- Zhao wins 18-12 in dramatic final session in Sheffield
- Zhao makes history as the first amateur to win title
Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to be crowned snooker world champion after holding off a late rally from Mark Williams to create history at the Crucible and complete a sensational career comeback.
The 28-year-old only returned to competitive snooker in September last year after being handed a 20-month suspension for his part in the match-fixing scandal which saw 10 Chinese players banned. He was forced to begin on the sport’s amateur tour and arrived in Sheffield without a professional status to his name.
However, he will leave with a £500,000 winner’s cheque and the honour of being the first Chinese player to win a world title after proving far too strong for Williams, who had defied his own pre-tournament expectations to reach a fifth world final. Zhao had to start in the very first round of qualifying due to his amateur status, winning nine matches and becoming only the third qualifier to go all the way since Shaun Murphy in 2005 and Terry Griffiths in 1979.
