Ding Junhui's dad made feelings clear as Zhao Xintong becomes China's first snooker World Champion
Ding Junhui's dad made feelings clear as Zhao Xintong becomes China's first snooker World Champion
An inspired Zhao Xintong broke new ground at the Crucible on Monday as he was named Asia's first world snooker champion, and an iconic compatriot's father made his feelings known
Zhao Xintong has become China's first World Snooker Championship winner
(Image: Getty Images )
World champion Zhao Xintong earned the admiration of fellow Chinese snooker superstar Ding Junhui's father before his Crucible domination. Ding will forever be known as the potter who brought the game of snooker forward leaps and bounds in his homeland of China, inspiring generations with his trio of UK Championship titles and 2011 Masters win.
The man who spearheaded the Asian nation becoming a powerhouse within the sport looked for the longest time as though he would be the first from its shores to be named world champion, reaching the final in 2016. However, that title now goes to a different man, who first tasted ranking success at the UK Championship in 2021.
Qualifier Zhao, fresh off a 20-month ban for betting breaches as part of a match fixing saga that saw 10 Chinese players suspended, has rattled through the field in Sheffield and bested a resurgent Mark Williams 18-12 to lift the World Snooker Championship title and bank £500,000 on Monday.
After the clash, The Cyclone spoke to TNT Sports about his win, and was queried on his influential countryman Ding, being informed about how highly the 15-time ranking winner's father regards him.
TNT presenter Radzi Chinyanganya spoke to Zhao after his stunning win, and while on the topic of potter Ding, he said: "Ding's father is a big fan of yours. He says your character is very, very good. So even as a young boy, you had good character."
The world champion replied: "Yeah, I know Uncle Ding. He helped me a lot before. And, when I was young, sometimes he would ask me, 'What do you want to do?'"
Article continues below
Ding's father reportedly thinks the world of Zhao
(Image: PA )
While Zhao appeared collected in this chat, immediately after he claimed glory from Class of '92 hero Williams, who became the oldest-ever finalist when he made the showpiece this time around, the 28-year-old stated that winning this tournament was always a dream.
"I can't believe it. I am so happy. It feels like a dream right now," said Zhao. "I can't believe it's come true. I can't believe what I've done this month. It's been really exciting.
"My parents, Victoria and my girlfriend and my coach when I was wrong thank you. I'll have a good drink tonight to celebrate. I just want to thank everybody for their support. I was so nervous tonight. He put me under so much pressure."
Opponent Williams was full of praise for the Chinese star, even comparing him to another sporting phenom who has brought on his own game leaps and bounds, Luke Littler.
"I'm glad I'll be too old when he's dominating the game," revealed 50-year-old Williams, who already has 26 ranking titles to his illustrious name.
Article continues below
"I've got nothing but admiration for what he's done, coming through the qualifiers. He hasn't played for two years, bashed everybody up. There's a new superstar of the game.
"It could be huge for the sport. It could open floodgates everywhere. He could dominate or at least give [Judd] Trump or Kyren [Wilson] a run for their money.
"With the Luke Littler thing in darts. This is what snooker needed: someone like him coming through. It is bound to open doors. It will be front page on every news outlet going."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
16 hours ago
- Scotsman
Oakmont aim in 125th US Open is to 'get every club in bag dirty'
Pennsylvania venue is USGA's equivalent of Carnoustie on The R&A list for The Open Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It's where Tommy Armour, the man dubbed 'The Silver Scot', won his US Open in 1927, where Colin Montgomerie lost out in a play-off in 1994 and, more recently, where Dustin Johnson overcame an astonishing situation that led to a subsequent rules change to land the same prize in 2016. For many, though, Oakmont County Club in Pennsylvania will be remembered for the US Open in 2007, when Argentinean Angel Cabrera's winning total was five-over-par and just eight sub-par rounds - just think about that for a few seconds - were recorded over the entire four days. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad If you like, it's the USGA's equivalent of Carnoustie on The R&A's list of courses for The Open and next week's 125th edition of the US Open looks as though it is going to be another ferocious test. The 18th Hole of Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania | USGA/Fred Vuich In an early practice round last Monday, Masters champion Rory McIlroy felt he hit three good shots at the par-4 second yet ran up a 7 while, on a similar preparatory visit, fellow Augusta National winner Adam Scott revealed he'd hit every fairway on the front nine and still shot three over. 'We want to get every club in their bag dirty, all 15 of them, 14 in their bag and the one between the ears,' declared John Bodenhamer, the USGA's chief championships officer, intending to see what the game's top players are made of. This will be Oakmont's tenth staging of the event, with Armour's title triumph coming in the first one before seeing Sam Parks jnr (1935), Ben Hogan (1953), Jack Nicklaus (1962), Johnny Miller (1973), Larry Nelson (1983), Ernie Els (1994) and then Cabrera and Johnson follow in his footsteps. