Chang Bingyu
Chang Bingyu (Chinese: 常冰玉; born 8 August 2002) is a Chinese professional snooker player.
| Born | 8 August 2002 Urumqi, Xinjiang, China |
|---|---|
| Sport country | China |
| Professional | 2019-2023 |
| Highest ranking | 69 (May 2021) |
| Current ranking | 88 (as of 2 May 2023) |
| Best ranking finish | Last 32 (x3) |
Chang is one of ten Chinese players currently suspended from the professional tour amid a match-fixing investigation.[1] In January 2023, the WPBSA charged him with fixing a match.[2] Following his suspension, Chang posted a message on Weibo, alleging that he had been threatened by his compatriot Liang Wenbo, who also faces match-fixing charges.[3]
Career
Early career
Chang Bingyu first started to play snooker aged 6. At the age of 10, he had his first maximum 147 break in practice. His father, Chang Xudong, sold the family house and quit his job as an engineer to help his son's career, and the pair practiced together. They moved to Guangdong, and Chang worked with British-born coach Roger Leighton at the Wiraka Academy.
His first tournament 147 was in Guangzhou, aged 14. The video was widely circulated on social media. He also won a Junior tournament in Guangzhou, beating Duan Yanfeng 5–1. After victories at U14 and U16 level in Xi'an and Taishan, Chang concentrated on U18 and U21 tournaments. In 2017, Chang won the China Youth Championship in Yangzhou, beating He Guoqiang 4–0.[citation needed]
Later that year, Chang had his first significant result in a senior event on the Chinese tour. By beating experienced professionals Mei Xiwen, Ju Reti and Chen Feilong, he reached the final of the Baoying Open, narrowly losing 5–4 to Cao Yupeng after recovering from 4-1 behind. Ding Junhui's former coach, Wu Wenzhong, said he thought Chang was ahead of Ding at the age of 15. The 7-times world champion Stephen Hendry also attended the tournament and said Chang was even better than he was at that age.[citation needed]
In 2018, Chang Bingyu won the IBSF World Snooker Championship, a leading amateur event. He beat He Guoqiang 8–3 in the final. [4]
Chang Bingyu also received wildcard invitations to the World Open (where he beat Jimmy Robertson), the Shanghai Masters, the China Championship (beating Robertson and Robert Milkins), the International Championship and the China Open (where he beat Mark Davis).
In 2019 Chang had finished at the top of the China amateur rankings, thus qualifying for the World Snooker tour for the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons. He moved to England with his father, where he was at first based at the Q House Academy in Darlington, and then later at the Victoria Snooker Academy in Sheffield.[5]
2019/20 season
Chang Bingyu's first match as a professional was a 4–2 win over Ian Burns in a Riga Masters qualifier. Unfortunately, a visa issue meant that he was unable to travel to Riga to participate in the main event. Chang's best win of the season was against Tom Ford in the World Open. He produced a 120 total clearance in the Shoot Out, which commentator Neal Foulds said reminded him of Mark Williams.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, the season was suspended, and Chang returned to China. He decided not to return when the season resumed, and missed the 2020 World Snooker Championship. He finished the season ranked 103.
2020/21 season
Chang began his second season needing some good results to retain his tour card. His best results came in the two most important tournaments. He reached the third round of the UK Championship, beating Sam Craigie and Mark Allen before narrowly losing to Zhou Yuelong 6–5. In the World Championship he beat Julien Leclercq and Tom Ford before losing a high-quality 'Judgement Day' encounter with Lyu Haotian 10–6, a match which contained 5 century breaks.
Chang Bingyu finished the season ranked 69, but his position on the 1-year list meant he qualified for a new 2-year tour card. After the season, rather than returning to China, Chang chose to stay in Sheffield to work on his game.
Personal life
When in the UK, Chang Bingyu lives in Sheffield and practices at the Victoria Snooker Academy.
Performance and rankings timeline
| Tournament | 2016/ 17 | 2017/ 18 | 2018/ 19 | 2019/ 20 | 2020/ 21 | 2021/ 22 | 2022/ 23 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking[6][nb 1] | [nb 2] | [nb 2] | [nb 2] | [nb 3] | 78 | [nb 4] | 81 | ||
| Ranking tournaments | |||||||||
| Championship League | Non-Ranking Event | RR | 2R | 2R | |||||
| European Masters | A | A | A | LQ | 1R | LQ | WD | ||
| British Open | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 2R | ||||||
| Northern Ireland Open | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | ||
| UK Championship | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 1R | LQ | ||
| Scottish Open | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 1R | WD | ||
| English Open | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | WD | ||
| World Grand Prix | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | ||
| Shoot Out | A | A | A | 2R | WD | 1R | WD | ||
| German Masters | A | A | A | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | ||
| Welsh Open | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | LQ | WD | ||
| Players Championship | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | ||
| WST Classic | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||
| Tour Championship | Not Held | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | |||
| World Championship | A | A | A | A | LQ | LQ | |||
| Former ranking tournaments | |||||||||
| China Open | A | LQ | 1R | Tournament Not Held | |||||
| International Championship | A | A | LQ | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||
| China Championship | NR | A | 2R | LQ | Tournament Not Held | ||||
| World Open | A | A | 1R | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||
| WST Pro Series | Tournament Not Held | RR | Not Held | ||||||
| Turkish Masters | Tournament Not Held | LQ | NH | ||||||
| Gibraltar Open | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | WD | NH | ||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||
| Haining Open | 1R | 2R | 3R | QF | NH | A | NH | ||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LQ | lost in the qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) | QF | lost in the quarter-finals |
| SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
| DNQ | did not qualify for the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament | WD | withdrew from the tournament |
| NH / Not Held | means an event was not held. | |||
| NR / Non-Ranking Event | means an event is/was no longer a ranking event. | |||
| R / Ranking Event | means an event is/was a ranking event. | |||
| MR / Minor-Ranking Event | means an event is/was a minor-ranking event. | |||
Career finals
Pro-am finals: 1
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2017 | Baoying Open | Cao Yupeng | 4–5 |
Amateur finals: 1 (1 title)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
| Winner | 1. | 2018 | IBSF World Snooker Championship | He Guoqiang | 8–3 |
References
- ^ "UK Championship winner Zhao latest to be suspended". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
- ^ Huart, Matt (2023-01-18). "WPBSA Statement | 18 January 2023". WPBSA. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
- ^ "Suspended snooker star accuses Liang Wenbo of orchestrating match fixing". www.sportinglife.com. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ "Chang Bingyu Wins IBSF World Championship". SnookerHQ. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ "Chang Bingyu". World Snooker. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
External links
- Chang Bingyu at worldsnooker.com