Who is Zhao Xintong, the Chinese world champion hailed as snooker's 'new superstar'?
PICKING UP THE CUE AT 8
Zhao was born in the Chinese city of Xian, but as a child moved to the metropolis of Shenzhen, just over the border from Hong Kong, when his parents went there for work.
An only child, he first became interested in snooker when he was eight years old, after seeing some tables set up outside small stores near his home.
As his interest grew, his parents put a snooker table in one of the rooms in their home and made it his practice room.
However, they were sceptical about his sporting ambitions and wanted him to study.
In 2015, a teenage Zhao told a documentary that he wanted to be like Chinese snooker trailblazer Ding Junhui. Ding, the so-called grandfather of Chinese snooker, won the UK Championship three times and the Masters in 2011.
In the 2015 documentary, called "Becoming Ding Junhui", Zhao's mother recalls: "I asked him, when you've finished university, what job will you do?
"He said, 'Play snooker'. He said it very firmly, he didn't need to think about it."
She said that was the moment she decided to fully support his decision to make snooker his life.
Acknowledging the support from his parents, Zhao said: "I'm the luckiest kid in the snooker world."
The same programme includes a ringing endorsement from Ding's father, calling Zhao his "favourite" player and a "rare" talent.
SNOOKER'S ROGER FEDERER
By his teens, Zhao was beating professionals in exhibition matches, Williams among them.
The left-hander followed the trail of Chinese players to Sheffield, where he plays at Victoria's Snooker Academy, run by Victoria Shi, a 10-minute walk from the Crucible.
Realising Zhao's enormous potential, Shi asked snooker great Ronnie 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, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
SUSPENSION
Nicknamed the "Cyclone", Zhao's outrageous shot-making and calm demeanour marked him out as a future world champion. In 2021, his victory in the UK Championship suggested that day was not far off.
However, in 2023, he was one of 10 Chinese players suspended during a corruption investigation over match-fixing.
While Zhao was the only one among the players who did not fix matches, he admitted to 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,' he 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.'
COMEBACK
Zhao's road to redemption was a gruelling one.
After completing his suspension last September, he had to start from the bottom. He returned to playing on the Q Tour, the amateur circuit, and won almost every match, quickly ensuring his return to the pro ranks next season.
Due to the suspension, Zhao was required to enter the world championship at the preliminary stage, but he got 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.
The 28-year-old beat his idol and mentor O'Sullivan 17-7 to reach the final, where he triumphed 18-12 over Williams, who was bidding to become snooker's oldest world champion aged 50.
His win made him the youngest world champion since Shaun Murphy, who won at the age of 22 in 2005.
"There's a new superstar of the game,' Williams said. 'He just strolls around the table and pots balls from anywhere as if he doesn't have a care in the world.'
Millions of Chinese fans were said to have tuned into the final to witness Zhao's coronation. He will start next season at number 11 in the world rankings.
"You see the quality of Zhao Xintong, it's the future and the shape of things to come," said six-time world champion Steve Davis.
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