Mark Selby names surprise snooker underachiever who 'hasn't really kicked on'
01/24/2025 11:08 AM
Zhou Yuelong is still searching for his first ranking title and Mark Selby is surprised that the Chinese star has not made more of an impact on the World Snooker Tour.
The 27-year-old has already been on tour for over 10 years, turning professional in 2014 at just 16 years old having won the World Amateur Championship the previous year.
Alongside Yan Bingtao, Zhao won the World Cup in 2015 as a 16-year-old and expectations were sky high for the young talent from Chengdu.
It has been a solid career on tour for him since then, finishing runner-up in three ranking events and reaching a peak of 17 in the world rankings, but he is yet to really fulfil his great potential.
Selby was one of the many who thought Zhou was heading for the very top and is surprised he is not there yet, currently ranked 32 in the world.
‘Zhou Yuelong years ago when I watched him I thought for his age he had the complete game, an old head on young shoulders,’ Selby told Metro.
‘He’s not really kicked on. I know he’s not 70-odd in the rankings, he’s still hovering around outside the 16, but I thought he’d do a lot better than what he’s done so far.
‘I just thought he was the one who stood out, for me, and he’s not really kicked on. He’s still got time on his side though, and I’m sure he’ll do something at some stage.
‘Especially with the other Chinese boys doing well, I think it pushes them on.’
It has indeed been a successful season for Chinese players in general, with Xiao Guodong winning the Wuhan Open, Ding Junhui claiming the International Championship title and Lei Peifan a surprise champion at the Scottish Open, but Zhou is still without a ranking title.
The three-time ranking finalist is in action at the Championship League this week, where former UK Seniors champion Peter Lines also said he is surprised Zhou has not been more successful.
‘When he first came over a lot of people thought that he would make the breakthrough first, but then Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong started winning,’ Lines said on commentary. ‘He was the only one of those three that hadn’t won one.
‘Since then, Xiao Guodong, Zhang Anda, Fan Zhengyi and now Lei Peifan win titles and he’s still waiting. He just seems like he’s maybe lost his way a little bit, which is a shame because he’s a terrific player.’
Lines suggested that a memorable loss to Gary Wilson in the 2023 Scottish Open semi-finals could have set him back.
The match went to a deciding frame and Zhou looked set for the final, punching the air when he got to the point of Wilson needing snookers, but the Tyneside Terror got those penalty points and went on to win 6-5.
‘He famously blew that semi-final against Gary Wilson when he celebrated with Wilson needing snookers in the deciding frame, ended up getting them and winning,’ remembered Lines. ‘I don’t know if he’s fully recovered from that experience.’
