China's Zhao on the verge of claiming the title of World Snooker champion.
Title: Zhao Xintong Claims Historic World Snooker Championship Victory Against Mark Williams
Let's talk about the sensational win by Zhao Xintong at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, shall we? The dude's 28 and he just made himself the first Asian player to claim the World Snooker Championship, taking down ol' Mark Williams by a score of 18-12!
Sunday saw Zhao build an impressive 11-6 lead. With the title almost within reach, he turned up the heat in Monday's afternoon session. Four frames out of the first five? That's 15-7! It seemed like he was gonna wrap this bad boy up in a single session, but Williams managed to momentarily halt the avalanche.
Meanwhile, the 50-year-old Welshman Williams looked like a fish out of water against Zhao's dynamic shot-making and break-building blitzkrieg. The Chinese superstar has been one golf stroke away from immortality, just waiting to seal the deal.
Zhao has some impressive company, though. He's only the second Chinese player to make it to the World Championship final, following in the footsteps of Ding Junhui, who appeared in the 2016 showpiece. But while Ding took a beating from Mark Selby nine years ago, it seems Zhao's got what it takes to become the first Asian world snooker champion.
It's safe to say Zhao ain't your average Joe. He's been playing as an amateur as he works his way back from a 20-month ban for his involvement in a betting scandal. Remember, he won the 2021 UK Championship, so it's clear he's got some serious talent.
The scandal we're talking about saw Zhao getting wrapped up in a match-fixing scandal, being part of another player fixing two matches and betting on matches himself. The fallout led to ten Chinese players being punished, with Liang Wenbo and Li Hang receiving life bans.
Crazy, right? But won't stop us from celebrating Zhao's historic win. He pulled a rabbit out of the hat, battling through four qualifying rounds, walking distance from his Sheffield home, just to reach the World Championship main draw. What a victory for Chinese snooker and millions of fans back home!
© 2025 AFP
Displaying impressive skill and resilience, Zhao Xintong, the oldest Chinese player to reach the World Snooker Championship final, secured a place in the history books by defeating the sport's stalwart, 50-year-old Mark Williams, in a thrilling best-of-35-frame encounter at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre. Zhao's victory marked the first time a player from Asia has claimed the prestigious World Snooker title.
