Zhao Xintong (Chinese: 赵心童; born 3 April 1997) is a Chinese former professional snooker player. Xintong won the 2021 UK Championship, but received a 20-month ban from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association after committing offences relating to betting on snooker in 2023. This ban expired on 1 September 2024.
 Zhao at the 2016 Paul Hunter Classic | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 April 1997 Xi’an, Shaanxi, China | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport country |  China | |||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | The Cyclone[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Professional | 2016–2023 | |||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 6 (May 2022) | |||||||||||||||||
| Century breaks | 138 | |||||||||||||||||
| Tournament wins | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Zhao attracted attention as a teenager, with a number of top players commenting on his potential in the sport. He joined the professional tour in 2016 and won his first ranking title and first Triple Crown title at the 2021 UK Championship, defeating Luca Brecel 10–5 in the final. With this win, he entered the top 16 in the world rankings for the first time and became eligible for his first Masters.[2] He won his second ranking title at the 2022 German Masters when he whitewashed Yan Bingtao 9–0 in the final, becoming only the third player, after Steve Davis and Neil Robertson, to win a two-session ranking final without conceding a frame.[3]
In January 2023, the sport's governing body suspended Zhao as part of a match-fixing investigation involving ten Chinese players.[4] He was subsequently charged with being concerned in fixing matches on the World Snooker Tour and betting on snooker. Following an independent disciplinary tribunal, Zhao was banned from professional competition until 1 September 2024.[5]
Since his ban has ended, Zhao has competed on the Q Tour in a bid to regain professional status.[6] In October 2024, he won Q Tour Event 3 held in Stockholm, and became the first player to record a maximum break on the Q Tour.[7] The following month he repeated the feat, making another maximum break on his run to win Event 4 held in Manchester.[8]
Career
edit"This boy was astonishingly good and better than anybody I have ever seen at that age - and that includes Ronnie O'Sullivan!"
— Steve Davis[9]
Zhao Xintong first drew international attention in June 2012 at the Zhangjiagang Open defeating high ranking players Xiao Guodong, Irishman Kevin McMahon and Yu Delu to reach the last 16 of the tournament where he narrowly lost 4–3 to Stephen Lee. Zhao would build on this success by reaching the second round of Asian Tour Events the Yixing Open and Zhengzhou Open.
As a wildcard entrant he defeated former World Champion Ken Doherty in the International Championship to reach the last 32 of a ranking event for the first time, again narrowly losing in a final frame decider 6–5 to Matthew Stevens. Having also earned his way to the last 32 of the World Open and China Open, Zhao started gaining the reputation of the Wildcard Menace, a mantle formerly held by Kevin McMahon.[10]
In 2013, at the International Championship, he beat six-time World Champion Steve Davis 6–1 who later commented: "This boy was astonishingly good and better than anybody I have ever seen at that age - and that includes Ronnie O'Sullivan."[9] He went on to reach the third round of the competition before losing 6–2 to Marco Fu, however he would go on to avenge this loss by defeating Fu in the first round of the 2014 Shanghai Masters.[11] Zhao entered the World Amateur Championship in late 2013 reaching the final, however he lost to his fellow countryman Zhou Yuelong 8–4 and thus missed out on a chance to join the world snooker main tour for the 2014–15 season.[12]
2014–15 season
editZhao entered several events in an attempt to qualify for the 2015–16 season. He was narrowly defeated in the first round of the ACBS Asian Snooker Championship. He won three games in the first event of the 2015 Q School before losing 4–3 to Alexander Ursenbacher in the penultimate round. In the second event Zhao got extremely close to qualifying for the main tour managing to reach the final round before losing 4–3 to Duane Jones in a black ball finish in the deciding frame.[13][14]
2015–16 season
editZhao's high Q School Order of Merit ranking gave him entry as a top up player to many events in the 2015–16 season. He whitewashed Stuart Carrington 6–0 to qualify for the International Championship and, despite losing 6–2 to John Higgins in the first round, his effort of 142 won the high break prize for the event.[15] Zhao made his first appearance at the UK Championship, German Masters and Welsh Open, but was knocked out in the opening round of each.[16] He lost in the final of the 2015 IBSF World Snooker Championship 8–6 to Pankaj Advani.[17] It meant that Zhao won a two-year card for the main tour after Advani declined the invitation.[18]
2016–17 season
edit
After whitewashing Wang Yuchen 4–0 at the English Open, Zhao met Ronnie O'Sullivan in the second round. Breaks of 130, 107 and 80 saw him lead 3–2, but he missed chances to take the win and was defeated 4–3. O'Sullivan said afterwards that Zhao's attacking style of play had reminded him of Stephen Hendry when he was a similar age.[19] He qualified for the German Masters by beating Li Hang 5–3 and John Higgins 5–1 and a 5–0 thrashing of Sunny Akani saw Zhao reach the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time. He held a narrow 4–3 advantage over Ali Carter, but lost the last two frames.[20] Zhao was also edged out in the third round Gibraltar Open 4–3 by Mark Williams.[21]
