Yan Bingtao: Ronnie O’Sullivan’s retirement plot exposed as youngster ‘tipped to win lot’

YAN BINGTAO beat John Higgins to become the youngest Masters champion in 26 years – and Ronnie O’Sullivan’s retirement pathway was exposed before the Rocket compared the youngster to other snooker legends.

Yan of China defeated seasoned competitor John Higgins 10–8 in a thrilling comeback to win his first Triple Crown championship. At the age of 20, Yan made his Masters debut, one year older than O’Sullivan, who went on to become the youngest champion in 1995 after defeating Higgins as well. Shortly after, O’Sullivan, also known as the Rocket, praised Yan, saying his title reminded him of the first major trophy won by snooker greats like Stephen Hendry, Higgins, and Mark Williams.

He told Eurosport: “Yan Bingtao winning this tournament, the way he’s come through is fantastic.

“Not just to see a new winner but someone that you think he’s going to go on and win a lot more.

“It’s like when Hendry come along, them type of players – John Higgins, Mark Williams, you thought, ‘This could go on for a while’.”

Having qualified to compete on the main tour for the 2015–16 season, Yan was unable to obtain a UK Visa, and decided to dedicate the year to completing his education in China.

Being born in the Noughties, he became the first active professional when he started his career again in 2016.

Yan, who is 19 years old, won his first ranking title in the Riga Masters at the start of the 2019–20 season.

Since Ding Junhui in 2006, he became the youngest player to win a ranking tournament.

Remarkably, after defeating Ding in the August World Championship, O’Sullivan declared he would have to “lose an arm and a leg” to fall short against younger snooker players.

O’Sullivan stated, “I’m not surprised that [the older players] are still playing like this,” in a post-match interview. The younger players that are emerging aren’t all that good, in my opinion.

Most would probably do well as half-decent amateurs, but not even that.

“That’s why we are still hovering around. How poor it is down that end. It is that bad.”

But O’Sullivan may have changed his mind after last night’s display.

It came after the 45-year-old already revealed plans to retire before he is 50.

He said in 2020: “Next year I probably won’t practice. I’ll probably just play every tournament and use that as my practice.

“Then I can come home, spend some time at home, do the other bits and pieces that keep me happy. I don’t want to be a slave to the game.