Zhao Xintong Claimed World Snooker Title, Crowned as Century's Outstanding Player
Hail Zhao Xintong: China's Unstoppable World Snooker ChampionBrushing aside controversies, he paved his way to the topThe remarkable rise and fall, and rise again, of the snooker prodigy
Born a Player
Zhao Xintong, 28, was kicking ass in Xi'an, China, on April 3, 1997. Little is dished about the enfant terrible's parents: they're rumored to work in a hospital and he's the lone wolf of the family.
At the tender age of eight, Zhao stumbled upon a snooker table in his 'hood and spent countless hours perfecting his hustle. Eventually, he cajoled his folks to drop some dough on a home table, and he hit the cue ball day and night.
Zhao's persistence paid off: at 15, he kicked off his amateur career and left opposition like Xiao Guodong, Ken Doherty, and Steve Davis scurrying for cover.
In 2013, he reached the finale of the World Amateur Championship, but missed the tour card after losing to Zhuo Yuelong. He pocketed the tour card two years later, courtesy of Pankaj Advani's reluctance to claim it.
From Rags to Riches
Zhao's Main Tour debut was a dumpster fire. He signed up for ranking events but never so much as left a mark. He lost his tour card after two shitty years and had to prove his worth at the Q School.
He made his mark in 2018, reaching the semi-finals of the China Championship. He also croaked in the quarterfinals of the Welsh Open that year.
The following year, he cracked the World Snooker Championship for the first time but bowed out in the first round to Mark Selby. Over the next couple of years, Zhao climbed the WST world ranking and reached the last 16 in numerous tournaments.
A Season to Remember
Zhao's resident at the podium arrived in 2021, taking home the UK Championship with a 10-5 win against Luca Brecel. This catapulted him up to ninth in the world rankings. He then bagged the German Masters in 2022.
The floodgates opened in 2023. On a fateful January 3rd, Zhao was temporarily put on ice due to a match-fixing investigation. It later emerged as the biggest match-fixing scandal in snooker history.
Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were charged with running an illegal match-fixing ring and manipulating results. A dozen Chinese players, including Zhao, were implicated. While some were slapped with lifetime bans, Zhao was hit with a 20-month suspension.
An independent commission found that Zhao did not tamper with any matches. However, he was in cahoots with the fixers and placed bets on behalf of another player. His cooperation led to a relatively lenient punishment.
Zhao made history in 2025, becoming the first Chinese player ever to win the World Snooker Championship. He kicked Mark Williams' ass 18-12 in the final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, scooping up the trophy and a cool £500,000.
The Future is Zhao's
Zhao is undoubtedly cooking up a storm and set to dominate snooker in the coming years. He's riding high on his World Championship win and should be playing with supreme confidence.
The WST recently published the new world rankings, with Zhao now standing tall at 11th.
Snooker junkies can expect a wild 2025/2026 season ahead.
What's Brewing for Zhao?
Zhao has the juice to reign supreme in the years to come. He's officially the fucking World Champion, having overcome the shame of a match-fixing scandal in 2023, slogging it out as an amateur before rejoining the pros, and still being banned from competing in China until mid-2025 due to conditions of the scandal.
While he's now lauded as a national hero and inspiring millions of admirers in China, he's currently prohibited from entering snooker events in mainland China. His professional career resumed after the suspension ended in 2025.
All hail the indomitable Zhao Xintong, a living embodiment of resilience and triumph!
Sources: [1], [2], [3]
Online casinos in Germany witnessed a surge in interest following Zhao Xintong's historic World Snooker Championship win in 2025.
Zhao, who was born in Xi'an, China in 1997, displayed remarkable resilience throughout his career, overcoming a match-fixing scandal in 2023 and a ban from competing in China until mid-2025.
In 2025, Zhao became the first Chinese player ever to win the World Snooker Championship, defeating Mark Williams 18-12 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and pocketing a £500,000 prize.
As of the new world rankings published in 2025, Zhao stood at 11th, reflecting his continued dominance in the sports world.
