A Rise from the Ashes: China's Zhao Xintong Triumphs at the World Snooker Championship
Zhao Xintong, a Chinese player, clinches the world championship title.
A no-holds-barred take on the sensational rise and dramatic fall of a snooker prodigy
Zhao Xintong, the breakout star of snooker, clinched the World Championship on Monday, beating Mark Williams 18-12 in a riveting final that saw China's initial superstar, Ding Junhui, pass the torch to this new prodigy, in more ways than one.
His triumph amidst controversy and adversity at the Crucible marked a revolutionary moment for snooker, as China's impact on the sport skyrocketed.
A two-decade-long wave of Chinese dominance in snooker owes much to Ding, who lost the 2016 World Championship final to Mark Selby. Zhao, however, ended Asia's pursuit of a male world champion with an unrivaled display against three-time champion Williams.
The 28-year-old is now only the third qualifier to win the title since the World Championship moved to the Crucible in 1977, and the youngest world champion since Shaun Murphy won at 22 in 2005. Yet, it's not just his age that sets Zhao apart – it's his controversial comeback from a match-fixing scandal.
Zhao's career took a dark turn in 2022, when he was implicated in a scandal that brought the sport to its knees. He was hit with a 20-month ban for his role in altering the outcomes of multiple games and placing bets himself. This episode threatened his promising career and left the snooker world shocked, with 10 Chinese players, including esteemed players Liang Wenbo and Li Hang, receiving lifetime bans.
However, Zhao's road to redemption reached a thrilling climax at the Crucible, just a ten-minute stroll away from his home in Sheffield. The specter of match-fixing seemed to have empowered him, rather than weigh him down, as he showcased his prodigious talent in an display of audacious power and technique.
Williams, who clinched the title 25 years ago, was well-positioned to compare Zhao with the current generation and had no doubt about the young man's potential. "There's a new superstar of the game. He just saunters around the table and pots balls as if he doesn't have a care in the world," Williams said, admiringly. "Xintong is going to be a national hero now. He'll be on the front page of every Chinese news outlet going, and I reckon there are Chinese companies ready to throw fortunes at him. It's great for our sport to have someone at the top who is so attacking and so young."
Once known as "The Cyclone," Zhao had long been billed as Ding's expected successor, after his dynamite performance in the 2021 UK Championship. His victory at the Crucible was yet another indication of his transformation from budding talent to mature force, establishing him as a legitimate contender for snooker domination.
The recent scandal, however, had cast a sinister shadow over his career, but Zhao proved his mettle by crushingsnooker giants like Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals. His 47 victories in 49 matches since returning from suspension in the inauspicious surroundings of a Q Tour event in Sofia were a testament to his resilience and grit.
"It's like a dream. I can't believe it," Zhao said, moments after his triumph. "There was big pressure, and I was a bit nervous because I knew I couldn't miss. I knew he could come back so quickly, so I had to concentrate and be very careful."
Starting next season at No. 11 in the world rankings, Zhao will join nine other Chinese players in the world's top 32, with England the only nation boasting more stars in the top echelons. The moment underlined John Parrott's belief that Zhao's victory would serve as the spark for a golden era for Chinese snooker. Already, China has a national snooker academy in Beijing, churning out the nation's best young players, and it's clear that Zhao's triumph will inspire a new wave of Chinese players and fans.
After all, as six-time world champion Steve Davis knows, it takes a talented, unyielding player to dominate snooker. He sees Zhao as the future of the sport, thanks to his "cool, almost indifferent" demeanor on the green baize. "Every time anybody put anything up to him, he put it away," Davis said. "He's a very calm player, a cool customer, and he's going to be a danger in the future."
- "Chinese Snooker Star Zhao Xintong Wins Historic World Championship," BBC Sports, May 6, 2025, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/61616351
- "Zhao Xintong Becomes First Asian World Snooker Champion," The Guardian, May 6, 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/may/06/zhao-xintong-becomes-first-asian-world-snooker-champion
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- "Despite his controversial comeback from a match-fixing scandal, Zhao Xintong, the breakout star of snooker and China's latest superstar, has proven his mettle and secured the 2025 World Snooker Championship title with an unrivaled display against three-time champion Mark Williams."
- "With the snooker world shocked by the 2022 match-fixing scandal involving nine Chinese players, Zhao Xintong's road to redemption reaches another milestone following his victory at the Crucible, establishing him as a legitimate contender for continued snooker domination."
- "Now considered a national hero in China, young snooker prodigy Zhao Xintong has inspired a new wave of Chinese players and fans with his thrilling, audacious comeback and recent World Championship triumph."
