SYDNEY, April 16 (Xinhua) -- After winning the Australian Masters Snooker Championship, Steve Mifsud said he's excited to take on the world's best at the 2018 IBSF World Masters Snooker Championship in November.
The Melbourne player took the title at the Central Coast venue on Sunday over Joe Manici in the final, with the score finishing 5-3.
"I am currently ranked number one in Australia so I was under a bit of pressure to win," he told Xinhua on Monday.
Although Mifsud in the end won comfortably, raking up some big breaks and only dropping one frame in the qualifying rounds, the final was not without its controversy.
Midway through the third frame, with Manici up 2-0, a light shade over the table went out.
"At that stage he was playing very, very well and I was struggling a little bit," Mifsud said.
"So what happened was the organisers had to measure each ball on the table and move us to another table."
"That took a bit of time so it probably gave me a chance to get myself together."
After playing snooker for almost four decades and no stranger to international competitions, the Aussie is keen to take on the world's best at the end of the year and looks forward to seeing China's emerging talent on show.
"You know you've got your hands full when you play a Chinese player," he said.
"They are putting so much effort into developing talent."
"They have really good coaches in China now and great facilities, so they are really becoming the strongest country."
A location for the tournament has not yet been confirmed.
