BINGTAO’S SET TO RULE THE WORLD
O’sullivan hails the new Chinese Master
SNOOKER legend Ronnie O’sullivan has tipped new Masters champion Yan Bingtao to become a multiple world champion. The Chinese snooker revolution has been on the cards since Ding Junhui burst on to the scene and beat Stephen Hendry in the 2005 World Open as a wildcard.
And Ding proved that was no fluke when he beat Steve Davis in the UK Championship later that same year.
Trailblazer Ding inspired a generation of young snooker players in his native China.
But there has still to be a Chinese world champion with Ding, the 2016 finalist, struggling with the weight of a nation on his shoulders.
World champion
O’sullivan, though, believes Bingtao can go one step further than his countryman.
“I definitely think Yan Bingtao will win the World Championship and I think he’ll win a few,” said ‘The Rocket’.
“I think he’s got more chance of achieving some of the things Ding Junhui hasn’t because he’s got a lot more time on his side.
“It’s a good time to be coming into snooker for him really. He’s the best of all the young Chinese players there are at the moment.
“He’s the most mature – we’ve seen him do it under intense pressure and you need to be able to perform under pressure to win at the Crucible.”
A conveyor belt of talent has flooded the tour
from China in
PREDICTION: O’sullivan recent years, with speculation over who would succeed Ding as China’s No.1.
Bingtao stunned the establishment when he beat all-time great John Higgins to win the Masters and became the youngest winner of snooker’s most illustrious invitational event since O’sullivan in 1995.
The challenge for Bingtao will be to handle the pressure from his homeland. Huge endorsement deals will follow his maiden major win and he will be heralded as a hero.
Ding, who has superstar status in China and is mobbed at airports, moved to Sheffield for a quieter life away from that furore.
But six-time Crucible finalist Jimmywhite believes
Bingtao’s win could lead to another boom in the country.
He said: “I think you’ll see a few Chinese boys coming through quickly now. They should look at the way Bingtao applies himself – he practises the safety part.”