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Mike Chan

Zhao Xintong has said he would rather become the first Chinese player to win the Triple Crown than successfully defend his World Snooker Championship title in Sheffield at the first attempt.
Tournament top seed Zhao also said he believed winning his maiden ranking title at the 2021 UK Championship was as big a milestone as winning the Crucible crown last year.
The world No 3 will begin his title defence against qualifier and Englishman Liam Highfield in the first round on Saturday.
“For me, it has to be the Triple Crown,” said Zhao, who, having won the World and UK championships, has only the non-ranking invitational Masters to win to complete the set.
“Yes, the World Championship and defending the title are very important. The more world titles, the better.
“But one world title is enough for me. No Chinese or Asian player has completed the Triple Crown before, so I am working hard towards this target.”

Having just won his sixth ranking title at the Tour Championship in Manchester earlier this month, Zhao – the only player to win all three Players Series events in a single season – believed it was only a matter of time before he wins a title on home soil.
“Personally, winning the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong [when he won at Kai Tak Arena in February] was kind of like winning at home,” the Shenzhen native said.
“Of course, I would also love to win a ranking title in China.
“But I feel it will come eventually; there’s no rush. So if I have to choose one of the three, it’s the Triple Crown.”
After winning the World Grand Prix title, Zhao told the South China Morning Post that he had experienced “a lot of self-doubt” following his triumph in Sheffield last May.
However, the 29-year-old believed that his experience in ranking tournament finals, where he has a perfect six-out-of-six record, would be a great help in future competitions.
“It was a learning process for me with every title won; I was always looking for something that I wanted to do better,” he said. “It’s something like, ‘How can I play great snooker or play at my usual level under immense pressure?’
“It would be a pity to lose a final, but even if I do, I would not be unhappy. Playing snooker is all about being happy – winning or losing on any day is just part of it. From my wins, I learned that you just need to keep a calm mindset, because the more you think, the worse you’ll perform.”
Zhao, who triumphed at the non-ranking Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in November, also said that the UK Championship – his first ranking title – was as important as his world title.

“The first one was always the most important because you could only have a second one after getting the first,” the left-hander said. “It does not have to be the UK Championship and could be just a minor tournament.
“The World Championship is always significant because it is prestigious. People probably thought it was easy for me at the last event, but I had to beat nine opponents.
“The last few matches lasted two days each, across four sessions. It was a truly agonising experience, and I am quite impressed with myself for performing at my best that time.”
Looking ahead, Zhao said that the number of tournaments in a season was “just about right”, but he would like to see the World Snooker Tour, the sport’s world governing body, relocate existing tournaments to some new cities.
“It would be great for the players and the sport to play more often around Europe and the rest of the world,” he said. “For me, it would be best to play more in China, although the pressure would be immense.
“I certainly want to play a tournament in Shenzhen, too. It’s my home, after all, I would value this competition very much if it were to become a major or ranking tournament.”


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Zhao Xintong beat England’s Barry Hawkins on his way to winning the UK Championship in 2021. Photo: Xinhua

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Chinese world No 3 says ‘one world title is enough for me’, hopes to see some existing tournaments relocated to new cities in China and Europe


Chinese world No 3 says ‘one world title is enough for me’, hopes to see some existing tournaments relocated to new cities in China and Europe.


World Snooker Championship

Zhao believes becoming first Chinese player to win Triple Crown better than defending world title

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chinese world No 3 says ‘one world title is enough for me’, hopes to see some existing tournaments relocated to new cities in China and Europe

Chinese world No 3 says ‘one world title is enough for me’, hopes to see some existing tournaments relocated to new cities in China and Europe