Zhao Xintong crowned world champion on historic night at Crucible

The 28-year-old is the first player from Asia – as well as the first amateur in the sport’s history – to win the world title, after beating three-time champion Mark Williams 18-12 at the Crucible theatre.

He resumed on Monday evening leading 17-8, needing just one more frame for a historic win. The Welshman threatened an unlikely comeback, winning the first four frames of the evening, before Zhao managed to get over the line to win 18-12.

The £500,000 winner’s prize means Zhao – rebuilding his career after a 20-month ban for his part in a snooker betting scandal – will not only rejoin the professional Tour next season, but he will be 11th in the world rankings.

“I can't believe what I've done,” said Zhao. “It's very exciting. Thank you.

“I was so nervous tonight. Mark is still a top player and put me under so much pressure. He's the best.

“I'm not tired. I'll maybe have a good drink tonight.”

Over four sessions, it’s said the match cannot be won in the opening eight frames. But a 7-1 scoreline set the platform for Zhao on Sunday.

The pair returned on Monday, with the Chinese potter – who lives in the Steel City and trains at Victoria’s Academy – leading 11-6 needing seven more frames to chisel out a place in history.

Zhao’s opening 46 was enough to take the first frame of the afternoon, before Williams won the next following a safety battle.

Two fantastic long reds were standout shots in a 58 break from Zhao which nudged him 13-7 ahead.

Williams was first in, in frame 21, with a 45 break. But when he potted the cue ball – looking to swerve around the pink to find the red – it presented Zhao with a free ball and he cleared up to open up a seven-frame advantage for the first time going into the mid-session interval.

Several moments of good fortune in the next frame suggested Zhao’s name could be on the trophy. A fluke on the green, the white rattling the jaws of the pocket, before an attempted blue ricocheted in one pocket, before dropping in the opposite pocket as Zhao knocked in a 52 break.

With three frames remaining, and Zhao just three away from the finishing line, there was the possibility of an afternoon finish. But a 66 break from Williams ensured the contest would extend into the evening.

Williams potted a superb long blue, but missed a simple red to go back to his chair muttering his frustrations. A spurned red to the corner would not have improved his mood as Zhao cleared to the pink with a 67 break.

And when he stumbled again, the 50-year-old’s hopes of becoming the oldest ever Crucible champion seemed over. A miss on the penultimate red opened the door for his opponent, and Zhao led 17-8 – one frame away from the finish line – heading into the evening session.

"It's been a brilliant tournament for me,” said Williams. “The support I've had for the past two weeks has been unbelievable.

"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."

Zhao’s unlikely road to the final started at the nearby English Institute of Sport 27 days ago, when he entered the first round of qualifiers as an amateur.

He beat Cheung Ka Tai 10-3 on April 8, before knocking out Long Zehuang (10-8), Lyu Haotian (10-4) and Elliot Slessor (10-8) to secure a return to Crucible.

Despite his ‘amateur’ status – more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing – Zhao was anything but. Having won the UK Championship in 2021 and the German Masters in 2022, he will be back on the professional circuit next season following his ban.

So it was no surprise bookmakers were only offering 16-1 for Zhao to become only the third qualifier joining – Terry Griffiths (1979) and Shaun Murphy (2005) – to win the world title in Crucible history.

The 28-year-old knocked out last year’s finalist Jak Jones 10-4 in the opening round at the Crucible, before wins over Lei Peifan (13-10) and Chris Wakelin (13-5).

If there were any doubts about Zhao’s temperament or ability, those were answered in the semi-final when he thrashed Ronnie O’Sullivan – who was chasing a record eighth world title – 17-7 with a session to spare.