The Snooker Gibraltar Open kicks off on 24 March 2022, just before the tournament, World Snooker officially announced that seeded players Stephen Maguire and Anthony McGill were withdrawn, a result that may be good news for Ding Junhui and O'Sullivan.
Judging from the signing table, Anthony McGill is a potential opponent of Ding Junhui in the third round, and if Ding Junhui successfully passes the first two rounds, he should meet stronger players after that. With Anthony McGill retiring, it means that Ding Junhui will not meet seeded players in the first three rounds, which is conducive to his good results.
Stephen Maguire is a potential opponent for O'Sullivan in the fourth round, and judging from the signing table, if O'Sullivan passes the level, he will not meet the seeded players in the first four rounds, which is a good opportunity for him to attack the championship. Of course, the Gibraltar Open uses a 7-game, 4-win system, the variables are very large, the cold may appear at any time, O'Sullivan does not dare to guarantee that he will be able to pass the first few rounds smoothly.
At present, many seeded players are absent from this competition, Selby has not registered, Stephen Maguire and Anthony McGill have temporarily withdrawn, and the possibility of other seeded players continuing to withdraw from the competition is not ruled out, after all, this race is slightly chicken.
For Chinese players, this is a good opportunity to impact the championship, after all, our Chinese players have performed well this season, and the other is that the lineup is huge, and maybe there will be young players who will stand out. In addition, Fan Zhengyi and Zhao Xintong have the opportunity to impact the extra prize money of the European series, which is also their motivation.
During this time, Chinese players are preparing intensely, not only to prepare for the Gibraltar Open, but also to lay the foundation for the World Championships. Zhao Xintong will continue to participate in the Gibraltar Open, Tour Championships, and World Championships, and the pressure is relatively high. However, as the winner of the Xinke British Championship and the winner of two ranking competitions this season, Zhao Xintong's popularity in the UK has greatly increased. A few days ago, Zhao Xintong appeared on camera and participated in the exhibition match in Lincolnshire.
Zhao Xintong appeared in casual clothes, because it was an exhibition match, Zhao Xintong looked very relaxed. In addition, Zhao Xintong also signed autographs for fans on the spot and also took photos with fans, which can be said to be full of stars. Zhao Xintong is under O'Sullivan's guidance because O'Sullivan thinks he can make a bigger breakthrough. During this time, Zhao Xintong's state is relatively general, and I hope that after adjustment, Zhao Xintong can find the best state at the end of the season and strive to impact the championship again!