The 2021-2022 snooker Masters are about to kick off, and defending champion Yan Bingtao and British Champion Zhao Xintong are undoubtedly the two most eye-catching players among the 16 participants. One was 21 years old and the other was 24 years old, and the two of them were the youngest contestants.
Interestingly, the two are again divided into the top half, and if it goes well, the two will meet in the top 8. There is no doubt that the simultaneous promotion of two young Chinese players to stage a derby is the voice of many fans. As we all know, Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong are the most outstanding Chinese players after Ding Junhui, and they are also the players who have high hopes and are expected to succeed Ding Junhui in the future.
The two have a strong showdown in three major competitions, which is bound to be very exciting. Due to the continued downturn in Ding Junhui's competitive state, China's snooker urgently needs one person to carry this big flag, whether it is Yan Bingtao or Zhao Xintong, and the fans are eager to see through it.
Yan Bingtao PK Mark Williams
January this year was Yan Bingtao's highlight moment. At the 2021 Masters, Yan Bingtao, who is ranked 16th in the world, just qualified for the competition, and played Against Neil Robertson in the first round.
3-5 behind, Yan Bingtao actually won 3 consecutive sets to defeat Robertson, and then against Stephen Maguire, the two also fought hard to the decider, and finally Yan Bingtao single shot 141 points to break through to the semi-finals to meet Bingham. Yan Bingtao once again advanced to the final with 65 points in the 11th set. In the final, facing John Higgins, Yan Bingtao led the way and finally won the Masters championship with a 10-8 victory.
Yan Bingtao became famous in one battle, and was the second Chinese player to win the three major championships after Ding Junhui. In the 2022 Masters, Yan Bingtao played again as the defending champion, the first round of opponents 46-year-old Mark Williams, before the two had played 5 times, Yan Bingtao was in a disadvantage of 2 wins and 3 losses. In the most recent meeting was the Champions League, with Yan Bingtao winning 3-1.
From a technical point of view, Yan Bingtao is far less than Mark Williams. However, with tenacious game tenacity and a stable mentality, Yan Bingtao has a great chance of winning against the 46-year-old veteran whose competitive status has declined.
Zhao Xintong PK John Higgins
With the British Championship winner, 24-year-old Zhao Xintong has now risen to 9th in the world rankings, far surpassing Yan Bingtao and Ding Junhui.
The British Championship is Zhao Xintong's battle for fame. From the qualifying round, he defeated Yuan Sijun, Tachaia, John Higgins, Peter Lynes and Jack Lisowski to reach the final and compete with Belgian star Brechel for the championship. The two fought bitterly for 15 innings, and Zhao Xintong won 10-5 to win the British Championship, which was second only to the World Championship. Zhao Xintong became the third Chinese player to win three major competitions after Ding Junhui and Yan Bingtao.
The 2022 Masters is the first time that Zhao Xintong has participated in his career, and he hopes that Zhao Xintong can continue to create miracles. There is no doubt that this is very difficult, because the players of the Masters are all opponents who have been in a very strong competitive state recently, and Zhao Xintong's skills still have a lot of room for improvement in comparison.
The opponent in the first round is John Higgins, the two have played each other 7 times before, Zhao Xintong has the upper hand with 4 wins and 3 losses, and in the last 3 meetings, Zhao Xintong has stubbornly dragged to the decider to win the game. After three consecutive wins over Higgins, Zhao Xintong has an absolute advantage in psychology.
Whether the two can finally defeat the 75 veterans who have been fighting for a long time and stage a wonderful derby in the top 8 of the division, let us wait and see. In addition to Yan Bingtao, Zhao Xintong, Higgins and Mark Williams, the players in the first half of the 2022 Masters include Neil Robertson, Anthony McGill, Ronin Sullivan and Jack Lissovsky.