On December 16, Beijing time, the second round of the 2021 Snooker Grand Prix, Yan Bingtao swept Gould 4-0, Neil Robertson eliminated Anthony Hamilton 4-1, and in the next 8-in-4 knockouts, Yan Bingtao will encounter Neil Robertson, who ranks 4th in the world and is the first post-80s player to win a Grand Slam! For Yan Bingtao, the test is coming!
In this competition, Yan Bingtao's state has rebounded significantly, and in the first round, he eliminated Mark King 4-1. In this round of competition, Yan Bingtao's opponent is Gould, who eliminated Zhao Xintong 4-2. In the end, Yan Bingtao did not give his opponent any chance, and directly swept 4-0 to advance! There are 6 historical encounters, Yan Bingtao won 5 and lost 1, crushing the opponent.
Yan Bingtao's opponents were to be formed between Anthony Hamilton and Neil Robertson, and in the end, Neil Robertson was superior. In the first set, Neil Robertson won 74-7. In the second set, Neil Robertson scored 108 points to give a 2-0 lead. In the third set, 61-0, Neil Robertson won again and there was no suspense left. While Hamilton pulled back a city with 83 points, Neil Robertson took home the victory with a single 74 points. With a score of 4-1, Neil Robertson advanced to the quarter-finals.
Next 8 into 4, Yan Bingtao will fight the world no. 4 Neil Robertson, currently, Yan Bingtao ranks 15th in the world!
Neil Robertson, 39, is the first post-80s player to achieve a Grand Slam, and in 2010, he won the World Championship. Neil Robertson's most recent title was at the Snooker England Open in November, where he saved two match points and defeated Higgins 9-8 to win his 21st ranking title.
Therefore, for Yan Bingtao, this is definitely a huge test. However, Yan Bingtao needs to break through himself, and this season, Yan Bingtao has scored once in the top 4 and once in the top 8, respectively, and his performance is not satisfactory. Now, he just needs to test his strength with a strong opponent.
Originally, I thought that Ding Junhui's state had slipped sharply, and Yan Bingtao had already sat firmly on a brother of China's snooker, but unexpectedly, Zhao Xintong won the championship of one of the three major competitions in the British Championship. Now, Zhao Xintong ranks 9th in the world, ahead of Yan Bingtao!