Players express outrage as Zhao Xintong faces new scandal
Title Chaser Zhao Xintong's Run Leaves Peers Feeling Pissed
28-year-old Chinese snooker player Zhao Xintong is just one win away from making history as the first amateur player to grab the World Snooker Championship crown. In the final, he's up against 47-year-old Mark Williams. As of Sunday's opening session, Zhao leads 11-6.
Should he take the title, Zhao could pocket a whopping £500,000. But it's not just the massive earnings that's raising eyebrows among his peers. The fact that Zhao's potential earnings, as an amateur, will go towards his ranking instead of the tour fund has some of his rivals in a snit, admits BBC snooker pundit Ken Doherty.
"It's all about that prize money," Doherty grumbled. "A lot of players are pissed off about it. The rules might've been changed, if he wins the Championship he keeps the prize money, when it should be going to scratch when he picks up his tour card."
Zhao, previously on the professional circuit, was benched for 20 months after allegations of match-fixing. However, he never directly threw a match. Instead, he was charged with being a party to another player who fixed two matches, and with betting on matches himself. As a result, Zhao was kicked off the pro tour.
Jumping back onto the pro scene, Zhao managed to regain his spot via the Q Tour. On the BBC's coverage, World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) spokesperson Jason Ferguson defended the fact that Zhao would keep his ranking points, given he'd earned his way back onto the tour following his suspension.
"People will always look back, but when you're young, you might get pulled into things," Ferguson reminded. "There's a route back, and there's a route to return. From our point of view, he's done the right thing from day one and is welcomed back into the sport."
If Zhao can hold on to his lead, he'll become the first Chinese player to snag the world championship title and only the third player outside the UK to do so since 1997.
More Snooker News
### Who Gave Williams the Laughs? ### 'It Sucks' - O'Sullivan Opens Up About Loss at Depressing Low "The Predicament of Money" - Zone in on the heated discussions swirling around Zhao's earnings as an amateur.
### Why Did Xintong Get Banished? ### Global Audience for World Championship Surges with Zhao's Historic Winnings "Support Xintong" - Williams Backs Chinese Player to Become Snooker's Luke Littler ### The Potting Master - Zhao Makes Snooker History as He Bests Williams
Zhao Xintong never intentionally tossed a match, but the consequences of his actions left him temporarily off the pro circuit.
- The fact that Zhao Xintong, an amateur, could potentially earn £500,000 and keep the money for his ranking, has stirred heated discussions among his peers in the snooker community.
- Zhao Xintong was previously suspended from the professional circuit due to allegations of match-fixing, but he was later readmitted through the Q Tour.
- If Zhao Xintong wins the World Snooker Championship, he would become the first Chinese player to do so and the third player outside the UK to win the title since 1997.
