up to 2,000 for the champion.
Jarvis said: “It’s my first time competing in the main draw, so it’s a big opportunity to try and win a few matches and get a lot of ranking points to move up the list.
“I’m not far from the top 50 now – that’s the next target and a few wins could get me there.”
Anna Hursey from Wales is also participating in Singapore and the youngster from team GB, currently number 43, is also straight through to the main tournament.
Both will have to wait to discover their opponents as qualifying rounds have to be played first – the main draw starts on Sunday 22 (February).
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