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'When you say the word 'Oakmont', I don't think any other course brings that instant thought of that tough, unrelenting difficulty that this place has,' declared Dan Hicks, who will be leading the coverage of the season's third major for NBC Sports in the US. 'They, of course, don't hold US Opens at places for a record ten times, which is incredible, without its ability to continue to challenge the best to the absolute limit.' Originally laid out by William Fownes, the test for this edition has been changed by Gil Hanse, who, of course, was involved in the creation of Castle Stuart near Inverness and the Craighead Links at Crail. 'He's described it as open heart surgery with a little bit of plastic surgery in there as well,' said Hicks of Hanse's work at Oakmont. Kevin Kisner, who still holds a PGA Tour card but will be sharing the main commentary duties with Hicks, likes the look of what lies in store. 'I've gone through the changes with Gil Hanse's team and USGA,' he revealed, 'and I think the No 1 priority that USGA wants to have in the US Open is driving the golf ball. I think those changes will put a premium on driving the golf ball just like they do at every US Open. 'From a greens standpoint, I think you'll see more balls run away from the centre of the greens which will make approach shots more difficult and getting the ball up-and-down more difficult. I think they'll have more hole locations than we've seen in the past. Some pins will even appear they're off the edges of the greens with the renovation. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I love the quote about wanting to get every club in the bag dirty. When I finish a golf course, no matter where I play, I think that's one of the greatest attributes to a golf course if you hit every club in the bag - and I think Oakmont will be the perfect venue for that.' Dustin Johnson speaks at a press conference after winning the 2016 US Open at Oakmont Country Club |Johnson, who now plays on the LIV Golf League, was one of the game's dominant forces when landing his maiden major win nine years ago after a farcical end, having played the final seven holes knowing he had to review a possible rules infringement at the end of the round. Having let a four-shot lead heading into the final circuit slip from his grasp on that occasion, Shane Lowry will be a man on a mission heading back to the venue in the north-east suburbs of Pittsburgh, but the man they'll all have to beat is current world No 1 Scottie Scheffler. 'He's the best player that I've seen with my own eyes,' said Smylie Kaufman, another PGA Tour player who will be part of the NBC Sports team next week. 'I watched Tiger on TV as a kid growing up, and so I can't really speak to watching the golf ball in the air like I can with Scottie - mand it's the best I've ever seen. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He's got no weaknesses in his game. You just feel like when you're behind Scottie, you have to press because you know he's not going to make any mistakes. I think it's just a blend of so many great things that he has. Like, when you're a 65-per cent-accuracy driver of the golf ball and you hit as many fairways as he does, then you couple it with maybe one of the best iron players to ever play the game, and now throw in a strokes-gained, top-20 putter along with a second in scrambling, he just doesn't have any weaknesses.' 'What Scottie does an incredible job of doing is his bad days where he doesn't have anything, he shoots 70. And Tiger Woods used to do the exact same thing. How many times have you seen Rory McIlroy or Xander Schauffele or Justin Thomas shoot rounds of 76 or higher on major championship Thursday rounds and, all of a sudden, they're out of it? 'Scottie Scheffler doesn't do that. He turns those days into 71s, 70s, 69s. And it just speaks to really just being an athlete and finding a way to get it done. I would say that's probably the most impressive thing that Scottie does for my eyes.' Scottie Scheffler, pictured with wife Meredith and son Bennett after winning the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow last month, is the man to beat in the season's third major |Kisner is also a huge fan of the man who has now won an incredible 16 times in just over three years. 'He does the exact same thing the last 20 seconds before he hits a golf shot, every shot in practice and in play, and in competition,' he observed. 'He has the same look in his eye. When he steps in, he has the most intense concentration that I've ever seen on every shot, and he makes sure that he's in the zone on every shot. That's something that, in my eyes, I always look back at Tiger Woods in his heyday, and that's what he did as well. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'One of the other fascinating things that's starting to happen that happened when Tiger was on that run was his peers started to talk about him in the same way that Tiger's fellow competitors talked about him. You saw Jordan [Spieth] talk about him last week and a few others. I just found it fascinating that it's getting to the point that his peers are even talking about how good he is and how great he's playing and how hard it is to beat him, and I think that even helps your advantage when you're the guy that others are talking about.'
