In the early morning of April 20, Beijing time, the 2022 Snooker World Championship ended another first round of matches at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and Yan Bingtao, the No. 16 seeded player from China and a post-00s youngster from China, defeated qualifier Chris Wakelin 10-6 as expected, becoming the second Chinese player to reach the round of 16 after Zhao Xintong. In the second round of the quarterfinals, Yan Bingtao will play against the first seed of the tournament and the defending champion Selby. Yan Bingtao said that he can't wait to play this game, "I really want to play a long game with him, I will try to enjoy the game." ”
Selby has long been ranked first in the world, and there is no doubt that he is the world's top player on snooker skills, and the famous player nicknamed "Leicester Clown" is also nicknamed "Grind King" by Chinese fans because of his extra cautious playing style, extreme emphasis on defense, steady playing and long playing time. Yan Bingtao's style is somewhat similar to Selby's, and the style of the ball is completely different from Zhao Xintong, who is stronger than the defender, and is also known as the "Little Mill King".
But even in the last three big and small "Grinding King" clashes, they all ended with Yan Bingtao winning, and Qing is not out of blue to win than blue, no wonder Yan Bingtao has confidence in his heart and hopes that the game will come as soon as possible. In the last three encounters between the two, Yan Bingtao has defeated Selby 4-3, 6-3, 5-4 respectively, the most recent of which was the German Masters, and Yan Bingtao won 5-4.
Of course, it must be pointed out that Yan Bingtao's victories do not come from long-term decisive games, the most is only 11 rounds to grab 6 matches, and the 1/8 final of the World Championships, if the two sides play full, it will take 25 innings, the result of the game is difficult to have a cold door, and what is needed to win is real material. But no matter what, Yan Bingtao will not be afraid of the four-time World Championship winner in his heart, who has not been in the best state recently, has a downward trend, 17 years older than Yan Bingtao, and China's post-00s players will definitely be stronger than their opponents in the future development prospects.
Yan Bingtao has reached the Round of 16 of the World Championships for three consecutive times, the first two of which were lost in the quarter-finals, losing to Murphy and Trump respectively, and this time he is confident to go further. After beating Wakeling in the first round, Yan Bingtao talked about his views on Selby in the next round: "Against Mark Selby, it will be a great game. A lot of people say that we are very similar players. I can't wait to play a 13-win game with him in 25 innings. I will only try to enjoy the game. Mark has very good control on the table and I always try to do as well as he does on the global side. ”
Text/Beiqing Sports Liu Ailin