Chris Wakelin shows no sympathy for Zhao Xintong over ban saying 'I don't make silly mistakes'
Chris Wakelin saw his dreams of World Championship glory end at the hands of one of snooker's most controversial characters. But the Englishman has tipped China's Zhao Xintong to make history by becoming the first ever Chinese world champion . Despite admitting that he has no sympathy for him, after a 20 month ban for betting offences. Ranked ninth in the world when the scandal shocked snooker , Zhao found himself unable to compete for more than a year - before returning on the amateur circuit. Still classed as an amateur, he faced four 19 frame qualifiers just to earn his spot in Sheffield. But he's taken full advantage with some stunning displays, and a semi-final epic with hero Ronnie O'Sullivan now looms on the horizon. Asked about how difficult returning from a ban to compete at elite level would be for Zhao, Wakelin told SportsBoom : "I don't know because I've not been suspended. "I don't do silly things. I don't make silly mistakes. We're all aware of the dangers when we get on tour. You get involved in that sort of thing, you're gonna get punished for it, you learn a hard lesson. 'He is back on tour now, but he has missed out on two years in his mid-twenties, which should be the golden stage in his career. 'I've had no doubt that he'll go on to have several successes down the line now that he is back. But it was really stupid, the whole situation for all those guys that got involved. But in terms of where Zhao's going, I think he's got his better days in front of him now. "He served his time, you know, the WPBSA dealt with it externally, the whole case was dealt with in a professional way. They did exactly what they should have done. 'He served that sentence, he's more than welcome to come back and try his best again because he's a great asset to our sport. He just needs to stay on the right side of things." Despite showing absolutely no sympathy for his ban, Wakelin does believe that snooker has benefited from Zhou's return - and has backed him to make history as the sport's first ever Chinese world champion. He joked: "He was terrible yesterday, but I was just extra terrible. 'This was a big pressure match for both of us, getting through to that one table setup, that is the dream. So, it's almost like winning the tournament getting through to the semi-finals. 'We all know how talented Zhao is. He's a fabulous kid as well, he is great, he's got a great smile and he's very tenacious out there. 'His talent is just off the scale, some of the balls that he knocks in and the opportunities that he's created. He does things that a lot of players on tour aren't capable of. 'There's no reason at all that he can't go on to lift the trophy this week. I think it would be amazing for snooker if he did. 'We all know the troubles that he's faced over the last couple of years, hopefully now that's behind him and he can do himself proud in the semi-finals.'
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