Yan Bingtao claimed his first ranking title on Sunday as he lifted the Riga Masters trophy and the 19-year-old made a couple of bits of history in the process.
His 5-2 win over Ryan Joyce in the final in Latvia meant he is the first teenager to win a ranking title for 13 years and only the third Chinese players to do so.
Yan joins Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo as ranking title victors from China, while it is Ding who was the last man to win a ranking event as a teenager – the 2006 Northern Ireland Open.
With the title, and £50,000, under his belt, Yan now expects to go on to much bigger things, and for many other young Chinese players to follow in his footsteps.
‘I’m excited because it’s the first time I have won a ranking final,’ said Yan. ‘I’m so happy to win the title. I was a little bit lucky. Ding is still the best Chinese player, I have to improve.
‘There are a lot of teenage Chinese players getting better and better, especially those who come to play in the UK.
‘Hopefully more of them can win titles, and of course I hope I can win a lot of ranking events. I will keep practising.
‘After I lost the Northern Ireland Open final two years ago I was upset because I thought it might be my only chance to win a title. I have improved a lot since then.
‘Tonight I thought I had an advantage because Mark had never played in a final before. I played shots one by one without hurrying, and I think that’s why I won.’
2018 world champion Mark Williams believes that the teenager’s success is a big boost for the game.
The Welshman tweeted after Yan’s win: ‘Great for snooker BINGTAO winning in Riga.’
Great for snooker BINGTAO winning in Riga . ??????
— MARK WILLIAMS M.B.E (@markwil147) July 28, 2019
Despite being just 19-year-old, the man from Zibo has been on the scene for some time, winning his first professional match at just 13-years-old.
He won the 2015 World Cup as a 15-year-old, which saw him qualify for the Champion of Champions where he beat Shaun Murphy to reach the quarter-finals.
The 2017-18 season saw him come close to ranking title, reaching the semi-finals at the International Championship, after knocking out Ronnie O’Sullivan in round one, and the final of the Northern Ireland Open.
The teenager is now knocking on the door of the top 16, moving up to #18 with the victory over Joyce.
He is back in action at the International Championship, playing a held over qualifying match against Alfie Burden on 4 August as he looks to continue his fine form.
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