Whenever a teenager claims a world title, people are bound to sit up and take notice. And when a world title crown is lifted by two of them together that counts double. It’s the sort of achievement that signals a major reshaping of the sport, a changing of the guard. It points to a whole new generation of champions.

When Chinese pair Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao claimed the Nongfy Spring World Cup in the city of Wuxi in China’s Jiangsu Province on June 21, their achievement was every bit as significant as that intro might suggest. This is a case where you really do have to believe the hype.

Teenage takeover

Both Zhou and Yan are still in their teens – at just 17, Zhou is two years his partner’s senior. At that age they should, by rights, still be learning their sport, never mind getting to grips with the pressures of tournament play – never mind going head to head – with living legends of the sport. Whilst their peers are at home worrying about their school work, this pair have shown themselves ready to write their own history.

It is not only the fact that the pair lifted the World Cup trophy that is so impressive, it’s also the way they did it. Along the way they knocked out some seriously big names – not the least of them four-time World Champion John Higgins, along with his partner Steven Maguire, who they demolished in the final.

A final demolition

Flying the flag for Scotland, Higgins and Maguire were all-too easily dispatched 4-1 by the young Chinese pair. It was barely even a contest. What makes the result even more remarkable is that Zhou and Yan are not even the first choice Chinese pair. They were entered in the 24 team draw as China B. Their win was even a surprise in China. The Chinese were reigning title holders (Ding Junhui won the last version of the completion in 2011 with Liang Wenbo) but it was Ding and Xiao Guodong who formed the China A paring this time around.

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The odds on the pair going on to establish significant careers for themselves in the years ahead are already being slashed. Between them Zhou and Yan look to have what it takes to dominate the sport in the years ahead. Their names are not yet prominent on the betting lists for events such as next year’s Masters, but it is surely just a matter of time before they are up there.

Time on their side

The teenagers certainly have the talent and they also have time on their side. What is more, they look set to be buoyed by the growing popularity of the game in China and to follow in the footsteps laid down by fellow countrymen Xiao Guodong and Ding Junhui who are already established names on the professional circuit.

Both Zhou and Yan have each lifted the World Amateur title and they are now getting to grips with the demands of a place on the professional circuit. Their $200,000 win is just the start. The pair’s success in the World Cup earned them a place in the Champion of Champions even in Coventry in the UK in November. Even at the tender ages of 17 and 15 their professional careers look to be well on track.

Yan the man to star

In particular it was the showing of 15-year-old Yan who had the critics raving. His seemingly nerveless demolition of Higgins in the opening frame of the final, in which he racked up a stunning break of 100 set the tone early on. The experienced Scottish pair could barely believe their eyes as the youngsters potted their way into a commanding 3-0 lead. There was no way back for the Brits from there as the youngsters continued to show the composure to match their hugely impressive technique. That in itself is a key sign as to what the pair could go on to achieve – 15-year-olds are not meant to be that cool under pressure.

Speaking in the wake of his defeat, Higgins – whose four world titles seemed to count for little against the Chinese barrage – admitted that the pair had simply been too good for him and Maguire, right from the word go, describing their play as ‘unbelievable snooker’. For his part, Maguire was every bit as complimentary in suggesting that the pair were each capable of challenging for – and taking – the individual World championship crown.

That sort of hype is not easy to live up to. But all the signs are that the names of Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao are ones to take a serious note of in the years ahead. They are, of course, part of a surge of Asian talent that has emerged in recent years and that has radically reshaped the international profile of the sport. Forget the UK, China is increasingly looking like snooker’s 21st century home.

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