Xiao Guodong grew to become the primary participant from China to achieve a Champion of Champions last together with his 6-3 defeat of Mark Allen on Friday in Bolton.
The 35 year-old adopted up his excellent triumphs over Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby a day earlier with one other tremendous show in opposition to the reigning champion.
It prolongs a really robust interval for Chinese language snooker gamers, the massive contingent on the primary tour combining to often break new floor of late.
This has been underlined by the actual fact there are actually 4 Chinese language snooker gamers ranked inside the highest 16 of the world rankings record for the primary time within the sport’s historical past.
Xiao joined the elite bracket of the official two-year record following his run to the semi-finals of final week’s Worldwide Championship.
That effort rapidly adopted his profession breakthrough on the Wuhan Open the place he landed a maiden rating crown and secured an invite to this week’s prestigious occasion.
However Xiao definitely hasn’t been alone when it comes to Chinese language snooker gamers having fun with success throughout the recreation over the past 18-month spell.
Si Jiahui, the participant Xiao beat to seize glory in Wuhan, additionally broke into the world’s prime 16 for the primary time earlier this yr.
Xiao and Si be part of Ding Junhui and Zhang Anda within the elite bracket of the standings, that means 1 / 4 of the highest 16 now contains Chinese language snooker gamers for the primary time ever.
Ding, who returned to profitable methods in Nanjing final weekend, grew to become the primary participant from mainland China to earn the coveted standing means again in 2007.
By then, he had already made a reputation for himself by triumphing as a youngster on the 2005 China Open in Beijing – igniting an explosion of recognition for the sport within the nation.
A number of months later, Ding beat all-time nice Steve Davis to elevate the UK Championship trophy and duly regarded set to turn into the game’s dominant power.
It didn’t fairly work out that means, however the 37 year-old has nonetheless carved out a profitable profession for himself and stays an inspiration to many up-and-coming abilities in his homeland.
In the direction of the top of the last decade, there was an enormous inflow of gamers from China graduating to compete on the primary tour – every hoping to emulate Ding’s speedy success.
Amongst them have been Liang Wenbo and Li Dangle, whose names have been tarnished final yr amid the match-fixing scandal involving ten Chinese language snooker gamers that rocked the game.
Li and Former English Open champion Liang have been handed lifetime bans for his or her roles within the betting ring, and it led many to surprise if the recognition of snooker in China would undergo because of this.
The result of the investigation, which additionally noticed former Masters champion Yan Bingtao and former UK champion Zhao Xintong handed bans, got here simply as Chinese language snooker was reopening following years of inactivity on account of the worldwide pandemic.
But because it has turned out, the final yr and a half have confirmed to be fruitful for each the tournaments staged in China and the gamers from the cue-sports-loving nation who’re nonetheless competing on the skilled circuit.
Whereas it was commonplace to see empty arenas at a whole lot of the Chinese language rating occasions earlier than 2020, since doorways have reopened the general public has flocked again to observe their favorite stars.
Play for Ronnie O’Sullivan’s encounter with Mink Nutcharut eventually week’s Worldwide Championship needed to be delayed attributable to crowd management.
The elevated attendances have occurred in opposition to a backdrop of Chinese language snooker gamers changing into extra frequent presences on the enterprise of rating occasions.
Zhang, who regardless of being a professional for greater than a decade, had by no means been ranked contained in the world’s prime 64 till 2023 however ended final season as a three-time rating occasion finalist and an Worldwide Championship winner.
Si launched into a memorable run to the semi-finals of the 2023 World Championship earlier than reaching his maiden rating last on the flip of this yr.
He narrowly missed out on his first piece of silverware after being defeated by Judd Trump within the title-deciding contest of the German Masters, however Si is extensively considered probably the most thrilling younger participant within the recreation in the intervening time.
The 22 year-old’s latest Wuhan Open showdown with Xiao represented solely the third time {that a} rating occasion concluded with an all-Chinese language last.
Certainly, three of the 4 semi-finalists in Wuhan have been Chinese language, one thing that was instantly repeated on the 2024 Worldwide Championship earlier this month.
Along with Ding, Zhang, Si, and Xiao, there are one other eight Chinese language snooker gamers ranked contained in the world’s prime 50 at current.
That features Wu Yize, who has risen to a career-high of quantity 29 on the planet on the again of reaching the English Open last in September.
Zhao Xintong, in the meantime, who had been ranked as excessive as quantity six previous to his ban, has already begun his journey again to the primary tour and has been tearing it up on the feeder Q Tour within the final couple of months.
Years in the past, when Ding led the preliminary incursion of Chinese language gamers, there was a way that snooker may very well be taken over there and the normal hub of the UK left behind.
That didn’t materialise, not as rapidly as anticipated anyway, with gamers from the UK persevering with to make up nearly all of the world’s prime 16 and China nonetheless ready for its first world champion.
However regardless of the setbacks and controversies, wave upon wave of expertise from China continues to emerge onto the skilled scene.
That has been highlighted in latest instances by robust performances from the likes of Pang Junxu, Xu Si, He Guoqiang, and Lengthy Zehuang – to call only a few of the youthful crop who’re getting optimistic outcomes.
As Shaun Murphy identified within the newest episode of his podcast, threats to snooker’s long-term reputation from different creating cue sports activities in China exist.
Nevertheless, proper now Chinese language snooker is arguably having fun with its best sustained interval of success – each when it comes to triumphs on the desk and the additional curiosity that can consequently encourage off of it.
“In 5 years time, half of the highest 16 will likely be Chinese language,” was uttered so typically by pundits prior to now that it grew to become a prediction of ridicule, a cliché.
With Chinese language snooker gamers that includes extra prominently on the enterprise finish of occasions than ever earlier than, although, that assertion would possibly truly now be true.
Featured picture credit score: WST