The second round of the 2022 World Snooker Championships is in full swing, and Zhao Xintong, a Chinese player with high hopes, is not in good shape, temporarily trailing Maguire 5-11. In the upcoming third stage of the game, as long as the opponent wins two more sets, Zhao Xintong will be eliminated. Zhao Xintong, who was considered by the outside world to be one of the favorites to win the championship before the game, if he finally failed to qualify for the quarterfinals, this result is believed to be difficult for everyone to accept. Some people believe that from the game, it can be seen that Zhao Xintong's psychological pressure is too great, his thinking on the field is confused, and his hitting hand feels cold, but it makes the opponent play with momentum.
As the champion of the British Championship and the seventh ranked player in the world, Zhao Xintong's performance in this competition has attracted much attention. Veteran Ding Junhui has been out of the game early, and the hope of the Chinese team for the championship has fallen on Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao, and Zhao Xintong is the most vocal chinese player to win the championship. During the World Championships, world champions including O'Sullivan and Hendry were full of praise for Zhao Xintong in interviews. O'Sullivan even said that Zhao Xintong is the new helmsman of the future snooker field.
In the environment of praise from many snooker superstars and the rush of major media reports, Zhao Xintong has a problem in his mentality. Due to the high expectations of the outside world, the new generation of Chinese snooker successor naturally hopes to repay everyone's support and trust with excellent results. But in the second round of the World Championships, facing Maguire, who is not strong, Zhao Xintong could not control his nervous emotions. In the first stage, he fell behind 3-5 and played more generally overall. But unexpectedly, in the second stage of the competition, Zhao Xintong still did not find the feel and the state of the competition.
Whether it was in the accuracy of the shot, or in the defensive line, there were different degrees of mistakes, and in the end only two games were won. In the competition, Zhao Xintong repeatedly made a helpless and annoyed expression, which was rare in previous competitions. In this regard, many netizens said that Zhao Xintong was too nervous in a top event such as the World Championships, which directly led to his own level being difficult to play. After two stages, Zhao Xintong trailed Maguire 5-11, and in the third stage, as long as Maguire won two more sets, Zhao Xintong would be eliminated.
From defeating Bressel in the final of last season's British Championship to win the championship, to defeating Yan Bingtao at the German Masters this season to win the first title in 2022, and then to the world ranking to seventh, Zhao Xintong's progress is visible to the naked eye. In the hearts of many people, he is Ding Junhui's successor. At this World Championship, everyone is waiting for Zhao Xintong to create a new history for China's snooker. Under the heavy pressure, Zhao Xintong still failed to adjust his mentality, carrying the ideological baggage of wanting to win and afraid of losing. The opportunities left for Zhao Xintong at this World Championship are not much, can he let go of the third stage and achieve an earth-shattering reversal?
(Luo Treasurer)