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Metro
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Stephen Hendry makes Zhao Xintong prediction and Ronnie O'Sullivan comparison
Stephen Hendry feels world champion Zhao Xintong has an air of Ronnie O'Sullivan about him and expects plenty more success to come in his future. The 28-year-old beat Mark Williams to win his first world title in Sheffield in May, completing a remarkable return to the game. Zhao sat out for two years after a ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal, although he did not fix any matches himself, which is why his punishment was relatively light. In his first World Championship since his return he won four qualifying matches just to reach the Crucible, where he brushed aside Jak Jones, Lei Peifan, Chris Wakelin, O'Sullivan and Williams. Already a UK Championship and German Masters champion before he was banned in January 2023, the Cyclone was very highly thought of as an incredible talent on the baize and that has only been further cemented by his Crucible exploits. Hendry feels he makes the sport look easy in a way no one has since the Rocket came on the scene and expects multiple world titles in Zhao's future. 'I think Xintong is a special, special talent,' Hendry said on his Cue Tips YouTube channel. 'Since Ronnie O'Sullivan, no one's made the game look as easy as Zhao Xintong makes it look. 'He won the World Championship at a canter, really. Okay the draw opened up for him and he could have played other players but you can only beat who is in the other chair and he did it so comfortably. 'I think he's got that special something…if he didn't win another two or three World Championships I'd be very, very surprised. I think he's capable of being at the top of the sport. 'Obviously you've still got players like Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, the Selbys and Shaun Murphys of this world, who are going to be up there. But I think this guy he seems level headed enough and if he can get used to the expectations on his shoulders, I think he can go on to do special things in the sport.' Zhao is yet to play since he downed Williams 18-12 in the Crucible final, with his first match of the new season coming at the Shanghai Masters at the end of this month. He has been busy, though, with his profile exploding in China thanks to becoming the first winner of the World Snooker Championship from the country. The sport is extremely popular in China and while he is set to make plenty of cash from the opportunities which will now present themselves as world champion, he will also have to deal with the pressure of fame. Speaking to Hendry, Zhao said: 'I think it's a big change for me, life's changed, I've got a little bit famous in China. When I walk on the road, fans know me, I'm very happy I can feel that. 'I'm looking forward to next season. I know the season has started now, so I've watched some matches on my phone. I'm looking forward to my first match at the Shanghai Masters. 'When you're famous you get big pressure, I know that but I will try to keep to myself, just keep going, don't think a lot about the media and the internet. I just want to keep to myself.' Beaten finalist Williams also compared Zhao to a young Rocket, saying at the Crucible: 'He's close to as good to watch as O'Sullivan when he was younger. He just walks around the table as if he's just walking to go to the toilet or something. 'He's just strolling. Pots from anywhere. Walks around not a care in the world. Two minutes later he's on 65. Gee whizz! He's got to sixty like that. Frightening.' More Trending While the Welshman can also see the Cyclone breezing to more world titles, he does not see Zhao matching O'Sullivan and Hendry's record of seven, or the Rocket's eight Masters and UK Championship titles. 'No. I don't think anyone will ever challenge them records because the standard is too good to get that many Worlds and Masters and UKs it's too tough,' said Williams. 'Who knows? But it will be highly unlikely.' The Shanghai Masters gets underway on July 28, with Zhao due to play either Chris Wakelin or a wildcard player on July 30. It will be the first time Zhao has played in the current non-ranking version of the Shanghai Masters, which was won last season by Judd Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan on the four editions prior to last year. MORE: Snooker icon warns rivals about 16-year-old rookie with huge future ahead of him MORE: Stephen Hendry puts Ronnie O'Sullivan second in top five snooker players to watch MORE: The players who had dream and nightmare first weeks of the snooker season
Irish Examiner
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Relentless Woad seven clear as Anna Foster comes of age at Carton House
She might have a seven-shot lead there is no romanticism about world number amateur Lottie Woad as she heads into the final round of the KPMG Women's Irish Open at Carton House with a whopping seven-shot lead. The 21-year-old English woman has the poise and the cold-eyed focus of a seasoned professional and after carding bogey-free, six-under 67 to match Elm Park's Anna Foster and England's Meghan MacLaren with the low round of the day, she plans to keep her foot on the gas and become the first amateur to win an LET event since 2022. 'Yeah, very happy with that,' said Load, who has made just one bogey in 54 holes and leads by seven shots on 17-under from two-time LPGA Tour winner Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden, who shot 70. 'I think I was trying to extend the lead today, if possible, and just kind of keep playing the way I was playing the previous days and everything went pretty well,' Woad said. Even when in trouble, Woad save par time and again with her 15 footer at the par-five 17th one of the highlights of a day that featured four birdies in her first eight holes and two more at the 15th and 16th. 'Obviously I want to win it,' said the Surrey native, who carries the ball 252. yards from the tee and ranks among the longer hitters in the field. 'So I'm just going to keep playing my game and then just see where it puts me.' That doesn't mean she will be playing away from flags, even with Australia's Kirsten Rudgeley eight shot back after a 71 or world number 19 Charley Hull nine behind in a five-way tie for fourth after a 70. 'I can't relax too much tomorrow,' Woad said. 'I just want to try and get off to a good start and and then just force everyone to try and catch me really.' COMING OF AGE: Anna Foster has to be patient as she is waiting for her game to click. Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo Foster might be ten shots behind but she can notch another lucrative finish after making nine birdies in her 67, including four in her last six holes, to share ninth place on seven-under, The 23-year-old Dubliner started the day tied for 25th having arrived in Co Kildare brimming with confidence after notching a career-best tied fourth finish in last week's German Masters. At 31st in the Order of Merit, she can make another big move on Sunday but she hopes she continues to play with the patience that has brought her this far. 'I think I've just been able to stay patient throughout the year,' said Foster. 'I felt like I've been playing well for a good few weeks, just waiting for it all to click. 'And last week I found that it just kind of clicked so that definitely gave me a bit of confidence going into this week.' After birdies at the first and fourth were erased by a double bogey six at the fifth, Foster birdied the sixth, eighth and 10th before following another dropped at the 11th with four birdies in her last six holes, including a 15 footer at the last. 'I just played really solid all day, and gave myself a lot of chances, and then I played the par fives really well,' she said. 'I was driving well and a long way today so that definitely gave me a little bit of an advantage on some holes. It just kind of felt like it was just solid day in general.' The Auburn University graduate to dig deep in Friday's high winds to shoot 74 and make the cut and with her card all but secure, she felt she had the freedom to attack the O'Meara course in more benign conditions yesterday. 'Definitely satisfied,' she said. 'Yesterday, it was a grind. So it was nice to be able to go out today with a bit more like freedom and just be more aggressive. 'I was really happy I stayed really patient. You have to be patient out here, because, if you just kind of keep staying in the present, the birdie chances will come. 'Today, that's great. But I still have another round tomorrow, so the main focus now is on getting ready for that.' Leona Maguire carded a three-under 70 to share 29th on two-under and while she wasn't 100 percent happy after going out in four-under, she hopes to build momentum for next week's Amundi Evian Championship. 'Obviously it's very different weather here than we're going to get at the Evian so the priority is to get out of here with my swing intact in these winds,' Maguire explained. 'So we make sure we reset after these rounds and just keep it dialled in. Putting was was nice again today, which is good heading into a major so overall, I feel like I'm trending in the right direction heading into next week.' Elm Park amateur Emma Fleming carded a level par 73 alongside European Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist to share 44th on level par while rookie Canice Screene shot a 76 to share 65th on five over as she looks to improve her status on tour and clinch a full LET card.
Irish Independent
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Anna Foster eyes another big finish at Women's Irish Open as amateur Lottie Woad roars seven clear at Carton House
World amateur number one Woad (21) matched the Elm Park star's 67 to extend her her three-shot overnight lead to seven strokes over Swedish Solheim Cup star Madelene Sagstrom on 17-under and put herself in position to add a professional win to her Augusta National Women's Amateur victory last year. Foster (23) started the day tied for 25th on one-under before blasting nine birdies in an impressive effort to go into the final round tied for ninth on seven-under. After arriving in Co Kildare on a high after notching a career-best tied fourth finish in last week's German Masters, she's looking to move up the Order of Merit from 31st but knows she can't get ahead of herself. 'I think I've just been able to stay patient throughout the year,' she said. 'I felt like I've been playing well for a good few weeks, just waiting for it all to click. 'And last week I found that it just kind of clicked so that definitely gave me a bit of confidence going into this week.' After seeing birdie fours at the first and fourth erased by a double bogey at the fifth, Foster birdied the sixth, eighth and 10th before following a bogey at the 11th with four birdies in her last six holes, which included a 15 footer at the last. 'I just played really solid all day, and gave myself a lot of chances, and then I played the par fives really well,' Foster said. 'I was driving well and a long way today so that definitely gave me a little bit of an advantage on some holes. It just kind of felt like it was just solid day in general.' The Dubliner had to dig deep in Friday's high winds to shoot 74 and make the cut and with her card all but secure, she felt she had the freedom to attack the O'Meara course in more benign conditions. 'Definitely satisfied,' she said. 'Yesterday, it was a grind. So it was nice to be able to go out today with a bit more like freedom and just be more aggressive. 'I was really happy I stayed really patient. You have to be patient out here, because, if you just kind of keep staying in the present, the birdie chances will come. 'Today, that's great. But I still have another round tomorrow, so the main focus now is on getting ready for that.' Woad has made just one bogey in 54 holes and while Sagstrom shot 70, she's seven behind the leader with Australian Kirsten Rudgeley a shot further back after 71. Woad won the Augusta National Women's Amateur last year and she has no plans to take her foot off the gas as she chases her first win in a professional event. 'I can't relax too much tomorrow,' said Woad. 'I just want to try and get off to a good start and and then just force everyone to try and catch me really.' World number one Charley Hull is in a five-way tie for fourth on eight-under, nine off the lead, while Leona Maguire carded a three-under 70 to share 29th on two-under. The Co Cavan star was happy with her round and hopes to build momentum for next week's major examination in the Amundi Evian Championship. 'Obviously it's very different weather here than we're going to get at the Evian so the priority is to get out of here with my swing intact in these winds,' Maguire explained. 'So we make sure we reset after these rounds and just keep it dialled in. 'Putting was was nice again today, which is good heading into a major so overall, I feel like I'm trending in the right direction heading into next week.' Elm Park amateur Emma Fleming carded a level par 73 alongside European Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist to share 44th on level par while rookie Canice Screene shot a 76 to share 65th on five over as she looks to improve her status on tour and clinch a full LET card.
