Zhao becomes China's first world snooker champion after comeback from ban
Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to win the World Snooker Championship with a victory over Welshman and three-times winner Mark Williams at the Crucible Theatre on Monday, the latest chapter in Zhao's remarkable rise and fall story.
The 28-year-old won by 18 frames to 12 to become the first amateur to win the world title, despite a spirited comeback attempt from Williams.
"I can't believe what I've done. It's very exciting," said Zhao, draped in a Chinese flag. "I was so nervous tonight. Mark is still a top player and put me under so much pressure. He's the best.
"It's a very special moment for me, for Chinese snooker, for everyone."
Zhao received a 20-month ban in January 2023 after a match-fixing scandal that rocked the sport, the repercussions of which meant he was classed as an amateur at this event and needed to get through four rounds of qualifying to reach the Crucible — a gruelling run to the title that began on April 7.
The Chinese player, who lives just a 10-minute walk from the Crucible venue, took an 11-6 overnight lead into Monday's third session.
While Zhao looked completely unflappable and kept smiling throughout the afternoon session, Williams struggled for accuracy and appeared powerless to stop his opponent from taking a seemingly unassailable 17-8 lead, meaning Zhao needed to win just one frame in the evening final to claim the world title.
But a free-wheeling Williams made things interesting by winning the evening's first four frames with a flurry of excellent shots before the younger player answered in the fifth to secure victory.
The final was already historic no matter the result, as the 50-year-old Williams became the oldest player to reach the final with his semi-final win over world number one Judd Trump.
"It's been a brilliant tournament for me," said Williams, momentarily fighting back tears. "The support I've had for the past two weeks has been unbelievable.
"But what a potter Zhao is. I'm glad I'll be too old when he's dominating the game. I've got nothing but admiration for what he's done, coming through the qualifiers. He hasn't played for two years, bashed everybody up. There's a new superstar of the game."
Zhao had swept aside seven-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals to set up what was billed as the coronation of a new snooker king.
The Chinese player, nicknamed "the Cyclone", raced out to an early 7-1 advantage in the best-of-35-frame contest but Williams staged a mini-revival in Sunday's second session to keep alive his hopes of a fourth title.
No player, however, had overcome such a large overnight deficit since the tournament moved to the Crucible in 1977.
Zhao joined Terry Griffiths and Shaun Murphy as the only qualifiers to capture snooker's most prestigious trophy.
He banked a cheque for 500,000 pounds ($664,000.00) with Monday's victory, while Williams won 200,000 ($265,000) and climbed to number three in the world ranking.
Williams has been struggling with vision problems and playing without glasses or contact lenses while he awaits lens replacement surgery in June.
"I'm still playing quite good stuff, even though my eyesight is a bit blurry," said Williams.
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