Following the UK Championship, it appears that we may have had a glimpse into a possible future for snooker. For the first time in a long while, we were treated to a fresh-faced tournament final (not to mention that it was a major) between two young prospects that have put themselves on the map. This begged the question as to whether we are dawning in the new era of competitors that will carry the sport going forward.
Many have wondered, and in some cases have been concerned, about the future of snooker and whether it will be able to hold the interests of viewers once the current flock of top names eventually retire. Once the Class of 1992 hang their cues and subsequently, the likes of Trump, Robertson and Selby etc. will snooker be able to stand on its own two feet with the next generation of players?
Yan Bingtao has frequently been the number one pick to dominate the sport in the future which can be quite a heavy burden to place on a single person. While he is still the top prospect, he may find himself in fierce competition in the form of Zhao Xintong and Luca Brecel. However, we shouldn’t be looking too far ahead into the future just yet as current seeds should also be concerned about the number of titles they can win being reduced by the emergence of younger competition.
Zhao Xintong is only 24 years old and has flown well under the radar which is extremely surprising considering he’s been Top 32 for the past couple of seasons. His consistent Last 32/16 performances in events have placed him firmly within the Top 32 (pre-UK Championship) and most didn’t seem to know this. Now he’s won his first ranking title and it’s none other than the first major of the season and everyone will know his name.
Xintong is a unique case given the praises that fellow players and commentators have bestowed upon him regarding his talent. Compliments on his cue ball control, potting and cool-as-ice demeanour have been made and more importantly, have been displayed all week by Xintong in his impeccable performances throughout the UK Championship. Not bad for the Federer of the baize, huh?
Luca Brecel has also stamped his name for us to remember with his strong performances and impressive run to the UK final. Still only 26, Brecel seemingly came into a form that many were hoping he would achieve some time ago. Now brimming with confidence, Brecel will be going forward to ensure that this wasn’t his career highlight. ‘UK Championship finalist’ is probably not the only moniker that Brecel will want to be known by.
This takes me back to the original point, which was whether we are dawning in the new era of top players. It’s one thing to say that there will be a select few names that will be the headline players for years to come, but are these individuals in a position now to be stopping the likes of Trump/Robertson/Selby from adding to their catalogue?
Like this Short? Click here to read: Yan Bingtao is Very Impressive
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