Ken Doherty: Xintong Must Not Be Overawed By 'Genius' O'Sullivan

Ken Doherty has urged Zhao Xintong not to be daunted by playing his 'hero' Ronnie O'Sullivan in their World Championship semi-final.

The 2021 UK champion booked his place in the last four of the tournament for the first time with an impressive 13-5 victory over Chris Wakelin.

O'Sullivan now faces his third Chinese opponent in a row following wins against Pang Junxu and Si Jiahui.

Doherty, the 1997 world champion, spoke exclusively to Gambling.com about their encounter, encouraging Zhao not to put seven-time winner O'Sullivan on a pedestal.

He said: "It's very daunting, but I'd say don't watch him - he's just another player. OK, O'Sullivan is the greatest player that's ever played and he's probably Zhao's hero. He also used to mentor Xintong a little bit.

“But what I would say to him is 'don't be in awe of him'. Just treat him as another player. 

"This is the biggest match of his life, playing O’Sullivan in a world semi-final - even probably bigger than his UK Championship win, because he's on the precipice of greatness if he can win this championship and he's very, very capable of winning it. So think about that.

“Don't think about who you're playing and just play the table. Try not to watch O’Sullivan play too much. Keep your concentration, but don't watch him too much when he's at the table. Just worry about yourself.”

Doherty waxed lyrical about one particular shot from O'Sullivan during his 13-9 victory over Si.

Leading 11-9, but trailing 54-29 in the 21st frame, The Rocket potted a long red near the cushion en route to taking a decisive lead.

Doherty said: “It was incredible, absolutely magical - genius! He was under real pressure. He had no safety shot, he tried to pot his way out of it and just to cue that red in down the rail, get on the yellow and clear up, at 11-9. It wasn't like it was the first frame. The guy was coming back at him.

“It was a wonderful pot and he's got great bottle. And as Stephen Hendry said in the studio: ‘that's what he does’. 

"He thrives on finishing matches, and when he got his chance even in the last frame 40-odd behind, he just saw the line and ran right through it.

“He didn't baulk at it. That's what he does. That's what he's been doing for over 30 years and he's still doing it. He's an absolute genius.”

The Irishman also believes The Crucible is in for a treat over the next couple of days and compared Zhao to one of the great crowd favourites from yesteryear.

He said: "I can't wait. Xintong is so great to watch. He's got a wonderful presence and grace around the table. 

"The way he plays, he reminds me a lot of the young Jimmy White when he came on the scene in the 80s. And I used to love watching Jimmy and Alex Higgins - they were my two heroes.

"He's got a wonderful style. He strikes the ball beautifully, he makes wonderful breaks and he's a great long potter. And he just saunters around the table with a smile on his face.

"I think the crowd really enjoy watching him play. I certainly do. And all the pundits do, he's just one of those guys that you just love watching. 

"The match-up between him and Ronnie is going to be fascinating, because this is a young guy that could become a real superstar in the game. And I think he will.

"And of course, he's up against the greatest superstar that the game has ever seen. So it's going to be a fascinating contest." 

Although the crowd would love to see O'Sullivan win an eighth title in Sheffield, Doherty is in the Judd Trump camp.

The world number one, whose sole title at The Crucible came in 2019, faces Mark Williams for a place in the final.

Doherty said: “I think Trump's going to win it, I really do, the way he's playing. I thought it was going to be a Trump v O’Sullivan final right from the start. I'm still going to stick with that.

“But I'm hoping that Williams and Xintong push both of them, because I think the two semi-finals are going to be fascinating.”