Irish Examiner
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Rookie Anna Foster finding form ahead of Irish Open
Anna Foster always felt she could compete at the level required to be a Ladies European Tour player. That ability was evident over the weekend as she tied for fourth at the German Masters, the best finish so far of her professional career. Foster shot four-under at The Golf and Country Club Seddiner See, five shots behind winner Shannon Tan. 'The golf course we played in Germany was quite tough,' Pinergy ambassador Foster, ranked 436th in the world, explained on Monday morning. 'I just allowed myself to make mistakes and just kind of move on straight away, stay really patient throughout the week. My main goal is to try and hang around, just kind of be there or thereabouts. The Sunday was tough, so I was really happy with how I managed to kind of stick in and climb a good bit up the leaderboard.' The Dublin golfer took the step up from amateur level before last year's Women's Irish Open and is now 10 months into her professional career. She earned a tour card at Q School in December at the same time as fellow Irish golfers Sara Byrne and Annabel Wilson. 'We've got to travel to some really cool places and it's a great way to see the world,' she said about her rookie season on tour. 'I was lucky enough to get through Q School and get my full card, which has given me the freedom to plan my year up to a certain point and affords me to take weeks off here and there, which is definitely needed.' The transition from college golf - she played at the Alabama-based Auburn University - has been relatively easy for Foster. It's the off-course factors, like getting the right team around her, which have required adjustment. 'This is now my business and career compared to it being a hobby, even though amateur golf is now basically semi-professional at this point anyway,' she said. 'Golf-wise, there wasn't a huge step up or transition. 'The first half of the year was quite travel heavy, being outside of Europe, in Australia and South Africa and Korea. Now that we're back in Europe, it feels so much easier.' The presence of plenty of familiar faces like Byrne and Wilson, along with Olivia Mehaffey, Lauren Walsh, and Canice Screene has also made the transition easier. 'There's a nice group of Irish girls out on tour as well, so that makes a huge difference in the small things throughout the week, like sharing accommodation and just always having a smiling face in the players' lounge,' said Foster. 'We've known each other almost 10 years. To be able to come up through the amateur and college system and come out the other end, we all get each other. There's also a healthy level of competition as well between us. We want each other to do well. We also want to beat each other as well.' At this week's Women's Irish Open, which like last year is being played at Carton House, there will be a record 16 Irish competitors - seven professional and nine amateur. Earlier this year, Foster's home club Elm Park held a fundraiser to ease her into the professional ranks. It took off some pressure to perform in those early months. Now she's also easing that pressure. "I have a bit more freedom finishing fourth last week, Order of Merit wise," she said. "I'm comfortable now for the next while so I can go out and just try and do my best for the next few weeks. It's exciting. 'It's a good place to be in. If someone had said it to me at the start of the year that I'd be in this position now, I would have definitely taken it.'
Straits Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
ST Full-time Report: Battling Shannon Tan triumphant in Germany
Welcome to the latest edition of ST Full-time Report, where the best sports content from The Straits Times is delivered to your inbox every Monday evening. Subscribe here for the weekly updates. Dear ST reader, Singaporean golfer Shannon Tan is proud of her battling qualities after showing nerves of steel in taming the notoriously difficult course at the German Masters en route to winning her second Ladies European Tour title. Meanwhile, Tia Rozario is also in high spirits after clearing over 6m at an athletics meet in Thailand to seal a place in the long jump event for the SEA Games later this year. Separately, departing national coach Tsutomu Ogura is happy to have helped build an atmosphere of 'high motivation' within the Singapore football team. His stint was terminated prematurely because of personal reasons. For the latest news on Singapore sports, check out ST Sport.
