Fu expects big Asian TV audience for worlds

BEIJING, April 11 -- Hong Kong's Marco Fu expects huge live TV audiences of over 100 million in China and Asia as no fewer than four Asians do battle in the world snooker championship starting later this month.

Fu faces China's Ding Junhui in the 32-player opening round and the pair will be joined in Sheffield by Chinese qualifiers Liu Chuang and Liang Wenbo.

Although both the qualifiers take on tough initial opposition in the shape respectively of ex-world champions Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ken Doherty, bookmakers quote only 7-1 against one of the Asian quartet lifting the title.

Live snooker has attracted massive viewing figures in China especially when Fu faced Ding in the quarterfinals of the Masters at Wembley Arena in January and Fu forecasts an even higher audience when the two men meet in Sheffield.

"I think it's very good for the game to have four Asian players competing in the tournament," Fu said. "Snooker has always been a British sport, but it's growing in popularity in Asia. A lot of youngsters look up to myself, Ding and the other Chinese players.

"Seeing us on TV makes them want to pick up a cue and take up the game, so I think we'll see a lot more world-class players emerge from Asia over the next eight to 10 years."

Fu added: "The viewing figures for our match are going to be great. I think there will be even more watching us play at The Crucible than at the Masters because of the fact that it's the world championship."

Fu, who beat Ding 6-3 at the Masters before suffering a semifinal loss to England's Stephen Lee, says he and his rival have been the subject of intense media scrutiny.

"There's a lot of interest in the match in our country so there's been a lot of coverage since the draw was made," said the 30-year-old.

"We've done a lot of interviews, talking about the match. There's going to be a lot of pressure on us."

Fu suffered a heavy 3-10 first round defeat against Anthony Hamilton of England in last year's tournament after being struck down by a mystery illness.

"I felt awful," he explained. "I couldn't really feel my hands. I was sweating a lot and I was struggling to open my eyes at times."

That loss was a big disappointment for Fu after reaching the 2006 semis.

With a high-profile match to contend with in the first round, he refuses to be drawn on whether he fancies his chances of going all the way and lifting the trophy.

"I'm just really concentrating on the opening round at the moment. I'm not thinking beyond that," he said.

Fu won the first ranking title of his career when he beat O'Sullivan in the final of the Grand Prix in Aberdeen last October and he is pleased with his form going into the world championship.

In London betting, Ding is rated a 12-1 chance to win the world crown with Fu at 28-1.

(Source: Shanghai Daily/Agencies)