Why was Zhao Xintong banned from snooker? World Snooker Championship finalist in match-fixing scandal
ZHAO XINTONG seeks to become the first Chinese cueist to win the World Snooker Championship.
The 28-year-old defeated snooker's unsurpassable Ronnie O'Sullivan in an outstandingly composed semi-final performance, which saw him book his final dust-up with three-time champion Mark Williams.
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Zhao produced a brilliant game of snooker, demonstrating his crisp cueing and good positional play to pounce on O'Sullivan's blunders.
"Watch him - amazing - he's the one, could be the Roger Federer of snooker," O'Sullivan, who has been a long-time admirer of Xintong's talent, said in a 2019 interview.
He is expected to be one of the sport's new superstars with a triumph at the Crucible.
The 28-year-old plays as an amateur in Sheffield and had not competed in a professional competition since 2022 until the season began. But, with a Triple Crown victory under his belt, this isn't your typical amateur snooker player.
Why was Zhao Xintong banned from snooker?
Zhao's blossoming career was put on hold in January 2023 when he was suspended in connection with a high-profile match-fixing investigation.
The WPBSA found him guilty of match manipulation and betting between 2019 and 2022, but exonerated him of actively fixing his own matches.
The prominent issue wrapped snooker, when ten Chinese players were accused of various levels of match-fixing, and Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were eventually banned from the sport for life.
The WPBSA disciplinary committee that conducted the hearing described former world No. 11 Liang's attitude as "particularly disgraceful".
The two highest-profile figures involved in the scandal were 2021 Masters winner Yan Bingtao, who is presently serving a five-year ban until December 2027.
And Zhao, who was ranked ninth in the world when his suspension began, having added the 2022 German Masters title to his stunning UK Championship victory.
Zhao, who did not personally toss a match, acknowledged allegations of assisting another player in rigging two matches and betting on matches himself, for which he received a 20-month sentence - reduced from the initial 30.
He returned to competition on the amateur Q Tour in September, winning tournaments in Manchester, Sweden, Austria, and Belgium, as well as qualifying for the UK Championship, where he lost to Shaun Murphy in the opening round.
'Two years ago I made a little mistake and now I come back, so I know how important snooker is for me,' said Zhao after beating Walden to secure his spot at the UK Championship last year.
'I want to come back to the snooker table and get trophies. These are very big lessons for me, it makes me appreciate snooker more."
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