Chinese star Zhao Xintong is targeting glory at the Crucible after being hailed as the ‘Roger Federer of snooker’ by Ronnie O’Sullivan. Despite having to come through qualifying in Sheffield, the 28-year-old is perceived to be a serious contender in Sheffield after impressing during his four wins.
Against Kai Wai Cheung, he made breaks of 141, 132, 128, 122, 98, 90, 84 and 77 en route to a 10-3 win. He’s currently taking on Jak Jones in his first-round match, who also had to go through qualifying last year before going all the way to the final. In the early stages, Zhao has continued his good form to open up a 7-3 lead.
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The star only returned to the sport last September following a 20-month ban for his role in a match-fixing probe. The former UK and German Masters champion was given a WPBSA nomination to compete in qualifying after winning Q Tour playing under amateur status.
He’s now aiming to become only the fourth player in snooker history to win the world title after having to play in preliminary rounds. Only Alex Higgins (1972), Terry Griffiths (1979) and Shaun Murphy (2005) have previously achieved that feat.
Zhao was ranked sixth in the world before his ban and announced himself on the world scene by winning the UK title in 2021. That led to a glowing endorsement from O’Sullivan, who said: "I think he is amazing. I think he is our Roger Federer. I’ve never seen a more talented snooker player."
After his qualifying wins, Zhao sent notice of intent to his rivals. He insisted he still wasn’t at his best following his prolonged absence, and would get better as the tournament wore on in Sheffield.
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“To be honest, it’s been a long time since I last competed here,” he said. “I really want to get back to my previous competitive form. So to play at this level today, even though I’m not at my best yet, I’m satisfied and I still think I can improve further.”
Zhao revealed he has continued to practice with professional players to work on his game, adding: “Ive stayed on track, but I still can make further adjustments, especially in terms of consistency and addressing my weaknesses.”