Fan Zhengyi participates the Shanghai Masters on September 10, 2018. File photo: VCG

Chinese "Generation Z" member Fan Zhengyi won the European Masters final in Milton Keynes, England on Sunday, beating six-time World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, showcasing another Chinese snooker player's potential talent in Europe.

Despite idolizing O'Sullivan since he was child, the 21-year-old, whose Chinese name Zhengyi literally means "fighting to be No.1," played a calm and well- thought-through final against his opponent, even as it went down to the wire to clinch the match 10 frames to nine. 

The remarkable win also made Fan the sixth Chinese ranking champion after Ding Junhui, Marco Fu, Liang Wenbo, Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong.

"Before the final, I didn't think too much about winning or losing. I thought it would be wonderful just not to play like a disaster," Fan said in his post-match interview. "I know I won, but I don't think he [O'Sullivan] showed his best.

"This is the first time in my life I had reached the finals during a ranking snooker tournament and played against my idol. I am very happy to do that in the final."

In fact, Fan has rarely been a favorite with his best result being a place in the quarterfinals of the German Masters in January 2022.

However, the latest European Masters saw the coming together of skill, patience and focus of this dark horse. Fan grew in confidence after beating Kyren Wilson, an English professional and four-time ranking event winner, in the second round.

After that, he beat his Chinese compatriot Yan Bingtao, the youngest snooker champion in 25 years, in the third round by five frames to three. In the semifinal, Fan again defeated another strong opponent, the 44-year-old Scottish professional player and coach Graeme Dott, before gaining his place in the final with star O'Sullivan.

"Fan is a fantastic player, brilliant. He played some great safety, great break building, amazing pots, good under pressure," O'Sullivan, 47, said about his opponent.

"He was the better player all day. I just tried to make a game of it. He deserved his victory."

Fan Zhengyi plays billiards at the age of 5. File photo: IC

Childhood wish

Born in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Fan received training in Sheffield, the UK, with his partners Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao.

After Fan's win, videos of him training at the age of 5 began to circulate on social media, where the boy had already set himself the goal of becoming a champion.

"I want to be a world champion and surpass them when I grow up," 5-year-old Fan said in the video.

"It is incredible for Fan to beat him [O'Sullivan] at such a young age. It's really not an easy goal to achieve. This championship was worth the effort in the end," Wang Xiaojiong, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association, said in an interview with Jimu News.

Road to triumph

The win has sent Fan soaring from 80th place to 31st in the latest world snooker rankings, passing Ding Junhui, the most successful Asian player in the history of the sport, who currently ranks 33rd.  

Before Fan, Chinese snooker has made its name around the world through continuous world championship successes from players including Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao. 

At present, there are four Chinese players who rank higher than Fan Zhengyi - Zhao ranks seventh, Yan ranks 13th, Zhou Yuelong ranks 23rd, and Liang Wenbo in 29th respectively. The rise of this young man has ushered in a new phase of the sport flourishing in China.

In December 2021, the then 24-year-old Zhao clinched his maiden pro title at the UK Championships to leap to the top 16 in the world rankings and earning a berth at the Masters for the first time.

The Global Times witnessed Zhao's win in York, where he played his best snooker to win his match 10 to five and become the second player from China to pin down a Triple Crown title after fellow player Yan Bingtao won the Masters earlier in 2021 to become the first Triple Crown champion born in the 1990s.

In addition to Zhao, Yan, then 20 years old, was also crowned in the Masters as a debutant in January 2021, making him the youngest champion in 25 years, after the evergreen Ronnie O'Sullivan's achievement at 19 years old.

In January, the German Masters saw Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao win the championship and the second place, an achievement that shows young Chinese players' rise in recent years, and that they will continue to top the world of snooker in the years to come.

Global Times