With the Champions League being held, the 2022/23 season has officially begun. For this reason, we invited three snooker top analysts and reporters to predict the outstanding players of the new season.
Question 1: The player most likely to win the first ranking event
● Neil Fultz (former world No. 3, Eurosport/itv commentary commentator)
Pang Junxu - his career in 20/21 Impressive results in his first season and I expect him to perform well this season. It was a big shock to see Fan Zhengyi win the European Masters. I think Pang Junxu is actually a better player. He practices very hard and I know he really puts in the effort. I think he's going to take a big step forward and I'm rooting for him to win his first title.
● David Hunton (former world snooker press officer, Eurosport/itv commentary commentator)
Jack Lisowski – I know he gets nominated every year, but it feels like he’s in this year’s There was a change at the World Championships. His win over Neil Robertson was deserved, and he came very close to beating John Higgins . He's a friendly guy, but once you get into the arena, you need that inner steel and self-belief. He showed that at the World Championships. If he can reach the finals again, that's all he needs. He's good enough, he just really needs to believe he can do it.
● Michael McMullen (snooker commentator and journalist)
Tom Ford – Ford is one of those guys who performs so well that you end up wondering why he hasn’t crossed the hurdle to become champion yet That kind of player. I had a really long conversation with him earlier this year and he talked about things like mental corrections that he's been doing. He also said that he considers himself a ranking event champion because he has already won the PTC Championship. To be fair, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he wins a Tour title soon enough to put the debate behind him.
Question 2: Players who will surprise people
● Neal Fultz
Aaron Hill - I am going to look for young people with potential again. Hill showed his potential when he defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan at the European Masters a few seasons ago. Then he went through a series of problems that many young people have. It’s not about what happens when you win, but what happens when you start losing. He hit a wall and went downhill. He's back on tour after a lot of twists and turns, and I think this will be his second climb up as a youngster. I know he's hungry, I'm not saying how far he's going to go, but I think it's going to be a lot better than where he is right now. With two seasons of experience under his belt, he can improve upon that.
● David Hunton
Chris Wakeling - He will be a big improvement. He had a fantastic performance against Stephen Hendry at last season's English Open. 30 years ago, it was impossible for players ranked above 60 in the world to have such abilities. Now these players ranked 32 to 64 are much better than before. They are all dangerous. Chriss is one of those players who makes a conscious effort to work on his body, and making changes will help give him an advantage.
●Michael McMullen
Aaron Hill - Anyone who reaches the top 16 of a ranked tournament within the first few years of switching careers clearly has talent. But after this brilliant start, his performance was a huge disappointment. After falling off the tour, he seemed to have benefited from good advice and guidance. Now that he's back with Q School, I can see him having more stability in the future.
Question 3: This season’s star player
● Neil Fultz
Yan Bingtao – I think Neil Robertson was the star player last year. This year, I’m going to choose someone else.I think Yan Bingtao's performance in this year's World Championships can be ranked in the top three or four. Mark Williams was able to defeat him under heavy pressure. I think he's going to have a really good season, he's capable of winning a major championship, he's another young player that I think is going to move forward.
● David Hunton
Judd Trump - It depends on your definition of star player, after all, winning the World Championship is the greatest achievement in the sport. But in terms of who will win the most titles, I expect Judd Trump to challenge again. People said he was terrible last season, but he won two titles and reached the World Championship final. It's just that the so-called "bad" is that compared with his glory in the previous three years, his performance seems unsatisfactory. Trump has the kind of focus that multiple champions have. If he starts winning titles again early in the season, it could set the tone for the season ahead.
● Michael McMullen
Judd Trump – Winning two major titles and reaching the World Championship finals would be a great season for almost any other player, so for Trump What is considered a "disappointing" season for Pulley only underscores the high expectations we have for him. He seems to be in a bit of a bind, but after a few months off, I can see him coming back refreshed and ready to go.
Question 4: Who is the world's No. 1 at the end of the season
● Neil Fultz
Ronnie O'Sullivan - One must be O'Sullivan . I think he'll have more options this season, but for simplicity's sake, I see no reason why he can't be No. 1 by the end of the season. Mark Selby If he wants to return to the world's number one, there is still a huge gap in bonuses, so I don't think he will challenge O'Sullivan's world number one position.
●David Hunton
Ronnie O'Sullivan - He has the generous prize money brought by the World Championships. In addition, he rarely loses early in the game - since the launch of the series in 2016 Since then, he has never lost in the first round of a local tournament. It's hard to imagine him not appearing in more finals this season, so I think he'll do well enough to stay at the top.
● Michael McMullen
Ronnie O'Sullivan - Very simple, judging from the current ranking structure, the world's number one will almost always be one of the World Championship finalists. O'Sullivan will definitely still be at the top of the list at the end of the season, so it seems like you can bet that he will finish the season in first place.
