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‘I came to UK with no money and couldn’t speak English – now I’m a Crucible contender’
Patience has paid off Xiao Guodong as he heads to the World Championship as a genuine contender for the title. Ding Junhui no longer carries Chinese snooker hopes on his shoulders, with four players from the country securing a direct ticket to Sheffield as top 16 seeds.
They include Xiao, who has enjoyed a breakthrough season, including a long-awaited maiden ranking title. His 10-7 victory over compatriot Si Jiahui in the Wuhan Open final in October came 17 years after he turned professional. Only slightly younger than Ding, the 36-year-old has had to bide his time for success since heading to the UK as a teenager to join the tour. A new country, unable to speak English, not used to cooking for himself and struggling to make ends meet financially – there were some tough times for a young Xiao. “I came into London Heathrow in September 2007, it was very cold,” he recalls. “Back then, we didn’t make a lot of money, not like now. I couldn’t speak English. The only thing I could say was ‘thank you’ and ‘OK’.
