Looking back at 2023
In December 2022, the World Billiards Federation severely punished as many as 12 Chinese snooker players involved in counterfeiting, including high-ranking players such as Zhao Xintong , Yan Bingtao and other high-ranking players, and "post-10" rookies who were unable to participate in professional events for a long time, and in serious cases, they were banned for life.
In such a difficult background, Chinese players represented by veteran Ding Junhui, Mesozoic player Zhang Anda, rookie Si Jiahui, etc., in the international arena in 2023, through their own efforts, have achieved the best results of players outside the British Isles, the birthplace of snooker, and re-established the image of Chinese players step by step. After a three-year shutdown due to the epidemic, snooker events have also returned to China one by one. The dawn is ahead, and hope is ahead.
Si Jiahui and Zhang Anda boosted confidence
In 2023, there are several landmark events in Chinese snooker in terms of competitive results, one of which appeared in the final battle of the snooker season - the World Championship in April. Si Jiahui, who is less than 4 years old and participated in the event for the first time, started all the way from the qualifying round and passed the test to reach the semifinals, Jordan Brown, Shaun Murphy, Milkins, McGill and other famous players all lost under his stroke. He also became another Chinese player after Fu Jiajun and Ding Junhui to advance to the semifinals of the World Championships, shocking the snooker world and bringing confidence to other young Chinese players.
If it weren't for the lack of experience in the semifinals and the reversal by Belgium's Brecel, Si Jiahui would have set the best record in the World Championships for Chinese snooker players. However, he still won the 2022-23 World Snooker Tour Breakthrough Player of the Year Award.
The second outstanding event is that Zhang Anda, a post-90s player, was a late bloomer, and at the Snooker National Championship in November, he realized his dream of entering the profession for 11 years and won the ranking championship for the first time. Fans were not yet relieved by his surprise victory over world No. 14 Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals, which saw Anda Chang shoot a perfect score of 147 in the third game against Tom Forde to win the championship. You must know that it is very rare to have a perfect score in the final, and Zhang Anda also ranked among the top 16 in the world with this championship.
Ding Junhui returned to the top 16 in the world
The third is to talk about Ding Junhui, an epoch-making figure in Chinese snooker. No matter how his ranking fluctuates, he has also been surpassed by his juniors, but he is a veritable "Chinese snooker brother", and his 14 ranking titles have been the benchmark for domestic players for a long time. Although it has been a downturn for a while, in the British Championship, one of the three major snooker competitions in early December, Ding Junhui stood in the final of this event for the second consecutive year, although he lost to O'Sullivan and was the runner-up, but his desire to win in the game was strong, making fans seem to see the fledgling and aggressive snooker teenager many years ago.
Reaching the final of the British Championship five times and winning three crowns and two runners-up, Ding Junhui returned to the top 16 of the world with the bonus points obtained this time, and surpassed Zhang Anda to rank first among Chinese players. This year, Ding Junhui also won the 6 Red Ball World Championships, although it was not a ranking tournament but an invitational tournament, but fans were pleased with his spiritual and technical recovery.
Chinese snooker re-establishes a positive image
In this year, there are 64 Chinese players in the Chinese army who have achieved good results, including 13 "post-00" players. The highest-ranked Ding Junhui and Zhang Anda are ranked 5th and 11th respectively, and they have "discounts" for participating in the main event without passing the qualifying round in many events. Chinese snooker players, who are trying to make up for the regrets left by the previous year and re-establish a positive image, are still an indispensable part of the world snooker field.
Let's take a look at the return of snooker. After three years of the epidemic, the world's high-level snooker events in China have always been at a standstill, and in 2023, they will finally return, and Chinese fans can enjoy the wonderful performances of the world's famous players at their doorstep. The Shanghai Masters, Wuhan Open and Tianjin International Championships were successfully held one after another, and the enthusiasm of the audience and fans was high. In 2024, the Women's Snooker World Championship and the Snooker World Open have been confirmed to be held in China, and more higher-level events will come to China, and the spring of snooker will come again. Text/Reporter Liu Ailin
(Source: Beijing Youth Daily)