SINGAPORE: When the biggest names in snooker cue off in Beijing next week at
the China Open, tens of millions of people will sit up and take notice.
But it won't be the likes of Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Jimmy White
and Ronnie O'Sullivan they will be cheering on.
These days, Asia has own crop of snooker stars, led by Chinese wonderkid Ding
Junhui and his compatriots Liang Wenbo and Jin Long.
The sport's popularity in the region is on an upward curve, driven by China
where a staggering 110 million people tuned into the China Open final last year
to watch Ding beat Hendry.
The win elevated Ding to the status of national hero and worked wonders for
snooker, placing him alongside Yao Ming in the popularity stakes and giving the
sport an invaluable lift in a market of 1.3 billion people.
Nine Chinese will compete in this year's China Open, along with Thai star
James Wattana, a former world No 3 who has done much to popularize the sport in
Asia.
When he was crowned World Matchplay champion in 1992, defeating Steve Davis
9-4 in the final, he returned to a hero's welcome in his native Bangkok.
He was made a Commander third class of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of
Thailand, a rare honour for a Thai sportsman. At the time, only the legendary
Thai boxer Khaosai Galaxy had received such an accolade.
Wattana is currently the highest ranked Asian at 30, with Ding snapping at
his hills on 33. Hong Kong's Marco Fu, another long-time stalwart, is at 39 with
Liang at 76, Malaysia's Moh Keen Hoo at 95 and Jin at 97.
But it is Ding from eastern Jiangsu Province who has been credited with
professionalizing snooker's image in China, where it is often played on city
sidewalks, especially on hot summer days.
His victory over Davis at the UK Championships last year fuelled even more
interest in a sport that is played by an estimated 50 million people in China.