China's 26-year-old Lyu Haotian, the world number 31, in the spotlight...
Lyu, looking back on last season, your best run took you to the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open, what was the key that week?
I tend to play better in China, when I am in the UK I sometimes feel homesick. But Wuhan was a bit of surprise really. I had a bad cold that week and a high temperature, I took a lot of medicine. Apart from playing my matches, I wasn't able to get out of my hotel room. I was not able to rest well. But I played well in my first few matches and then played Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals. Neither of us played well in the first two frames but I won them both on the colours and then I was able to go 4-0 up and win 5-1. I didn't really expect to win because I wasn't feeling well physically, but maybe that's what took the pressure off. It wasn’t a great match but I got the better of him on safeties earlier on which was the key.
Looking ahead to the coming season, how important is it to get off to a strong start?
Having a great run early on boosts your one-year ranking which is a big help later in the season. It takes the pressure off and then hopefully you can get into the World Grand Prix and the other Players Series events. So it's really important to nail the first half of the campaign.
Next week you play John Higgins in the first round of the Shanghai Masters, how will you prepare for that match?
I hope I can perform in Shanghai. I'm traveling there three days before the event to practise. I hope to bring a relaxed mindset into the match against Higgins. I saw his clearance at the World Championship to beat Mark Allen 13-12 - I felt sorry for Allen but what a brilliant clearance under that amount of pressure! Those are the kind of clearances that top players like Higgins and Mark Selby can pull out, at the key moments in big matches. That's exactly what separates them from others. To be honest I don't think the double (Higgins’ first red) was an extremely tough shot, but it's all about the pressure under the circumstances. There is a tendency to think 'what happens if I miss?' and play safe instead.
The crowd in Shanghai can be as big as 3,000 fans, would that be a great experience if it’s packed for one of your matches?
I can't wait for a crowd like that! I don't think I have played in front of a bigger audience than the Crucible crowd. I have no idea what a full stadium of 3,000 would be like.
You mentioned being homesick when you are in the UK, is that a difficult part of being a tour pro?
I plan to spend more time in China this season, if there is a gap between tournaments I’ll come home. I've always preferred to build my own life in China. It’s a healthy scenario now with more tournaments in China, but it’s tough to go to the UK to play in qualifying events. I’ll fly to the UK soon after Shanghai so I have time to be prepared for the Xi’an Grand Prix qualifiers.