Snooker stars call for World Championship rule change as Zhao Xintong wins title

Wales Online

07-05-2025

Snooker stars call for World Championship rule change as Zhao Xintong wins title
Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to win the World Snooker Championship, but several top stars believe the format of the tournament needs to be changed
Zhao Xintong won his first world title on Monday
(Image: Getty Images )
Snooker stars Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, and Barry Hawkins are demanding a radical overhaul of the World Championship format in the wake of Zhao Xintong's groundbreaking victory.
Following a 20-month suspension, the Chinese star made a remarkable comeback to become his country's first-ever world champion, defeating Mark Williams 18-12 in the final.
‌
He came through four rounds of qualifying just to secure a place in the first round, playing 111 frames in total, but Murphy believes that the initial stage of the tournament should be scrapped completely.
‌
In an interview with Sporting Life, Murphy said: "I don't think it's ideal as it is. I think in any setup where everyone doesn't start in the same round is totally wrong. I think it's totally weird.
"A tournament where I start in the fourth or fifth round against players who have four or five rounds behind me, I think it's weird. I think it makes a bit of a mockery of the tour to be totally honest. We need events where players all start in the same round."
Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson have spoken in light of Zhao Xintong's victory
(Image: PA )
Article continues below
Robertson echoed Murphy's sentiments, suggesting that matches should be shorter and criticising the three-day span of semi-final matches, reports the Mirror.
"The best out of 25 frames is a great match to play actually, I do like that," he said. "But I think first two rounds out of 19 and best out of 25 for the rest of the event. It's straightforward, it shortens things, you are going to see a better standard of play.
"You see a much better standard in the other events, like the Masters, in the World Championship it does drag on a bit. I would love to see it shortened. Playing a semi-final over three days is crazy, I am not engaged in that."
‌
Content cannot be displayed without consent
Speaking about match lengths, Selby, known for his prowess in extended games, supports the existing structure but concedes that fewer frames might be more fan-friendly.
He said: "In a way, I hope that they don't change. But from a viewing point I get it as well. You could easily have first round, first to 10, last 16, first to 10, and then go quarters, 13, semis, 13, and have the final first to 15. You could easily do that.
‌
"Because some of the rounds where it's the last 16 or even the semis, you are playing over three days, I mean that is a long slog."
Zhao Xintong won the title for the first time this week but some leading players have now called for a rule change
(Image: Getty )
When a player reaches the semi-finals, they have only played half of the frames necessary to win the title, despite beating three opponents already to get to the final four and single-table setup.
Article continues below
Hawkins echoed the sentiment that earlier rounds could be completed sooner, but hailed the World Championship as a special competition that separates the good from the great across multiple sessions.
He said: 'It's such a long, drawn out tournament. I suppose some of the matches don't need to be as long as they are, but at the same time that is what makes it so different. There is nothing else like it."