Zhao Steals the Snooker Crown
Chinese player Zhao Xintong clinches the World Snooker Championship 2025 title, marking him as the initial World Champion from China.
The 2025 Snooker World Championship final wrapped up last night, with Zhao Xintong, 28, snatching a thrilling 18:12 win against Mark Williams, 50. Becoming the first-ever Chinese Snooker World Champion certainly won't be his last impressive accolade.
Zhao's domination started early, racking up a commanding 7:1 lead, leaving Williams struggling to recover. After an outstanding third session, Zhao only required one more frame to clinch the title. Trailing 17:8, Williams managed to string together four consecutive frames.
However, the comeback failed, as Zhao secured the 30th frame with an impressive break of 87 points, seizing the championship. The prize money of £500,000 (approx. €587,260) now belongs to him.
Rising from the Ashes
Crafting his way to the World Championship title wasn't a stroll in the park for Zhao. After being entangled in a match-fixing scandal, he served a 20-month suspension. Upon his return to competition, he had to battle his way through the qualifiers to reach the main event.
Throughout his tournament voyage, he totalled 111 frames to claim the title. During his journey, he defeated Jak Jones, 31, last year's finalist, seven-time World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, and another World Champion, Mark Williams.
Even before the qualification, Zhao exhibited the skill to outshine many competitors. Bookmakers had awarded odds of 12.00 on his win before the event began.
At 28, Zhao is also the youngest World Champion since 2005, when Shaun Murphy claimed his initial title at 23. Moreover, he is the first Asian World Champion and one of only five non-British champions.
Whirlwind Controversy
Zhao's triumph has stirred up confusion among the snooker community regarding his future ranking position. Having begun the World Championship qualification as an amateur, he held no world ranking at the time.
Before his suspension, he reached a career-high ranking of 9th in the world. With the massive prize money, he will surely leap into the top 16, which guarantees him a spot in numerous tournaments next season.
However, this has caused debate. Typically, amateur-won prize money isn't considered in the professional world ranking. Once a player earns a tour card, past prize money is usually not included in calculations. The World Snooker Tour (WST) has yet to make a statement regarding this issue.
A New Era in Snooker
Recent chatter in the snooker world suggested that the sport faced waning interest and declining attendance, with even legendary Stephen Hendry claiming the sport needed its own Luke Littler to elevate it to new heights.
Could Zhao Xintong be the catalyst for snooker's revival, mirroring the impact Luke Littler had on the world of darts? Zhao's eye-catching performance in this year's championship left onlookers awestruck and breathtaken by his talents. Many fans, players, and experts believe he will soon emerge as the sport's new superstar.
Mark Williams, the 2025 finalist, echoed this sentiment, revealing in an interview shortly after his loss to Zhao:
"Zhao's victory can bring about remarkable changes for the sport. We now have a new superstar on our hands. That's what snooker needs — someone with his incredible abilities. He's bound to be an exceptional world champion. He's probably the best potter I've ever encountered. I hold nothing but respect for him." -Mark Williams, 2025 Snooker World Championship finalist, WST.
Consequently, the 2025/2026 snooker season promises to deliver plenty of spectacle. Due to his suspension, Zhao missed the past two seasons of professional snooker competition. However, as the new world champion, he's expected to shake up the scene and bring excitement to the coming months.
The 2025/2026 season is set to begin as early as early June. Let's hope this new sporting era remains anything but dull!
- Online casinos in Germany might be intrigued to sponsor Zhao Xintong, given his recent win at the Snooker World Championship.
- In 2025, football may experience a surprising wave of enthusiasm as fans cheer for their favorite teams, just like snooker fans did for Zhao.
- By 2025, it's probably safe to expect that Zhao Xintong will extend his victory to other sports, such as football, being known not just as a snooker champion, but a versatile sports player.
- Online casinos in Germany could potentially offer special promotions for Snooker events, considering Zhao'sdominant performance in 2025 and his rise to sports stardom.
