Mark Williams v Zhao Xintong LIVE: Brilliant Zhao makes history as first Chinese world snooker champion
Zhao Xintong 18-12 Mark Williams: Zhao demolished Williams, who was the oldest world finalist at the age of 50, to secure an unbelievable triumph at the Crucible
Zhao Xintong completed a remarkable victory over Mark Williams in their World Snooker Championship final at the Crucible, as he impressively triumphed 18-12 to become China’s first world champion.
The Chinese star had built a healthy 11-6 lead overnight and extended that on Monday afternoon as he punished Williams’s mistakes to win six of the eight frames on offer and head into the final session 17-8 ahead, with 18 the target for victory. Williams gamely fought back to take the first four frames and force a mid-session interval but but Zhao got over the line to make history.
At 50 years of age, Williams was the oldest Crucible finalist in history as he tried to claim a fourth world title, 25 years after his first. Meanwhile, Zhao is 22 years his junior and the 28-year-old was the youngest World Championship finalist since 2011, as well as now first Chinese world champion.
Zhao is somewhat of a controversial figure as he competed at this World Championship as an amateur after recently returning from a ban for being party to match-fixing in snooker but his place in the history books is now secure.
Relive all the action from the second day of the World Snooker Championship final between Mark Williams and Zhao Xintong below:
Match-fixing scandal casts shadow over World Championship
The high-profile saga engulfed snooker in early 2023 as 10 Chinese players were charged with varying degrees of match-fixing, and ultimately Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were banned from the sport for life. Former world No 11 Liang’s behaviour was identified as “particularly disgraceful” by the WPBSA disciplinary commission that carried out the hearing.
The two biggest names caught up in the scandal were 2021 Masters champion Yan Bingtao, who is currently serving a five-year ban until December 2027, and Zhao, who was ranked ninth in the world when his suspension began, having added the 2022 German Masters title to his shock UK Championship crown.
It is worth repeating that Zhao did not personally fix any matches – hence his punishment being on the more lenient end of the scale – but he was found guilty of being party to another player fixing two matches and betting on snooker matches himself. He saw a 30-month suspension reduced to 20 months following early admissions and his guilty plea but there are those within the sport who wanted to see harsher punishments for every single player caught up in the mess.
Who is Zhao Xintong? The Chinese ‘amateur’ on the brink of World Championship glory after ban
The 28-year-old is playing as an amateur in Sheffield, and before the start of the season hadn’t competed in a professional tournament since 2022. But given he already has a Triple Crown title in his pocket, this isn’t any ordinary amateur snooker player.
For Zhao’s story over the last few years is complex. After brilliantly winning the UK Championship back in 2021 to properly announce his arrival, the left-hander has spent the past two years banned from snooker for his role in the match-fixing scandal that engulfed a number of the sport’s biggest Chinese players.
Who is Zhao Xintong? The Chinese ‘amateur’ on the brink of snooker glory after ban
Tonight's session
The final session of this year’s World Snooker Championship could go to ten frames, but Zhao Xintong needs just one to cement his place in the history books.
The 28-year-old leads 17-8.
Three-time champion Mark Williams needs the comeback of his life to pull off a fourth title.
'Probably the best potter I have ever seen' - Mark Williams
Mark Williams has taken to social media to while away the hours before this evening’s session, writing (edited for typos): “Oh well, that was tough, I've not got enough cue power to combat tough conditions like Zhao. His cue power is superb. Probably the best potter I have ever seen.
"Last session in a few hours. Support I have had this last two weeks has been amazing from the crowd and everyone,” followed by three clapping emojis.
A match too far for Mark Williams?
“It's taken too much out of Mark Williams for him to get to the final, you can see it's a match too far,” says former champion John Parrott on BBC Two.
It does certainly look that way, with some routine misses in this afternoon’s session doing him no good at all.
Zhao one frame away from world title
At the close of this afternoon’s session Zhao Xintong leads 17-8 and is just one frame away from becoming the first Asian player to win the World Snooker Championship.
The 28-year-old has looked utterly nerveless throughout the tournament so far, but can he maintain that, with history on the line this evening?
Play resumes at 7pm BST.
Mark Williams 8-17 Zhao Xintong
Nerves of steel. Zhao knocks in the brown and with it, takes the frame. He leaves the pink in the jaw of the bottom pocket, but it doesn’t matter. One frame away from a first world title.
Mark Williams 8-16 Zhao Xintong
A delightful pot by Williams, firing the red into left-middle from a tight angle, and just narrowly missing the pink off its spot.
Impressive stuff from the Welshman - but then he misses a red to the bottom right pocket, leaving it on the lip, with the frame evenly poised at 37-36, and it feels like he’s lost his chance to take this last frame of this session.
Mark Williams 8-16 Zhao Xintong
The quality looks to have dropped off a little in this final as Zhao misses a yellow and both miss reds. Williams gives a rueful shake of the head as the white cannons off red into the blue, leaving it not so obvious where his next red is.
He makes do for a bit but then attempts a long-range red to blue bag; “oohs” from the crowd as the black is just awkwardly positioned enough to make it a tough pot, and it glances off the cushion. Zhao leads by 21 in this frame.
Mark Williams 8-16 Zhao Xintong
Zhao aims to tuck the white behind the yellow again but it drifts wide, and that’s a missed chance.
But Williams fouls again, aiming to just clip a red but getting nowhere near, and - just his luck - Zhao rifles in a long-range red, and the Chinese player is back on top.
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