Masters success beyond my wildest dreams, reveals Yan
YAN Bingtao believes his stunning Masters title completed a true snooker fairytale after swapping Shandong for Sheffield and toppling John Higgins in a Sunday night epic.
The Chinese Tiger (20) beat the four-time world champion 10-8 in Milton Keynes to become the youngest winner of the prestigious, top-16 only tournament since a teenage Ronnie O’sullivan.
It’s been 26 years since the Rocket first ascended the coveted Masters throne and Yan, the World No.11, looks to be rapidly following in his footsteps after a performance for the ages at the Marshall Arena.
Yan, 25 years Higgins’ junior, toppled Neil Robertson, Stephen Maguire and defending champion Stuart Bingham on his way to the final and hailed a dream come true after sparkling on the Buckinghamshire baize.
The Yorkshire-based cueist, who banked a life-changing £250,000 in beating the Scot, said: “I’m very, very excited at the moment.
“I have imagined how I would celebrate it at this moment, but at the moment I’m very calm. Even though in the last few frames I was not playing well, I didn’t give up.
“My first memory about snooker is when I was seven or eight years old, I watched it on TV. I remember it was the World Championship. I literally stayed up all night to watch the match.
“I never thought I could be a snooker player. I played Chinese pool first, and I never thought I would be a professional snooker player. At that time, when I was young, I also went to school and I only took this as a hobby and what I could do at a weekend or on a night after class. I never thought I would be a professional before.
“I was totally lost and confused when I first came here (to the UK). I didn’t feel like I was involved in this game, and I didn’t even know where the toilets were in every venue!
“Now I’m feeling like I’m getting more used to it and more involved like a professional snooker player.”