China take five spots in Championship League Snooker last eight cgtn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cgtn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
THE world of snooker is hailing a new Chinese superstar after Yan Bingtao’s victory in the Masters last weekend.
The 20-year-old defeated John Higgins 10-8 in the final in Milton Keynes to become the tournament’s youngest winner since Ronnie O’Sullivan, who overcame Higgins in the 1995 final when both were just 19 years old.
Though China has long been tipped to produce a snooker world champion, it is yet to do so but many are now backing Yan for such success.
The trail for Chinese players has been blazed by Ding Junhui. The 33-year-old has won 14 ranking events and in 2016 became the first Chinese player to reach a World Championship final, losing 18-14 to Mark Selby.
China’s snooker dominance starting to take shape after Yan Bingtao’s Masters win
PA
18 January 2021, 4:36 pm
Yan Bingtao’s stunning victory over John Higgins to claim the Masters title in Milton Keynes on Sunday night could prove to be a seminal moment in snooker’s long-predicted power-shift towards the east.
No fewer than 19 Chinese players currently inhabit the world’s top 100, and here, the PA news agency picks out the five most likely candidates to follow in Yan’s wake.
Zhou Yuelong
Zhou Yuelong
No less than John Higgins hailed the 22-year-old Zhou after being knocked out of last year’s UK Championship. “He’s got a great temperament and all-round game, and he’ll be here for years to come,” said Higgins. Currently ranked 21, Zhou has already reached two ranking finals.