Profile | Who is Zhao Xintong? Made in Xian and Shenzhen, China’s world snooker champion

China’s Zhao Xintong has fulfilled his dazzling promise with a performance of rare dominance to win the World Snooker Championship, beating Mark Williams at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. It was a historic first triumph in the tournament for China. Watched by millions back home, the 28-year-old placed himself at the forefront of an exciting generation of young Chinese talent. The great Ronnie O’Sullivan once said Zhao had the ability to be snooker’s Roger Federer. That prospect looked in peril when Zhao was banned from the sport in 2023 for his part in a corruption scandal, but he has resurrected his career to reach a pinnacle many thought awaited his trailblazing predecessor Ding Junhui. “My goal when I was younger was to become someone like Ding Junhui,” a 17-year-old Zhao told a Chinese documentary about Ding in 2015. Ding has won the UK Championship three times and the Masters once, but the closest he came to global glory was in 2016, when he lost the final. Like Ding, Zhao now lives in Sheffield, snooker’s spiritual home, but he was born in Xian, before his family moved to Shenzhen, bordering Hong Kong. He is an only child. Zhao’s father, Zhao Xiaowei, is the vice-president of a hospital and his mother, Wen Anxiao, a nurse in the same hospital. Zhao began playing snooker aged eight after seeing tables set up on the street near his home. His parents installed a snooker table for him at home, although they were sceptical and wanted him to study. The compromise was “half the day study, half the day snooker”, Zhao would later recall. In the documentary, Zhao’s mother told how he won her over. “I asked him, when you’ve finished university what job will you do?” she said. “He said: ‘Play snooker.’ He said it very firmly, he didn’t need to think about it.” By his teens, Zhao was beating professionals in exhibition matches, Williams among them. Zhao followed the trail of Chinese players to Sheffield, where he plays at Victoria’s Snooker Academy, run by Victoria Shi, 10 minutes’ walk from the Crucible. Realising Zhao’s enormous potential, Shi asked O’Sullivan to lend a hand in mentoring him. The Englishman obliged, practising and dining with Zhao, passing on tips. “He could be the greatest of all time with his talent, his ability – I always say he’s Roger Federer with a snooker cue in his hands,” O’Sullivan said in 2022. Zhao’s outrageous shot-making and calm demeanour marked him out as a future world champion. In 2021, victory in the UK Championship suggested that day may not be far off. Then came the scandal that threatened to halt Zhao’s progress, when he was one of 10 Chinese players suspended during a corruption investigation. Nine were found guilty of match-fixing, while Zhao did not fix matches but admitted being a party to another player doing so, and placing bets. He was suspended for 20 months. “I have been thoroughly regretting my ignorance and silliness since being suspended a few months ago,” Zhao said on social media. “I feel ashamed as I disappointed everybody by making a mistake. I just want to say sorry to everyone. “I didn’t make any profit from it, but I paid a heavy price for my foolishness.” Zhao had to start again from the bottom. On completing his suspension last September, he returned to playing on the Q Tour, the amateur circuit. He won almost every match and quickly ensured his return to the pro ranks next season. In November, he told the BBC: “Two years ago I made a little mistake, now I’ve come back. I know how important snooker is to me and now I just want to come back to the snooker table. Let [other players] know this is a big lesson, don’t make the mistake.” Required to enter the world championship at the preliminary stage, Zhao came through four qualifying rounds to join a record 10 Chinese players in the 32-strong competition. By the semi-finals, he was the only Chinese contender left standing. O’Sullivan, his idol and mentor, stood in his way, but Zhao inflicted one of the heaviest losses of the seven-time world champion’s career. Zhao thanked the Englishman afterwards for his past help, and the pair were photographed embracing in the dressing room. O’Sullivan predicted Zhao “would be a megastar” if he won the title, adding it “would just be amazing for snooker”. Williams suffered a similar fate in the final as Zhao cruised to the £500,000 (US$665,000) prize. “There’s a new superstar of the game,” Williams said. The result meant Zhao would be ranked No 11 on his return to the main tour next season. After bouncing back from his lowest point to reach snooker’s summit and inspire China’s next generation, Zhao will hope to stay exactly where he is. Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Once dubbed the Roger Federer of snooker, Zhao bounced back from a career-threatening scandal to wow the sporting world

Once dubbed the Roger Federer of snooker, Zhao bounced back from a career-threatening scandal to wow the sporting world