China's snooker players will be a major threat to UK dominance, says world No 12 Zhang Anda
Zhang Anda expects China to threaten British dominance of snooker in the coming years, after compatriot Zhao Xintong became the first Asian to win the World Snooker Championship last month.
Advertisement
Speaking ahead of an exhibition event starting in Hong Kong on Tuesday, the talented veteran said the game was only trending upwards in mainland China.
When the 2025-26 season begins at the end of this month, there will be six Chinese players ranked inside the top 20, and 14 in the top 50 – second only to the 22 from the United Kingdom.
'I think we will be a threat,' the Guangdong native said. 'If you look at the trend, we are gradually doing that – there will be more Chinese players.
'I am sure there will be more world-class tournaments in Hong Kong, Macau and even mainland China in the future.'
Advertisement
Zhang, 33, won the only ranking title of his career at the International Championship in Tianjin in November 2023, and the world No 12 said he hoped to add one more ranking title to his name in the new season.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Derek Leung ‘chasing hard' as he looks to keep good times rolling on Voyage Samurai
Derek Leung Ka-chun hopes Voyage Samurai can overcome his wide draw as he bids for career win number six in the Class Two Cheung Sha Handicap (1,650m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. The 36-year-old has been on board for all five of Voyage Samurai's victories, most recently when the pair dominated from gate to wire to win a 1,600m Class Two at Sha Tin in April. As with most of Voyage Samurai's wins, Leung controlled the fractions to a tee before unleashing a powerful turn of foot from the Dissident galloper to fend off any late bursts from his rivals. Frankie Lor Fu-chuen's five-year-old will need to do it the hard way on his maiden Happy Valley run, drawing gate seven of nine, but Leung is confident of bouncing back from a below-par run at Sha Tin last time where he had excuses. Top win, Voyage Samurai! Derek Leung steers Frankie Lor's ultra-consistent charge to a fifth career win at Sha Tin... 👏#LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 6, 2025 'I think 1,800m probably stretched him a bit last time and he has a bad draw to overcome this time,' said Leung. 'He has trialled well though and has been performing well. 'His first run at the Valley won't be easy because of the draw but I hope he can win again. It won't be easy but he's consistent and not fully exposed yet.' Leung has several strong chances on the city circuit's Wednesday card, including Prestige Always in the Class Three Sheung Shui Handicap (1,650m). The Pierre Ng Pang-chi-trained four-year-old posted his best run since a win on seasonal reappearance when third over track and distance last time – his first attempt at the 1,650m trip. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. Prestige Always closes out the card at Sha Tin as the second leg of a Pierre Ng-@zpurton double after the victory of Fighting Machine! ✌️#LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) September 28, 2024 And in the concluding Class Three Cheung Sheung Handicap (1,200m), Leung rides Very Grateful for Cody Mo Wai-kit, who made a promising debut over course and distance last month. 'Prestige Good ran well last time over this course and distance but he also has a bad draw to overcome,' said Leung. 'Thankfully Very Grateful has drawn the inside barrier. His debut was very good and hopefully I can use the draw to get a good position. He will hopefully improve from his first start.' Leung sits on the 28-winner mark for the campaign and is eight behind Matthew Poon Ming-fai, who leads the way in the Tony Cruz Award standings for the leading home-grown rider. Jockey Derek Leung has enjoyed his trips to Happy Valley in recent weeks. He also sits three winners behind Matthew Chadwick in the race for second and with both of those riders suspended on Wednesday, Leung is not giving up hope of a late surge to overhaul them – no matter how tough the going is. 'I'm eight winners behind, but you never know – I'm chasing hard,' laughed Leung. 'I still have my eyes on the prize and with the great support of trainers and owners, I will just keep trying to ride as many winners as possible.' The city circuit has been a happy hunting ground for Leung recently, with the rider winning the Jockey Challenge at two of the past three meetings. Two meetings ago Leung rode a brilliant treble headlined by the last-gasp success of Gracious Express, while his prior Jockeys Challenge win saw him pinch the spoils despite not riding a winner.
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China's snooker players will be a major threat to UK dominance, says world No 12 Zhang Anda
Zhang Anda expects China to threaten British dominance of snooker in the coming years, after compatriot Zhao Xintong became the first Asian to win the World Snooker Championship last month. Advertisement Speaking ahead of an exhibition event starting in Hong Kong on Tuesday, the talented veteran said the game was only trending upwards in mainland China. When the 2025-26 season begins at the end of this month, there will be six Chinese players ranked inside the top 20, and 14 in the top 50 – second only to the 22 from the United Kingdom. 'I think we will be a threat,' the Guangdong native said. 'If you look at the trend, we are gradually doing that – there will be more Chinese players. 'I am sure there will be more world-class tournaments in Hong Kong, Macau and even mainland China in the future.' Advertisement Zhang, 33, won the only ranking title of his career at the International Championship in Tianjin in November 2023, and the world No 12 said he hoped to add one more ranking title to his name in the new season.
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Chan legend must live on in women's football
The 'mother of Asian women's football', Veronica Chan Yiu-kam, was an inspirational figure who dedicated her life to the game. She founded the Hong Kong Ladies Football Association in 1965 and helped establish the Asian Women's Football Federation three years later. Chan, who died last month at the age of 102, was instrumental in forging a path for the women's game. The work she began continues. Advertisement Women's football has grown dramatically globally in recent years and is developing in Hong Kong, but the city has a long way to go to catch up with other parts of the world. On Sunday, the Women's FA Cup Final at Po Kong Village Road Park saw Kitchee beat TSL 2-0. Ahead of the match, Kitchee player Vicky Chung Pui-ki, also a member of the Hong Kong team, called on the government to inject more money into the women's game and for a professional league to be established. Her voice should be heard. The city's top women players, unlike their male counterparts, are amateurs who need to balance training and performing in matches with jobs and studies. If Hong Kong is serious about women's football – and it should be – a professional league will be needed. So will greater levels of funding. There has been progress in recent years. The league has expanded to three divisions and clubs have attracted players from the mainland and overseas. Meanwhile, some of the city's talented young female footballers are heading abroad to develop their skills. The potential should not be overlooked as the city seeks to boost its sporting credentials. The Women's World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 drew huge crowds and an estimated 2 billion viewers around the world. China has big ambitions for the women's game. Advertisement Wuhan Jiangda's recent winning of the inaugural AFC Women's Champions League before more than 18,000 fans, collecting US$1.3 million in prize money, marked a significant step forward.
