Ronnie O’Sullivan reckons new snooker sensation Zhao Xintong has the sport at his mercy. The Rocket takes on Judd Trump in a blockbuster Players Championship first-round clash on Tuesday evening.
But O’Sullivan admits that for once both may just have to take second billing to Zhao at the event for the 16 best-performing players of the season currently in progress.
China’s Zhao, 24, comes into the tournament as the No1 seed by a country mile after following up a huge breakthrough success at the UK Championship at the Barbican in York in December with victory at the German Masters.
That triumph in Berlin saw him whitewash former Masters champion and close friend Yan Bingtao 9-0 in the Tempodrom final. The friendship of the pair, both now based in Sheffield, seems to have survived the one-sided contest as they have since been pictured eating and practising together.
And it means Zhao - who plays Barry Hawkins on Tuesday at the last-16 stage - has won £116,000 more than O’Sullivan so far this season – and £223,000 more than the Juddernaut.
Six-time world champion O’Sullivan, 46, who will regain the No1 spot if he can first beat Trump and then go on to lift the trophy in Wolverhampton this week, is a big fan of Zhao’s fearless and fluent style.
He said: “The last time I was this excited about a player was when I saw Stephen Hendry play when I was only about nine years old, and I was thinking ‘Who is this fella?’ I remember watching Stephen play in some festival in Hastings and you knew he was special. And for me Zhao is the only one since that made me think ‘Wow, he could be something special’.
“Of course, you have to say ‘Could be’ at the moment, it is still early, he has got quite a bit to learn and master to be the full article. He is super-good now, but could be an unplayable great if he were to brush up on certain things. And that is up to him, does he want to be open to that, and do the work.
“Because Zhao can be as good as he wants to be, he has got the game in his hands. As he develops he will handle the pressure situations even better than now. Even though he is a little bit one-dimensional now with all the potting and fantastic break-building, his defensive game can improve and that will make him better again.
“What is scary for the rest is what he is doing with only half a game – because I think that is what he has, half a game, compared to his potential. He still manages to brush other players aside, but that is only because he is so talented. But he can become even more difficult to play against and boss games from the start.
“There aren’t that many players that have a chance of threatening the important records – Hendry’s seven world titles, my seven Masters and UKs, the 20 majors. He is maybe the only one out there who could topple some of those. I watched his win at the German Masters, and was following what was going on. I have a real soft spot for Zhao.
“And in many wany he reminds me of my son – I look at him and it is like he is a reflection of my little Ronnie – a couple of handsome, good-looking boys! But of course the main thing is his talent, and the way he can play the game. It is exciting to watch, and exciting to see someone that emerge.”
Meanwhile, as far as O’Sullivan’s own first test in the tournament is concerned, it couldn’t be much tougher. Trump’s relatively poor campaign to date is responsible for this clash materialising as early in the tournament as it has, with O’Sullivan seeded third and the 32-year-old only 14th.
Since this tournament was rebranded in 2017 from the Players Tour Championship that preceded it and made for the top 16 on the one-year list, O’Sullivan and Trump have each won two of the five to have been staged – the Rocket also losing 10-3 in last year’s final to John Higgins.
Trump has beaten Marco Fu (10-8 in 2017) and Yan Bingtao (10-4 in 2020) in finals, while O’Sullivan has taken out Shaun Murphy (10-4 in 2018) and Neil Robertson (also 10-4 in 2019) in his other showpieces.
Trump is one of the few to hold a winning career head to head record against O’Sullivan, including eight of the 11 finals they have contested – and has also won five of their last six meetings.
O’Sullivan said: “Look, I am just happy to be in the draw the way I have been playing. My performances recently haven’t been great so I am looking forward to another road trip. It would be nice to get a few days out if it, rather than go up Monday and be heading home Tuesday night.
“So I would like to stay involved for a few days. I have got some nice running routes planned up there. Me against Judd in the first round…if the fans and the TV look forward to it, then that’s fantastic! For me I’ll be having some fun and hope to make a game of it.”
