Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao meet in the final of the German Masters on Sunday and they are both aware of the impact the occasion can have on snooker in China.
The two brightest young stars in the game have shone this week in Berlin, with Yan, 21, beating Dave Gilbert, Mark Selby, Ryan Day and Mark Allen, while Zhao, 24, downed Mark Williams, Tom Ford, Judd Trump and Ricky Walden to reach the final.
It is just the second time a ranking event will have an all-Chinese final after Ding Junhui beat Xiao Guodong in the 2013 Shanghai Masters, and it is the youngest combined age of ranking finalists since the 2006 Grand Prix when Neil Robertson beat Jamie Cope.
Ding has long been the flag bearer for Chinese snooker, but his powers are waning and he has slipped down to number 30 in the world rankings. The country needed successors to step forward and both Yan and Zhao have done so in fine style, with the former claiming the Masters title and the latter the UK Championship last year.
One of them will be leaving Berlin with the second ranking title of their career on Sunday night and the importance for Chinese snooker is not lost on them.
After winning the first semi-final, Zhao told WST: ‘I want to play Bingtao because it’s very important for Chinese snooker, I think, so I want to play Bingtao in the final.’
After Yan beat Allen, asked if this final will have a big impact in his home country, he said: ‘I think so because we need more Chinese people, young Chinese snooker players. It was always Ding who won a lot.’
While there may be much wider impact in terms of growing snooker in China, it is going to be an amazing occasion for both men personally.
The pair are great friends, both based at the Victoria Snooker Academy in Sheffield, they spend pretty much every day together after moving to the UK six years ago to pursue their careers.
‘[He’s a] Very, very, very good friend,’ Yan said of Zhao. ‘Practiced together, play full games together, we’re always together for so many years. I think we will enjoy tomorrow.’
Zhao won the UK Championship just last month and is full of confidence as a result, relishing playing in front of big crowds and especially at the Tempodrom, which he said is the best venue in the world.
‘It’s amazing because it’s my second time in the final and I will enjoy that,’ he said.
‘It’s a beautiful venue, lots of fans here, I like it. But it gives me a little bit of pressure.’
Yan and Zhao lost to Mark Williams and John Higgins respectively in the first round of the Masters earlier this month, which was a blow to the talk of a changing of the guard in snooker, but their success this week in Germany suggests that these two are here to stay in the top 16 and there will be many, many more trophies to come for both.
China is still waiting for its first world champion but both Yan and Zhao will feel the wait is coming to an end, but first it is a battle for the German Masters title and the £80,000 top prize.
The final is a race to nine frames, played over two sessions at 1pm and 7pm UK time, live on Eurosport.
MORE : Why Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Jack Lisowski and more aren’t at the German Masters this week
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