Zhao Xintong served a 20-month ban from the game after being caught up in a match-fixing scandal
Who’s China’s first World Snooker Champion Zhao Xintong and why did he serve a 20-month ban from the game?
Zhao was topped China’s first world snooker champion after withstanding a stirring comeback from Mark Williams to finish an 18-12 win on the Crucible.
The 28-year-old earned the well-known trophy and a cheque for £500,000, additionally turning into the one the third qualifier and the primary beginner participant to triumph on the Crucible, having misplaced his tour card in January 2023 for his half in a match-fixing scandal.
Zhao had admitted being social gathering to an effort to repair or contrive to repair two matches involving his compatriot Yan Bingtao, the previous Masters winner.
He was certainly one of 10 Chinese language snooker gamers implicated in a match-fixing investigation however obtained the shortest suspension handed out by the WPBSA. Zhao was discovered to be in breach of “being party to another player fixing two matches,” in addition to putting bets on snooker matches. He additionally needed to pay £7,500 in prices for his half within the operation.
Regardless of steadily expressing contrition for his involvement there could also be some who consider his triumph is a tainted one.
Referencing his 20-month ban that expired in September, Zhao stated: “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 not consider I went on to be champion, however I’m again now and I need to hold going.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan spoke about Zhao’s ban from the sport
Ronnie O’Sullivan said: “Yeah, I feel it was unlucky for a few of the boys. I feel they weren’t actually concerned in it from what I collect. So a few of them, you simply assume, it was actually harsh for them. I do not know the complete information of it, to be sincere with you. However from what I heard, was simply caught within 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: “Issues like which might be occurring in all sports activities and it is the way you handle it. It is a catastrophe when it first occurs however we have quickly 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 safe the World title and grow to be the match’s first winner from China
BBC pundit Ken Doherty has voiced considerations that some gamers are “up in arms”, stating that there is disagreement amongst professionals concerning Zhao’s Crucible earnings being counted in direction of his rating.
“The big question at this point is about the prize money,” stated 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 match, a document for any champion, and his forty seventh in 49 matches since he launched into his comeback with a 3-0 whitewash of Lithuanian Vilius Schulte-Ebbert within the inauspicious environment of a Q Tour occasion in Sofia in September.
The inheritor obvious
Having swept to the UK title in 2021, there had been fears that Zhao’s ban might wreck the profession of a participant who had been picked out by the likes of O’Sullivan and Jimmy White singling him out as a future star quickly after he was handed his first tour card in 2016, and three-time winner Williams added to the reward shortly after the bruising afternoon session, describing his opponent as “probably the best potter I’ve ever seen”.
“What a potter Zhao is,” stated 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 goes to be a nationwide hero now. He’ll be on the entrance web page of each information outlet going and I am positive there are Chinese language corporations able 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 period of Chinese language stars
Dubbed ‘The Cyclone’, Zhao’s breakthrough win in Sheffield is ready to usher in a brilliant new period of Chinese language stars.
He’s certainly one of 5 Chinese language gamers who’ve completed the season on the earth’s high 16, and certainly one of 14 presently inhabiting the world’s high 50 – all however three of whom are beneath the age of 30.
Wu Yize
Wu Yize has reached two rating finals this season
The 21-year-old from Lanzhou has cracked the world’s high 20 after reaching two rating finals this season, dropping to Neil Robertson and Lei Peifan within the English and Scottish Opens respectively. The tall, fast-potting Wu pushed Mark Williams shut within the first spherical in Sheffield this 12 months, 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 didn’t take lengthy earlier than the plaudits of a few of the sport’s greats have been ringing in his ears. Yuan swiftly bounced again from relegation throughout Covid, and final season received back-to-back deciding frames over Mark Allen and Neil Robertson en path to the semi-finals of the German Masters.
Gao Yang
Yang Gao is an attacking left-hander who boasts a number of world junior titles
An attacking left-hander who boasts a number of world junior titles, the 20-year-old will return to the primary tour subsequent season after successful the WSF world crown in February. Gao served discover of his intent on this 12 months’s Crucible qualifiers as he thumped former semi-finalist Stephen Maguire 10-3 earlier than dropping a final-frame decider to Lei Peifan.
Lei Peifan
Lei Peifan triumphed at this seasons Scottish Open
The 21-year-old Lei turned the lowest-ranked participant to win a rating title in over 30 years when he triumphed at this season’s Scottish Open, having fought previous the likes of Allen and Shaun Murphy in deciding frames. Lei displayed his rock-solid temperament on the Crucible this 12 months by dumping out defending champion Kyren Wilson by way of one other decider on the opening day.
He Guoqiang
He Guoqiang clinched the distinguished Rookie of the 12 months title
The 24-year-old from Hunan has already compiled a formidable checklist of scalps. In his first season on the tour he sunk Kyren Wilson and blew away Mark Williams within the German Masters to clinch the distinguished Rookie of the 12 months title. He adopted up this season with two wins over Ronnie O’Sullivan on the Championship League and the English Open respectively.