2017–18 season
editHe dropped off the tour at the end of the 2017–18 season but entered 2018 Q School in a bid to win back his place.[22][23] He subsequently won back his place by beating Dechawat Poomjaeng in the second event final of Q School.[24]
2018–19 season
editZhao bounced back after a difficult 2017–18 season, reaching his first semi-final at the China Championship early in the season, beating Matthew Stevens, Anthony McGill, Fergal O'Brien, Mark Williams, and Barry Hawkins, before losing 4–6 to Mark Selby.[25] He also reached the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open, losing 2–5 to eventual finalist Stuart Bingham.[26] Perhaps the biggest achievement of the season for Zhao was reaching the final stages of the World Championship for the first time, but he lost 7–10 to Selby in the first round.[27]
2019–20 season
editZhao maintained his form from the previous season, reaching another quarter-final in the German Masters and progressing to the last 16 in at least four other tournaments. This consistent performance elevated his world ranking to 29th by the end of the season. Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, and Alan McManus have all once suggested that Zhao would become a leading player in world snooker due to his enormous potential.[28]
2020–21 season
edit2021–22 season – UK Champion and breakthrough into the top 16
editIn the 2021 UK Championship, Zhao claimed his first Triple Crown title, and first ranking title overall, by beating Belgian Luca Brecel 10–5, in the final. Due to this, he climbed into the Top 16 of the rankings, at number 9, becoming the Chinese number 1 player. He also qualified for the 2022 Masters, and became number 1 on the one-year ranking list.[29][30] At the Masters, he played John Higgins in the first round in a repeat of prior meetings in both the World Grand Prix and the UK Championship, however, he lost 2–6.
In 2022, he reached the final of the 2022 German Masters, having defeated seasoned professionals such as Mark Williams, Tom Ford, the defending champion Judd Trump and Ricky Walden. There, he met fellow professional and countryman Yan Bingtao, whom he defeated by a whitewash of 9–0 to claim the second ranking title of his career in the space of just two months. By doing so, he became only the third player in history to whitewash a player in the final of a ranking event: the last two who did this were Steve Davis and Neil Robertson.
2022–23 season – Suspension
editZhao was suspended in January 2023 by the sport’s governing body as part of a match-fixing investigation involving ten Chinese players.[4] He was subsequently charged with being concerned in fixing matches on the World Snooker Tour and betting on snooker. Hearings by an independent disciplinary tribunal were initiated in May 2023, and on 6 June 2023 he was given a 20 month ban until 1 September 2024, but was not docked any results or prize money.[5]
When the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (the CBSA) upheld the original ban length of 30 months, confusion was created within the media covering the sport: at the time, the WPBSA stated that players not in good standing with their local association could not rejoin the World Snooker Tour, thus suggesting that Zhao would have had to wait until at least July 2025 to begin competing in any amateur snooker tournament. The date would also have meant Zhao could not return to the professional tour until at least the start of the 2026–27 season.[31] However, in subsequent interviews to the media in 2024, Jason Ferguson – the current chairman of the WPBSA – confirmed that the extended ban imposed by the CBSA only applied to events that were sanctioned and governed by the Chinese governing body: it did not apply to any events sanctioned and governed by any other association, including the WPBSA. This confirmation meant that Zhao would be eligible to enter the 2024–25 Q Tour after 1 September 2024, the date that his ban with the WPBSA expired, as well as any other amateur competition that is not sanctioned by the CBSA.[32][33]
2024–25 season – Return to competition on the Q Tour
editSince his suspension has expired on 1 September 2024, Zhao has competed on the Q Tour, hoping to regain professional status, first entering Q Tour Event 2 held in Sofia.[6] He subsequently won Q Tour Event 3 held in October 2024 in Stockholm.[34] During the event, in his 4–1 win over Shaun Liu in the round of 64, he became the first player to make a maximum break on the Q Tour.[35][36]
On 5 November 2024, WPBSA and WST announced that Zhao would be invited to play in the 2024 UK Championship as a WPBSA qualifier, an event he had won in 2021, due to his win in Event 3 on the Q Tour.[37] On 10 November, he won Q Tour Event 4 held in Manchester, defeating Ryan Davies 4–2 in the final. On his run to the trophy, he made another maximum break in his 4–1 quarter-final win over Oliver Sykes, as well as three centuries in defeating Craig Steadman 4–1 in the semi-finals.[38][39]
Performance and rankings timeline
edit| Tournament | 2012/ 13 |
2013/ 14 |
2014/ 15 |
2015/ 16 |
2016/ 17 |
2017/ 18 |
2018/ 19 |
2019/ 20 |
2020/ 21 |
2021/ 22 |
2022/ 23 |
2024/ 25 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking[40][nb 1] | [nb 2] | [nb 2] | [nb 2] | [nb 2] | [nb 3] | 72 | [nb 4] | 59 | 29 | 26 | 6 | [nb 5] | ||||||||||||||||
| Ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | Non-Ranking Event | 3R | RR | 3R | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xi'an Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia Masters | Tournament Not Held | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English Open | Tournament Not Held | 2R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 2R | A | |||||||||||||||||||
| British Open | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 2R | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuhan Open | Tournament Not Held | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Open | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 4R | LQ | LQ | A | |||||||||||||||||||
| International Championship | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | Not Held | A | ||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | W | 1R | |||||||||||||||||
| Shoot Out | Non-Ranking Event | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | WD | 1R | WD | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Open | MR | Not Held | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 2R | LQ | 1R | A | ||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | LQ | LQ | QF | LQ | W | WD[nb 6] | A | ||||||||||||||||
| Welsh Open | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 4R | 2R | 1R | WD | A | ||||||||||||||||
| World Open[nb 7] | 1R | WR | Not Held | LQ | LQ | 1R | 1R | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Not Held | NR | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1R | 2R | QF | 1R | DNQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Players Championship[nb 8] | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1R | DNQ | |||||||||||||||||
| Tour Championship | Tournament Not Held | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | QF | DNQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | A | A | A | LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | A | LQ | 2R | A | |||||||||||||||||
| Non-ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | Ranking | Not Held | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champion of Champions | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | ||||||||||||||||
| World Masters of Snooker | Tournament Not Held | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | WD[nb 9] | A | ||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | WD | 2R | A | A | ||||||||||||||||
| Former ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuxi Classic | A | WR | 3R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open | A | A | A | LQ | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | WR | WR | 2R | A | LQ | LQ | Non-Ranking | Not Held | NR | |||||||||||||||||||
| Paul Hunter Classic | Minor-Ranking Event | 2R | 4R | A | NR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Open | NH | A | A | NH | 1R | 1R | 2R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||
| China Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Riga Masters[nb 10] | Not Held | MR | 2R | LQ | 3R | LQ | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||
| China Championship | Tournament Not Held | NR | LQ | SF | 3R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| WST Pro Series | Tournament Not Held | 2R | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turkish Masters | Tournament Not Held | 2R | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gibraltar Open | Not Held | MR | 3R | 3R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 2R | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||
| WST Classic | Tournament Not Held | A | NH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Masters | Tournament Not Held | LQ | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | LQ | 2R | NH | |||||||||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Macau Masters | Tournament Not Held | RR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Haining Open | Not Held | MR | A | A | A | 3R | NH | A | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Masters | Tournament Not Held | A | Tournament Not Held | WD | NH | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LQ | lost in the qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) |
QF | lost in the quarter-finals |
| SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
| DNQ | did not qualify for the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament | WD | withdrew from the tournament |
| NH / Not Held | means an event was not held. | |||
| NR / Non-Ranking Event | means an event is/was no longer a ranking event. | |||
| R / Ranking Event | means an event is/was a ranking event. | |||
| MR / Minor-Ranking Event | means an event is/was a minor-ranking event. | |||
- ^ It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
- ^ a b c d He was an amateur
- ^ New players don't have a ranking
- ^ Players qualified through Q School started the season without ranking points
- ^ He was an amateur after his ban ended on 1 September 2024
- ^ Zhao had initially been entered into the tournament during the qualifying stages played in November, and had progressed to play in the televised stages in Berlin. However, before the main event started, he was suspended by the WPBSA, due to a match-fixing investigation and was subsequently withdrawn from the tournament.
- ^ The event was called the Haikou World Open (2012/2013–2013/2014)
- ^ The event was called the Players Tour Championship Grand Finals (2010/2011–2012/2013)
- ^ Zhao had initially been invited to play in the Masters, but was suspended by the WPBSA the week before the tournament started, due to a match-fixing investigation and was subsequently withdrawn from participating.
