A few days ago, the 2022 world snooker European Masters championship and runner-up battle came to an end, and finally, Fan Zhengyi, a post-00s young player from China, was once again upset, and after 19 rounds of fierce fighting, he defeated the world champion O'Sullivan and won the championship of the event. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time in Fan Zhengyi's career to reach the final of the ranking tournament and win the championship, in the new era of Chinese snooker with Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao's twin stars shining, Fan Zhengyi paid tribute to the two brothers with a weighty championship trophy. Interestingly, at the award ceremony, Fan Zhengyi appeared unusually calm, and netizens said that snooker had one more "cold-faced killer" who did not talk much.
At this European Masters, Fan Zhengyi was in surprisingly good shape and feel, and from the first round of competition, he passed the hurdles all the way. After beating the world's top 10 player Karen Wilson, Fan Zhengyi has undergone a dramatic change in self-confidence. In the battle for the quarterfinals, he defeated yan Bingtao, the champion of last season's Masters, and was able to snatch a ticket for the quarterfinals from his brother, and Fan Zhengyi saw the hope of competing for the championship. In the final, facing his idol O'Sullivan, Fan Zhengyi was very well prepared, and the experienced O'Sullivan made many wonderful shots in the game, which attracted cheers from the audience.
Under the pressure, Fan Zhengyi did not mess up, took a big lead in the middle of the game, and finally won the championship 10:9. The victory was crucial for both, with Fan Zhengyi winning his first European Masters title, while O'Sullivan, who lost the game, regrettably missed his chance to return to world number one. Last season, China's snooker showed a talent spurt, and when veteran Ding Junhui was quite old, Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao won the championship in the British Championship and masters finals respectively, helping the team to continue its glory. Fan Zhengyi, after 00, was also inspired after seeing the two brothers win the championship one after another, and finally broke through the cocoon into a butterfly in 2022.
Born in 2001, Fan Zhengyi began to play billiards at the age of 5 and finished third in the junior group at the 2009 National Junior Snooker Open. The talented Fan Zhengyi was once favored by Wu Wenzhong, known as the "godfather" of China's snooker, who was also Ding Junhui's coach. Wu Wenzhong once said that Fan Zhengyi has a high understanding of snooker, and is diligent and self-motivated, and the future prospects are bright. This prediction became a reality at the 2022 European Masters.
Interestingly, after winning the first ranking championship of his career, Fan Zhengyi appeared very calm. When he lifted the championship trophy, he only held out a finger, implying that his name "fight for one" and get the first place in the competition.
Some netizens said that Fan Zhengyi is a player with a more introverted personality, and looking at the famous players of China's snooker, from Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong, to Zhao Xintong, Yan Bingtao, and then to Si Jiahui and Fan Zhengyi, it seems that they are full of gentlemanly style in the arena and never show off!
(Luo Treasurer)