
When Yan Bingtao beat John Higgins to win the prestigious Masters title in Milton Keynes in 2021, snooker was quick to hail a significant breakthrough that ought to pave the way to a new and lucrative future for the sport.
Sixteen years after his compatriot Ding Junhui became the first Chinese player to win the UK Championship, Yan’s success was seen to herald the arrival of an exciting new generation of talent that included another star in the making in the shape of Zhao Xintong.