There has been a sea of excellent Chinese snooker players over the past few years, but none have quite managed to dethrone the old masters that currently dominate the game. However, that might be about to change. Zhao Xintong, having won his first triple crown at the 2021 UK Championship, looks set to have a huge future in the game. Indeed, though he’s still only 25, his success in 2021 will prompt many to use a free bet offer listed at oddschecker to back Xintong for glory at next year’s masters. He’s an outsider, but everyone outside of the established stars is an outsider. If Xintong can merge his talent with consistency, he might just shake things up, like he’s done before.
Ronnie’s A Fan
It’s fair to say that Ronnie O’Sullivan knows a good player when he sees one. And the snooker legend doesn’t just see Xintong as a decent snooker professional; he believes that the Chinese wonder might just become the next snooker sensation. O’Sullivan has been mentoring Xintong and has said that if the 25-year-old achieves even 80% of his potential, he could end up with many World Titles. At 46, Ronnie’s retirement won’t be too many years into the future. When he does leave the professional circuit, it might just be Xintong that gets audiences on the edge of their seats.
And So Is Jimmy White
Jimmy White, another snooker legend, is also a big fan of Xintong and has said that he’s arguably the best since Ronnie O’Sullivan, at least in terms of natural talent. And given that O’Sullivan is often spoken of as the best in history, that suggests that Xintong will have an exceptionally bright future. Of course, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, and the game’s other dominant players will have something to say about that, however.
10 Years In The Making
Zhao Xintong has exactly come out of nowhere. There’s been hype about him since he was a teenager. Now, that early potential is beginning to bear fruit. He’s currently ranked sixth in the world, which is a great place for such a young player to be. Having proven that he can most definitely pot balls when given even a slither of a chance, his future success will depend on his ability to improve his defensive game. If he can do that, then we might just see Xintong lift many trophies over the next few years.