- ^ The event was called the Riga Open (2014/2015–2015/2016)
Career finals
editRanking finals: 2 (2 titles)
edit
|
Pro-am finals: 1 (1 title)
edit| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2017 | Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games |  Hossein Vafaei
|
4–2 |
Team finals: 2 (1 title)
edit| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 2017 | CVB Snooker Challenge | China
|
 Great Britain
|
9–26 |
| Winner | 1. | 2018 | Macau Masters |  Barry Hawkins Ryan Day Zhou Yuelong
|
Mark Williams Joe Perry Marco Fu Zhang Anda
|
5–1 |
Amateur finals: 4 (2 titles)
edit| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 2013 | IBSF World Snooker Championship | Zhou Yuelong
|
4–8 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2015 | IBSF World Snooker Championship (2) |  Pankaj Advani
|
6–8 |
| Winner | 1. | 2024 | Q Tour Event 3 | Craig Steadman
|
4–3 |
| Winner | 2. | 2024 | Q Tour Event 4 | Ryan Davies
|
4–1 |
See also
edit
References
editCitations
edit- ^ "Zhao Xintong". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Zhao beats Brecel to win UK Championship". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "Zhao Xintong wraps up whitewash victory over Yan Bingtao to secure German Masters victory in Berlin". Eurosport. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ a b "UK Championship winner Zhao latest to be suspended". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ a b "WPBSA Statement 6 June 2023". WPBSA. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Zhao set for comeback after match-fixing scandal". BBC Sport. 10 September 2024. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Zhao wins in Stockholm and makes 147". World Snooker Tour. 6 October 2024. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "Zhao Completes Q Tour Double". 11 November 2024. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b Davis 2015, p. 352.
- ^ Nunns, Hector (27 October 2014). "Zhao Xintong Targets Pro Place by 2015". inside-snooker.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021.
- ^ "Shanghai Masters 2014: Results". BBC Sport. 3 September 2014.
- ^ "Zhou Yuelong Wins IBSF World Championship". prosnookerblog.com. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
- ^ "World Snooker's Q School ends as eight new professionals get tour cards at Meadowside Leisure Centre". Burton Mail. 27 May 2015. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ "Zhao Xintong 2014/2015". snooker.org. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Bingham Falls to Delu". World Snooker Tour. 26 October 2015. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Zhao Xintong 2015/2016". snooker.org. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ Pathak, Vivek (21 November 2015). "Pankaj crowned with World Snooker title". IBSF. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Chinese Duo to Turn Professional". World Snooker Tour. 17 May 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "O'Sullivan Survives Zhao Test". World Snooker Tour. 13 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "Carter Wins Zhao Battle". World Snooker Tour. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "Zhao Xintong 2016/2017". snooker.org. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "Zhao Storms Through in Burton". World Snooker Tour. 16 May 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020.
- ^ "Q School Event Two – Final Day Line up". World Snooker Tour. 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020.
- ^ "Brown Earns Tour Return". World Snooker Tour. 25 May 2018. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020.
- ^ Caulfield, David (29 September 2018). "China Championship Final: Mark Selby vs John Higgins". snookerhq.com. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ "Results (Welsh Open 2019)". snooker.org. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
- ^ "World Snooker Championship: Mark Selby beats Zhao Xintong – best shots" (video). BBC Sport. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ "Snooker News – Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry Predict Rapid Rise for Zhao Xintong". Eurosport. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Snooker's Federer backed to land world title". BBC Sport. 5 December 2021.
- ^ "Watch: Zhao beats Brecel to win UK Championship - best shots" (video). BBC Sport. 5 December 2021.
- ^ "China's longer bans for snooker match-fixers may apply globally, WPBSA confirms". 22 June 2023.
- ^ Haigh, Phil (16 August 2024). "Jason Ferguson gives the latest on the Crucible, snooker's Olympic hopes, a Zhao Xintong return and more". Metro. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Caulfield, David (30 August 2024). "Zhao Xintong ban is ending, so what happens next?". snookerhq.com. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "Zhao Xintong Wins Q Tour Title in Sweden". WPBSA. 6 October 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Max_QTour1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Zhao Xintong Hits Historic Q Tour Maximum in Stockholm". WPBSA. 5 October 2024.
- ^ "WPBSA Qualifiers Announced for UK Championship". WPBSA. 5 November 2024.
- ^ "Zhao Xintong Completes Q Tour Double". WPBSA. 10 November 2024.
- ^ "Match Sheet: Semi-final - Craig Steadman vs Xintong Zhao". WPBSA. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Ranking History". snooker.org. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
Sources
edit- Davis, Steve (2015). Interesting: My Autobiography. Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0091958640.
External links
edit
- Zhao Xintong at the World Snooker Tour (archived)
- Zhao Xintong at snooker.org
