Only Ronnie O’Sullivan can make snooker look as easy as Zhao Xintong, reckons Judd Trump, who takes on the new world number one at the British Open on Friday.
It’s a blockbuster quarter-final in Cheltenham as the current number one takes on the man he replaced at the top of the rankings last month.
Zhao turned in an amazing performance on Thursday as he walloped Michael Holt 4-0 in just over 40 minutes, with breaks of 100, 63, 139 and 112.
It was the kind of intimidating display the Cyclone can produce, although not one he can replicate on demand, as he showed in a much stodgier 4-2 win over Mark Joyce in the last 16.
The 29-year-old’s highs are as high as we have seen, but Trump reckons it is more the style he does it in that makes him stand out.
The Ace thinks others do play as well as Zhao, but only Ronnie O’Sullivan has ever made the game look as easy.
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Asked what standard Zhao can reach in future, Trump told Metro: ‘Tough question. It’s hard to say as it’s still early days.
‘I think it’s just the manner of how he makes it look. I don’t think he’s necessarily got a better standard, but I think the way he makes it look, it’s maybe only Ronnie in the past has made it look that easy.
‘So I think sometimes when you’re sat down, you can be a little bit mesmerised by how easy he makes it look. And that’s more of a challenge to someone that makes it look a bit harder.
‘He’s a great player and he’s got great potential still. He’s already a great player, but he’s someone that I enjoy playing against and it’s a good challenge.’
It’s not just his languid cue action that makes Zhao such a cool presence in the arena, but also his smooth stroll around the table.
‘It’s just a very relaxed walk, isn’t it? Very slow, he just looks very relaxed down on this shot and everything looks very at comfort out there,’ said Trump.
‘He looks very comfortable on the main stage and it’s something that you can’t really teach.’
‘Sometimes I play some stupid shot in an important game that I know John Higgins, Mark Selby or Judd Trump will never do those mistakes. I know for myself, the mental game, this part I can do better,’ Zhao told Metro.
‘I will still go for my style. I just try to study from Judd Trump. He and Mark Selby were world number one for a very long time.
‘I don’t just want a few days or a few weeks to be world number one, I want a lot longer, so I have a long way to go and I just try to study them, but also I will keep my style.’
On Zhao’s aim for a lengthy stay at the top of the rankings, Trump said: ‘Hopefully not too long! But no, it’s good to have people like him in the game.
‘Some of the greats – Ronnie, Mark [Williams] and John [Higgins] are getting a bit older now. It’s always good to have someone that you know is going to be pushing you for the next five or 10 years. It’s always good to have that challenge.
‘I’ve already been around for maybe 15-16 years at the top of the game. Hopefully I’ve got another 10 or 15 years to go and it’s nice to have someone that’s going to make you want to practise and improve.’
Trump and Zhao meet at 7pm on Friday at the British Open, live on Channel 5.
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