Wales Online
16 hours ago
- Wales Online
How to watch Portugal v Spain on TV tonight for free - channel and kick-off time
How to watch Portugal v Spain on TV tonight for free - channel and kick-off time Portugal and Spain meet in the final of the Nations League this evening and you can watch it for free Lamine Yamal of Spain will be hoping for more celebrations against Portugal (Image: Stefan Matzke - sampics/Getty Images ) As this edition of the Nations League draws to a close, we are left with a mouth-watering final featuring two of the biggest names in international football, Portugal and Spain. Cristiano Ronaldo led his side past Germany in the semis, scoring the eventual winner that won the Portuguese the game, 2-1, beating the Germans on their own patch. As for Spain, they came through one of the most exciting games in recent international football history, with Didier Deschamps' France losing 5-4 after being four goals down at two different points in the match. Kylian Mbappe and Co couldn't get past the Spanish armada, who sail onto the final at the Allianz Arena, Germany. Lamine Yamal proved his talent once again, scoring a brace to help his side reach the final stage of the tournament. Les Bleus will play fellow semi-final losers Germany in the third-fourth place play-off. Article continues below Here is everything you need to know about the final tonight.... What time does the match kick-off? Portugal v Spain kicks-off at 8pm (UK time) on Sunday, June 8, at the Allianz Arena, Germany, where Portugal's previous match also took place. How to watch the match? The final of the Nations League will be free on ITV and ITV X, with the coverage of the game starting at 7.30pm. Portugal v Spain team news With no new injury concerns for Roberto Martinez, the Portuguese side is expected to remain fairly similar after their win against Germany. The manager chose a system based on width and pace, picking the likes of Francisco Trincao and Pedro Neto to aid Ronaldo, instead of a more balanced line with Diogo Jota and Goncalo Ramos. As for Luis de La Fuente, the main question before the semi-final was the personnel used in the centre-back partnership. Article continues below The Spaniard chose to go with Robin Le Normand and Dean Huijsen, with Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi left out. After that defence shipped four goals against the French, perhaps the 63-year-old manager might alter the backline, or decide that he wants to keep a winning team unchanged.
Wales Online
20 hours ago
- Wales Online
New favourite installed for Cardiff City manager job following Aaron Ramsey bombshell
New favourite installed for Cardiff City manager job following Aaron Ramsey bombshell Cardiff City have suffered two major setbacks in their search for Omer Riza's successor Aaron Ramsey is set to leave Cardiff City in a move to Mexico (Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images ) Des Buckingham has been installed as the new favourite for the Cardiff City job. The Bluebirds have suffered two significant setbacks over the last three days in their quest to appoint a new manager; on Friday, Nathan Jones signed a new long-term deal with Championship side Charlton to put all speculation linking him with the position firmly to bed. And secondly on Sunday, it emerged Aaron Ramsey will not be taking the reins at his boyhood club but will instead up sticks and move to Mexico to join Guadalajara-based Pumas in order to prolong his playing career. Reports surfaced on the other side of the Atlantic on Saturday evening that Ramsey had entered into "advanced talks" with the Mexican side. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community TV reporter Andres Vaca told the Seleccione2 podcast: 'I don't know if they're selling me smoke, they just told me that Aaron Ramsey is going to join Pumas. 'They told me it's almost a confirmation.' Article continues below On Sunday morning, the Press Association reported the links in even stronger tones, saying the 34-year-old had agreed terms. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano followed this up with his own confirmation, adding: "Aaron Ramsey will sign in as new Pumas player in the next days, ready for new chapter in Mexico." Des Buckingham (Image: Getty Images ) It leaves Cardiff's hunt for a new boss in a sorry state; an announcement was due at the start of next week but whether that now happens remains to be seen. Former Oxford United boss Buckingham has always been in the mix and was involved in the interview process which concluded at the end of last month. A shortlist, using the help of an external agency, was then sent to Malaysia for Vincent Tan's final decision. Since then, events have gone awry to say the least. With Jones and Ramsey now off the table, contenders who were in the original running are now back on the agenda. Article continues below Bookmakers place 40-year-old Buckingham as favourite (1/1), ahead of Leicester City coach Brian Barry-Murphy (6/4) and ex-Bolton boss Ian Evatt (10/3). Around a month ago, Buckingham was riding high in the bookies' odds for the job. He was sacked by Oxford last December and has been out of work since. He led the U's to promotion out of League One last year. Buckingham is also said to be in the running for the vacant post at Plymouth Argyle.
