Riga Masters: Teenager Yan Bingtao wins title with win over Mark Joyce

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Yan Bingtao Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Yan is the third Chinese player after Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo to win a ranking title

China's Yan Bingtao became the first teenager for 13 years to win a ranking title with a 5-2 win over Mark Joyce in the final of the Riga Masters.

The 19-year-old world number 21 dominated the 54th-ranked Englishman and a break of 66 sealed victory.

Yan is the youngest ranking title winner since compatriot Ding Junhui won the 2006 Northern Ireland Open aged 19.

The tournament was missing several players after their flight to Latvia was cancelled.

Defending champion Neil Robertson, Rob Milkins, Kyren Wilson, Jamie O'Neill and Joe O'Connor were among the players left stranded at Luton airport after problems on the runway and thunderstorms on Thursday.

Earlier in the semi-finals, Yan scored a 5-3 win over Matthew Selt while Joyce edged out Kurt Maflin 5-4 with a break of 126 in the deciding frame.

In 2017, Yan - then 17 - came within a frame of eclipsing Ronnie O'Sullivan's record as the youngest ever winner of a ranking title, but lost 9-8 to Mark Williams in the Northern Ireland Open final.

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