Zhao Xintong became China’s first winner of the World Snooker Championship in England on Monday, defeating Mark Williams 18-12 in the final.
Resuming with a 17-8 lead at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre and needing one more frame to complete victory, the 28-year-old proceeded to lose the first four to his veteran opponent, before getting over the finish line in the fifth.
“I can’t believe what I’ve done. I’m very excited,” Zhao, draped in China’s flag, told the Crucible audience. “I was so nervous tonight. Mark is still a top player and gave me so much pressure. He’s the best.
“I want to say thank you for everybody coming here, a nice crowd. Thank you everybody.”
Zhao said he planned some celebratory drinks, but admitted he had struggled to visualise scaling such heights after being banned for 20 months in 2023 for his fringe role in a match-fixing scandal. He did not fix matches but was a party to another player doing so, and placed bets, for which he apologised and expressed shame and regret.
