Latest news with #triplecrown
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Luke Humphries thanks Phil Taylor for ‘extra boost' after winning Premier League
Luke Humphries says a pep talk from Phil Taylor inspired him to become the Premier League champion. The world number one completed darts' 'triple crown' as he beat rival Luke Littler in the final at the O2 Arena in London, adding to his World Championship and World Matchplay wins. Advertisement He joined an esteemed list as only Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson had previously won all three prestigious tournaments. And the 30-year-old revealed chatting to Taylor – a six-time Premier League champion – helped him get over the line. 'To Phil Taylor, thank you so much. He has given me so much support,' he said. 'He has given me a lot of advice and an extra boost tonight. I'm really happy with that win. 'I'll keep it private between me and Phil. He just gave me confidence and was supportive of me. I think when you've got the greatest dart player in the world, showing a bit of support and belief in you, it makes you feel good. Advertisement 'It's always nice when someone believes in you, but when the best in the world, or was the best in the world, believes in you it feels good.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Professional Darts Corporation (@officialpdc) Humphries looked a good bet to dominate the sport until Littler came along 18 months, with the teenager's to the World Championship final kickstarting an enduring rivalry. They are streets ahead of the rest of the field and this was their 24th meeting in 18 months, with nine of them coming in this season's Premier League alone. Humphries revealed that Taylor's advice was centred on him rather than how to beat Littler. Advertisement 'It wasn't anything to do with Luke. It was all about me,' he said. 'He's never going to give me advice on how to beat people. He's just going to give me advice about me. 'It's all about me. He was telling me stuff about myself, about my just believing in me, to be honest. 'I would never, ever say anything that he's told me specifically, because that's our business. 'But he's just really supportive and gave me that bit of advice.' Advertisement
The Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Luke Humphries thanks Phil Taylor for ‘extra boost' after winning Premier League
Luke Humphries says a pep talk from Phil Taylor inspired him to become the Premier League champion. The world number one completed darts' 'triple crown' as he beat rival Luke Littler in the final at the O2 Arena in London, adding to his World Championship and World Matchplay wins. He joined an esteemed list as only Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson had previously won all three prestigious tournaments. And the 30-year-old revealed chatting to Taylor – a six-time Premier League champion – helped him get over the line. 'To Phil Taylor, thank you so much. He has given me so much support,' he said. 'He has given me a lot of advice and an extra boost tonight. I'm really happy with that win. 'I'll keep it private between me and Phil. He just gave me confidence and was supportive of me. I think when you've got the greatest dart player in the world, showing a bit of support and belief in you, it makes you feel good. 'It's always nice when someone believes in you, but when the best in the world, or was the best in the world, believes in you it feels good.' Humphries looked a good bet to dominate the sport until Littler came along 18 months, with the teenager's to the World Championship final kickstarting an enduring rivalry. They are streets ahead of the rest of the field and this was their 24th meeting in 18 months, with nine of them coming in this season's Premier League alone. Humphries revealed that Taylor's advice was centred on him rather than how to beat Littler. 'It wasn't anything to do with Luke. It was all about me,' he said. 'He's never going to give me advice on how to beat people. He's just going to give me advice about me. 'It's all about me. He was telling me stuff about myself, about my just believing in me, to be honest. 'I would never, ever say anything that he's told me specifically, because that's our business. 'But he's just really supportive and gave me that bit of advice.'
South China Morning Post
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
China's snooker champion Zhao Xintong ‘shocked' by new fame, wants to win on home soil
Zhao Xintong has been unable to go anywhere in Shenzhen without being recognised since returning there with the most prized trophy in snooker, but that could be true of much of the planet before long. China's first world champion slipped away from his hometown to visit neighbouring Hong Kong this week, and between describing dizzying new-found fame, he revealed ambitions of completing the triple crown of his sport's biggest titles. He told the Post he also wanted to experience success in both mainland China and Hong Kong – which would hardly help him escape the cycle of 'interviews, autographs, photos' he has encountered since landing from the UK last week. 'Obviously, I have many more fans now – people recognise me on the street even if I am wearing a mask,' he said in a billiard hall in Kwun Tong. He had been 'shocked' to be mobbed by airline crew, customs officers and fans when he stepped off the plane at Shenzhen Baoan International Airport. Zhao Xintong was 'shocked' to be mobbed when he arrived at Shenzhen airport last week. Photo: AFP 'It's been one interview after another, though I also got to spend time with my parents, relatives and friends,' he said.
