Zhao Xintong served a 20-month ban from the sport after being caught up in a match-fixing scandal

Who is China’s first World Snooker Champion Zhao Xintong and why did he serve a 20-month ban from the sport?

Zhao was crowned China’s first world snooker champion after withstanding a stirring comeback from Mark Williams to complete an 18-12 win at the Crucible.

The 28-year-old earned the famous trophy and a cheque for £500,000, also becoming the only the third qualifier and the first amateur player to triumph at the Crucible, having lost his tour card in January 2023 for his part in a match-fixing scandal.

Zhao had admitted being party to an effort to fix or contrive to fix two matches involving his compatriot Yan Bingtao, the former Masters winner.

He was one of 10 Chinese snooker players implicated in a match-fixing investigation but received the shortest suspension handed out by the WPBSA. Zhao was found to be in breach of “being party to another player fixing two matches,” as well as placing bets on snooker matches. He also had to pay £7,500 in costs for his part in the operation.

Despite frequently expressing contrition for his involvement there may be some who believe his triumph is a tainted one.

Referencing his 20-month ban that expired in September, Zhao said: “I had nearly two years not playing in tour competitions and that’s why I said my first target was to get through qualifying to the Crucible.

“I can’t believe I went on to be champion, but I am back now and I want to keep going.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan spoke about Zhao’s ban from the sport

Ronnie O’Sullivan said: “Yeah, I think it was unfortunate for some of the boys. I think they weren’t really involved in it from what I gather. So some of them, you just think, it was really harsh for them. I don’t know the full facts of it, to be honest with you. But from what I heard, was just caught in the firing line and a bit [of] naivety, I suppose.”

Zhao will head home to China to show off the trophy this week and revel in a triumph that has been a long time coming, since China’s original snooker trailblazer Ding Junhui won the first of his three career UK titles in 2005.

However, Ding came up short at the Crucible, and when China’s other major winner, Yan Bingtao, the 2021 Masters champion, was banned until 2027 for his part in the match-fixing affair, there were real fears that China’s love affair with the sport – and its lucrative earning potential – could have peaked.

Ranking points and prize money

Jason Ferguson, chairman of the sport’s global governing body, the WPBSA, says Zhao deserves to retain ranking points after securing his tour card again via the Q Tour rather than in Sheffield.

Ferguson said of the match-fixing scandal: “Things like that are going on in all sports and it’s how you manage it. It’s a disaster when it first happens but we’ve soon returned to the China market.

“We’ve worked alongside the players to make sure the same mistakes don’t happen again. We’re highly confident the sport has come through this and I can only see it going forward.”

Zhao beat Mark Williams to secure the World title and become the tournament’s first winner from China

BBC pundit Ken Doherty has voiced concerns that some players are “up in arms”, stating that there’s disagreement among professionals regarding Zhao’s Crucible earnings being counted towards his ranking.

“The big question at this point is about the prize money,” said the 1997 world champion. “A lot of players are a bit up in arms about it. The rules might have been changed, if he wins the Championship he keeps the prize money, when it should be going to scratch when he picks up his tour card.”

His win over Williams was Zhao’s ninth of the tournament, a record for any champion, and his 47th in 49 matches since he embarked on his comeback with a 3-0 whitewash of Lithuanian Vilius Schulte-Ebbert in the inauspicious surroundings of a Q Tour event in Sofia in September.

The heir apparent

Having swept to the UK title in 2021, there had been fears that Zhao’s ban could wreck the career of a player who had been picked out by the likes of O’Sullivan and Jimmy White singling him out as a future star soon after he was handed his first tour card in 2016, and three-time winner Williams added to the praise shortly after the bruising afternoon session, describing his opponent as “probably the best potter I’ve ever seen”.

“What a potter Zhao is,” said Welshman Williams. “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.”

Williams later added: “He is as good to watch as O’Sullivan was when he was younger. He just strolls around the table and pots balls from anywhere as if he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Xintong is going to be a national hero now. He’ll be on the front page of every news outlet going and I’m sure there are Chinese companies ready to throw zillions at him.

“It’s great for our sport to have someone at the top who is so attacking and so young.”

New era of Chinese stars

Dubbed ‘The Cyclone’, Zhao’s breakthrough win in Sheffield is set to usher in a bright new era of Chinese stars.

He is one of five Chinese players who have finished the season in the world’s top 16, and one of 14 currently inhabiting the world’s top 50 – all but three of whom are under the age of 30.

Wu Yize

Wu Yize has reached two ranking finals this season

The 21-year-old from Lanzhou has cracked the world’s top 20 after reaching two ranking finals this season, losing to Neil Robertson and Lei Peifan in the English and Scottish Opens respectively. The tall, fast-potting Wu pushed Mark Williams close in the first round in Sheffield this year, extending the eventual finalist to a 10-8 defeat.

Yuan Sijun

Yuan Sijun joined the tour as a 17-year-old in 2017

Yuan joined the tour as a 17-year-old in 2017 and it did not take long before the plaudits of some of the game’s greats were ringing in his ears. Yuan swiftly bounced back from relegation during Covid, and last season won back-to-back deciding frames over Mark Allen and Neil Robertson en route to the semi-finals of the German Masters.

Gao Yang

Yang Gao is an attacking left-hander who boasts multiple world junior titles

An attacking left-hander who boasts multiple world junior titles, the 20-year-old will return to the main tour next season after winning the WSF world crown in February. Gao served notice of his intent in this year’s Crucible qualifiers as he thumped former semi-finalist Stephen Maguire 10-3 before losing a final-frame decider to Lei Peifan.

Lei Peifan

Lei Peifan triumphed at this seasons Scottish Open

The 21-year-old Lei became the lowest-ranked player to win a ranking title in over 30 years when he triumphed at this season’s Scottish Open, having fought past the likes of Allen and Shaun Murphy in deciding frames. Lei displayed his rock-solid temperament at the Crucible this year by dumping out defending champion Kyren Wilson via another decider on the opening day.

He Guoqiang

He Guoqiang clinched the prestigious Rookie of the Year title

The 24-year-old from Hunan has already compiled an impressive list of scalps. In his first season on the tour he sunk Kyren Wilson and blew away Mark Williams in the German Masters to clinch the prestigious Rookie of the Year title. He followed up this season with two wins over Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Championship League and the English Open respectively.