Snooker: Dominant cue-men of 2010
Year 2010 has seen some top players going down and losing form, as-well-as some new talents have also emerged to the surface. However, the year has been outshined by the professional snooker players.
The most dominant and certain players to receive the accolade in the year 2010 are:
Neil Robertson – Doubtlessly the year 2010 belongs to this twenty-eight-year-old Australian cueist, for playing phenomenal snooker. Neil Robertson will be the defending champion for the world snooker championship titles next year, as he
won the highest ranked and the most superior tournament this year.
Becoming the first Australian to win such a major ranking event, Neil has proved his class. After winning the world championship, many snooker fans wondered if he will be able to keep up with his form or will he sort of dip in. The answer was given, as Neil
won the next important tournament ‘world open’, with an affirmative victory of 5-1 over Ronnie O’Sullivan.
By defeating Ronnie, the Australian cueist proved his class and potential to beat any player out there. To many snooker fans and critics, Robertson’s win against Ronnie was more fascinating than the world championship final against Graeme Dott. Neil has
affirmed himself as a player with composure and skills, who can survive immense pressure situations and be able to emerge victorious out of them. Considering his performance in the world championship against Martin Gould, defeating Martin 13-12 coming all
the way up from 11-5, one can say that he has good fighting nerves and lots of talent up his sleeves.
Neil moved to the top spot in world rankings and stayed there until he lost to Shaun Murphy in the quarter-final of the UK championship. Neil has also been able to score his maximum break of 147 in China open, the only frame he won in the match.
John Higgins – Amid all the controversies and blame game, John has proved to the world that he has nerves of steel.
Considering the fact that he has been off the table and international competitions for half of the year, the current world number one has produced some beautiful and marvelous snooker this year. After winning the first ranking title ‘welsh open’, many snooker
critics forecasted him as the most successful player of the year. However, unfortunately Higgins was accused of betting controversy by a local news paper. Being suspended for six months, people wondered if he will return to the table, in form. Many believed
that Higgins will need some time before he actually comes back into the shape.
However, it turned out to be an entirely different story, as Higgins came with a bang and reclaimed his position as the top cue out there. Winning his first event after the six-month lay-off, Higgins played incredible snooker in the UK championship in his
homeland. Defeating Stephen Lee, Stephen Maguire, Graeme Dott, Mark Allen and Mark Williams in the final, Higgins clinched the UK titles. He is in tremendous form and his fans hope that he continues with his rampage next year.
Mark Selby – The jester from Leicester, Mark Selby had an impressive year, as he had been able to pull off some of the best snooker being played this year. The twenty-seven-year-old English cueist has stunned many, with his high quality
play and positive intentions.
Following his second Masters triumph at Wembley arena, Mark won the PTC event of the season, in the world snooker academy in Sheffield. Mark’s victory in the final of the Masters, against Ronnie O’Sullivan, can undoubtedly be called the most thrilling one
in the year. Defeating Ronnie 10-9, when he was 9-6 down and holding a player like Ronnie from winning a single frame, is an achievement.
Mark Williams – The runner-up of the UK championship enjoyed a fine year, as he recovers from his out-of-shape form. Winning one ranking event, reaching the final of the UK championship and some semi-final appearances, signifies his return
to form.
Winning the first player’s tour championship PTC event this year, Mark got himself off to a perfect start for the season; nevertheless it was a fine year for Mark.
Young talents – Despite the dominance of the professional and renowned snooker players, some fresh blood has also been infused.
Young player from Thailand, Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon has reached his first ranking event ‘German Masters’, by defeating Barry Hawkins in an astounding fashion. The Thai cueist has been nicknamed the “thai-namite”, after his exploding performances.
Jack Lisowski is another young promising snooker player from England. He has made it to his first ranking event too.
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