South China Morning Post
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Snooker champion Zhao Xintong ‘just starting' as he targets success in China
Zhao Xintong has been unable to go anywhere in Shenzhen without being recognised since returning there with the most prized trophy in snooker, but that could be true of much of the planet before long. Advertisement China's first world champion slipped away from his hometown to visit neighbouring Hong Kong this week, and between describing dizzying new-found fame, he revealed ambitions of completing the triple crown of his sport's biggest titles. He told the Post he also wanted to experience success in both mainland China and Hong Kong – which would hardly help him escape the cycle of 'interviews, autographs, photos' he has encountered since landing from the UK last week. 'Obviously, I have many more fans now – people recognise me on the street even if I am wearing a mask,' he said in a billiard hall in Kwun Tong. He had been 'shocked' to be mobbed by airline crew, customs officers and fans when he stepped off the plane at Shenzhen Baoan International Airport. Zhao Xintong was 'shocked' to be mobbed when he arrived at Shenzhen airport last week. Photo: AFP 'It's been one interview after another, though I also got to spend time with my parents, relatives and friends,' he said.
The Independent
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
World champion Zhao Xintong's manager will not let spending splurges wreck dream
Zhao Xintong is on course to become the richest snooker player in history – but his no-nonsense manager insisted she would not allow any spending splurges to wreck his dream of winning multiple 'triple crown' titles. The 28-year-old Zhao beat Mark Williams 18-12 to clinch both the illustrious crown and a cheque for £500,000, watched by an estimated 150 million television viewers in his homeland. Zhao's prize money potential is set to be dwarfed by lucrative endorsements heading his way, but Victoria Shi, who runs the Sheffield academy where he has trained since first arriving in the UK in 2016, is determined to keep a tight grip on his spending plans. 'Let him enjoy it, but if he enjoys it too much, I will tell him off,' said Shi. 'He is the first Asian world champion and that is huge. But it is my job to make sure he stays grounded.' Zhao's win was all the more remarkable for the fact that he battled through four qualifying rounds, having only returned to the tour in September following a 20-month ban for his part in a match-fixing scandal involving 10 Chinese players. Having swept to the UK title in 2021, there had been fears that Zhao's ban could wreck the career of a player who had been picked out by the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White as a prospective star of the future. Shi, whose academy is also home to other top Chinese stars – including others who were handed heftier bans in the match-fixing investigation – revealed how she convinced Zhao to put the controversy behind him and make a fresh start. 'I told him, you didn't kill anyone, you didn't lose your arms and legs. You made the biggest mistake of your life, now learn from it and you will become a stronger person,' added Shi. 'I think he is stronger because of it.' Zhao will head home to China to show off the trophy this week and revel in a triumph that has been a long time coming, since China's original snooker trailblazer Ding Junhui won the first of his three career UK titles in 2005. However, Ding came up short at the Crucible, and when China's other major winner, Yan Bingtao, the 2021 Masters champion, was banned until 2027 for his part in the match-fixing affair, there were real fears that China's love affair with the sport – and its lucrative earning potential – could have peaked. Jason Ferguson, chairman of the sport's global governing body, the WPBSA, has long championed the growth of the sport in China and helped established a post-Covid calendar which this season boasted a total of six major or ranking title events in the country, including Hong Kong. Ferguson said of the match-fixing scandal: 'Things like that are going on in all sports and it's how you manage it. It's a disaster when it first happens but we've soon returned to the China market. 'We've worked alongside the players to make sure the same mistakes don't happen again. We're highly confident the sport has come through this and I can only see it going forward.' Ferguson is excited by the young prospects at both Shi's and Ding's Sheffield academies, who are already showing signs of being able to emulate Zhao, with 14 Chinese players inhabiting the end-of-season world rankings, all but three of whom are under the age of 30. 'I think Xintong has the potential to become the richest snooker player in the history of the sport,' added Ferguson. 'That's quite a bold statement when you think about the titles players like Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan won. 'But the size of the market is huge and when you see the association of the brands who want to partner with snooker, it has endless potential. 'This is one of the biggest occasions snooker has ever seen. We've seen the growth in the China market and we've seen the size and scale of grass-roots development underneath that. 'To see a world champion returning to China as a national hero is only really going to send the sport to another level.'
