Zhao Xintong started this season suspended from snooker after a match-fixing scandal however is tipped to be the game’s new “megastar” after turning into the primary Chinese language participant to win the World Championship.
The 28-year-old, who lives only a 10-minute stroll from the Crucible Theatre venue in Sheffield, joined Terry Griffiths and Shaun Murphy as the one qualifiers to land snooker’s largest prize because the match’s 1977 transfer to South Yorkshire.
His 18-12 victory over Mark Williams on Monday means he’s additionally the one beginner to say the world title within the Crucible period, and the youngest winner since Murphy in 2005.
Zhao, who hails from Xi’an in north central China, moved to the UK in 2016 and was showing within the third ranking-event last of his profession.
“Profitable the championship is the large dream for Chinese language snooker,” stated Zhao, previous to going through three-time winner Mark Williams within the last.
“After I was eight to 10 years outdated it was my first time to play snooker and from that second it has been actually far [to get to this point]. If you wish to turn out to be a superb participant it’s good to do that [move away from home], despite the fact that it is extremely arduous.”
He received the UK Championship in 2021 and the German Masters in 2022, however his burgeoning profession was abruptly stopped when he was considered one of 10 gamers from China sanctioned in 2023 following an investigation into match-fixing.
Zhao didn’t immediately throw a match, however he accepted fees of being celebration to a different participant fixing two matches and betting on matches himself, and for these offences he acquired a 20-month ban.
He returned to motion in September on the beginner Q Tour and has received occasions in Manchester, Sweden, Austria and Belgium, whereas he additionally certified for the UK Championship however misplaced to Shaun Murphy within the first spherical.
On the World Championship, Zhao needed to advance by way of 4 qualifying rounds after which get previous 2024 Crucible finalist Jak Jones, Lei Peifan and Chris Wakelin to succeed in the semi-finals.
Zhao, nicknamed ‘The Cyclone’, swept seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan apart with a session to spare within the final 4, to file his forty sixth win in 48 matches since getting back from his ban.
Because of his suspension, Zhao misplaced his place on the World Snooker Tour (WST) and his skilled standing, though he has secured his card to return to the elite tour subsequent time period.
