Zhao Xintong made history Monday night in Sheffield, becoming the first Chinese player — and the first amateur — to win the snooker World Championship with a stunning 18-12 victory over three-time champion Mark Williams.
The 28-year-old arrived at England’s Crucible Theatre, one of snooker’s most hallowed stages, as a wildcard — a former prodigy returning from a 20-month suspension for breaching betting rules, a ban that ended last September, and still rebuilding his career.
Two weeks later, he stood alone under the lights, raising a Chinese flag after securing one of the most significant titles in the sport.
Zhao had raced to a commanding 17-8 lead by Monday afternoon, leaving crowd favorite Williams needing a near-miracle to stay alive. The Welshman gave the audience a burst of drama, taking four straight frames in the evening session. But Zhao closed the match in the 30th frame with a break of 87.
Speaking moments after his win, Zhao said: “I can’t believe I did it. I was very nervous tonight, and Mark is still a top player who put a lot of pressure on me. He is truly the best player. I’m not tired at all now — I’m going to celebrate tonight.”
After the match, Williams praised his opponent’s shotmaking under pressure, calling Zhao “probably the best potter I’ve ever seen.” In a social media post, he added, “That was tough. I haven’t got enough cue power to combat tough conditions like Zhao. His cue power is superb.”
The win capped years of growing anticipation in China, where snooker has surged in popularity since Ding Junhui’s breakthrough as a teenager in the early 2000s. Despite reaching the final in 2016, Ding never clinched the world title, and no Chinese player had lifted the trophy until now.
Ding, now 38, was eliminated in the round of 16 this year. Shortly after Zhao’s win, he posted on social media, “Someone has finally crossed the finish line on this track,” and called the victory “the best reward for Chinese snooker fans who have always supported and waited for this day.”
Entering the tournament as a wildcard, Zhao had to come through the qualifiers to reach the main draw. Along the way, he defeated four opponents before facing seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semifinals, where he delivered a dominant 17-7 performance, including an 8-0 whitewash in the second session.
The final also marked the largest age gap in a World Championship decider: Williams, 50, first won the title in 2000 — when Zhao was just 3 years old.
Born in Shenzhen in 1997 to healthcare worker parents, Zhao first picked up a cue at age 7 on a table near his home. He began training seriously by 2009 and turned professional in 2016.
In 2023, Zhao was among several players implicated in a match-fixing investigation. He was initially banned for two and a half years, but the suspension was reduced to 20 months after he admitted wrongdoing and cooperated with authorities, allowing him to return to competition in September 2024.
He reentered the sport through the Q Tour, the premier qualifying circuit to the World Snooker Tour, where he won four of seven events and set a record with 32 consecutive victories — a run that helped secure his wildcard entry into this year’s championship.
By the time he reached the final in Sheffield, Zhao’s form had already drawn attention. Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry predicted he would defeat Williams, telling the BBC: “Zhao Xintong has been irresistible. What he does is win bunches of frames with no reply.”
Zhao’s victory sparked a wave of celebration in China, where fans flooded social media with tributes. On the microblogging platform Weibo, his win dominated trending lists. “Most admirable is his ‘couldn’t-care-less’ expression while playing,” one user wrote. “From the distractible talent Ding Junhui once praised to now carrying the banner for Chinese snooker, Zhao has truly turned a fairy tale into reality.”
“After supporting Chinese snooker for 20 years, I’ve finally witnessed a Chinese player win the World Championship,” another posted. “Since snooker was invented by the British, their dominance was long unchallenged. That’s why Zhao’s victory carries such extraordinary weight.”
Editor: Apurva.
(Header image: Zhao Xintong in action against Mark Williams at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England, May 5, 2025. Mike Egerton/PA/VCG)