Zhao Xintong: First Asian Snooker world champion triumphs in Sheffield!

Zhao Xintong: First Asian Snooker world champion triumphs in Sheffield!

Sheffield, Vereinigtes Königreich - The 28-year-old Zhao Xintong wrote history by winning the title as the first snooker world champion from Asia. In an exciting final that took place in Sheffield, Zhao prevailed against the former world champion Mark Williams with 18:12. He won impressive seven out of eight games in the first session before Williams, who is the oldest finalist in the history of the tournament, fought back. Despite his deficit of 8:17 before the last session, he got five consecutive victories, but Zhao ultimately won the game. After the game, Zhao expressed his gratitude and described Williams as the best player. The Süddeutsche newspaper reported that ZHAO after its triumphant victory celebrated with the Chinese flag and its successes cannot yet fade.

For Zhao, this victory was a remarkable comeback moment after a 20-month lock. In September 2023, he was excluded from the game for a long period of time because of his participation in a betting scandal. Zhao had bet on various matches, but was not actively involved in the manipulation of game results. Daily Record informs that Zhao was in 9th place in the world rankings at the time of his lock and the UK Championship and 2022 won the German Masters in 2021.

betting fraud scandal and return to the top

The circumstances that led to Zhao's lock are in the context of one of the largest manipulation scandals in the history of the snooker. Ten Chinese players, including ZHAO, were involved in a far -reaching fraud scandal, which included allegations of deliberate misleading simple balls and shifted games. This situation shaken the Snooker world and led to violent discussions about gambling addiction and financial problems. n-tv describes the difficult allegations and the associated investigations Snooker World Cup 2023 took place.

ZHAO celebrated his return in September 2024 and took part in a WPBSA Q Tour event in Bulgaria, where he not only won two tournaments, but also achieved two 147 breaks. This remarkable performance made him the first player to reach a maximum in this league. For the World Snooker Championship, Zhao qualified with four victories in the qualification rounds, which impressively underpinned his return to the top class of the snooker. The prize money for the world championship title is an impressive £ 500,000 (approx. 587,000 euros), another incentive for Zhao who holds back his professional status for the coming season. This achievement shows this achievement from the shade of the past. has.