• Ronnie O’Sullivan believes Zhao Xintong, Yan Bingtao, and Fan Zhengyi have the potential to become world champions.
• He sees a bright future for the Chinese players.
• Zhao, 25, won the UK Championship and German Masters.

Ronnie O’Sullivan believes Zhao Xintong, Yan Bingtao, and Fan Zhengyi have the potential to become world champions, and he sees a bright future for the Chinese players.

Zhao, 25, had a breakout year last year, winning the UK Championship and German Masters, while Fan, 21, upset O’Sullivan by defeating him in the European Masters final.

Yan, 22, had already made his mark, winning the Riga Masters in 2019 before going on to win the Masters in 2021 in his first appearance in the storied tournament.

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The current world champion believes they have a lot more success ahead of them, with Zhao and Yan currently ahead of Fan, but the youngest of the three not far behind.

‘At the moment, there are three truly great young Chinese players: Zhao Xintong, Yan Bingtao, and Fan Zhengyi,’ O’Sullivan told CGTN Sports Scene.

‘They practice together every day in the same environment. I think between one of them three…Xintong or Bingtao will be the first Chinese world champion.

‘Then not long after that, maybe Fan Zhengyi because he’s only young at the moment. But then there’s many, many more younger ones coming in behind.’

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The Rocket was in Singapore for the debut of his Ronnie O’Sullivan Snooker Academy (Rossa), where he performed exhibitions alongside Zhao and current women’s world champion Nutcharut Wongharuthai (Mink).

The 46-year-old believes Asia’s snooker influence will continue to expand, with more champions on the way from the continent.

The Rocket continued, ‘China is in a very strong position to produce the first Asian world champion.’

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