Zhao Xintong made history by becoming the first Chinese player to win the World Snooker Championship after defeating three-time champion Mark Williams of Wales at the Crucible Theatre.
The 28-year-old secured the title with an 18-12 victory. With this, Zhao also became the first amateur to ever win the world title. The athlete expressed, “I can’t believe what I’ve done. It’s very exciting… I was so nervous tonight. Mark is still a top player and put me under so much pressure. He’s the best.”
“It’s a very special moment for me, for Chinese snooker, for everyone,” he added.
The win after his ban
Zhao Xintong’s win at the 2025 World Snooker Championship is a redemption story.
The athlete received a 20-month ban back in 2023 for match-fixing, and because of this, he lost his rank as a professional and entered the tournament as an amateur. He started from the qualifiers and had won four impressive matches just to reach the final stage at the Crucible Theatre.
He earned his spot in the final by defeating seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals. Having a nickname of “the Cyclone”, Zhao has now set the stage for the rise of a new snooker star.
Zhao now joins Terry Griffiths and Shaun Murphy as the only qualifiers to win the World Snooker Championship.
Highlights of the game
Zhao remained calm and confident, smiling under pressure while Williams struggled with accuracy. This led Zhao to build a dominant 17-8 lead. Williams then fought back, narrowing the gap and raising the tension in the arena. Despite his opponent’s comeback, Zhao closed the match in the fifth frame of the session, proudly securing his historic win.
The finals were also historic, as 50-year-old Mark Williams became the oldest player ever to reach a World Snooker Championship final.
Williams admitted, “It’s been a brilliant tournament for me… The support I’ve had for the past two weeks has been unbelievable.”
The athlete added, “But what a potter Zhao is. I’m glad I’ll be too old when he’s dominating the game. I’ve got nothing but admiration for what he’s done, coming through the qualifiers. He hasn’t played for two years, bashed everybody up. There’s a new superstar of the game.”
In a celebratory social media post, Zhao shared his triumph with a simple caption: “🏆🏆🏆”
That was all it took to spark an outpouring of pride and excitement online. Comments poured in from fans across the region, hailing him as “Asia’s first ever champion of the world 🌍” and a true “superstar” for China.