Latest news with #Xintong
The Irish Sun
02-08-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Zhao Xintong falls victim to Ding Junhui Curse at Shanghai Masters as he loses first snooker match for nine months
ZHAO XINTONG lost his first snooker match for nine months as he fell victim to the Ding Junhui Curse. 2 Zhao Xintong fell to his first defeat in 27 games against Kyren Wilson Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 2 Kyren Wilson is through to the final of the Shanghai Masters Credit: Getty The Warrior, 33, scored breaks of 66, 75, 70, 95, 70, 101 and 51 across the 15 frames and crucially claimed all SIX frames in the evening session. For Xintong, it was a first defeat since losing to Shaun Murphy in the Last 32 of the UK Championship in York on November 23, 2024. After that loss in the North Yorkshire cathedral city, Xintong won an astonishing 26 matches in a row, which included lifting the Crucible crown in historic scenes for his country. But Xintong's Far East homecoming was ruined by the Kettering cueist as he completely flopped in the evening action. READ MORE IN SNOOKER The Cyclone potted breaks of 113, 59, 95 and then a 121 to lead 5-4 in the afternoon but when nighttime came, he was outclassed by the Englishman. And forget all about the Crucible Curse, which he has to negotiate next spring in Sheffield – the Curse of Ding Junhui struck again in a competitive environment. This was the 21st time in a row that someone had beaten Ding, 38, and then LOST their next match. A run that stretches back to the Players Championship in February 2024 in Telford. Most read in Snooker CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS It is a quirk that whoever manages to eliminate Ding, the Godfather of Chinese snooker, from a tournament cannot repeat the victory in the next appearance. Robbie Williams is the last person, at the 2024 Welsh Open, to have knocked out Ding and then won his next match. Snooker fans baffled as star who's not won a match all year knocks in staggering 147 break Wilson, the world No.2, faces Ali Carter in the final, the best of 21 frames, at the Luwan Gymnasium and the winner will earn a £210,000 jackpot. Kyren Wilson said: 'The crowd were massively on Zhao Xintong's side, which is obviously to be expected out here. He's an absolute local hero. 'I managed to settle quite early in the game and find a bit of rhythm. 'It was about going back to the hotel, resetting and recharging and coming out firing for the evening. 'Snooker is booming in China. You can feel an air of expectation every time Xintong turns up for a match. I knew I had to play well. 'We are both young guys and the most recent world champions. Hopefully it's a game the Chinese fans can enjoy for many years to come. 'I did hear about the curse. It's a mad stat. Maybe Ding Junhui is so good he takes it out of you when you beat him. 'Who knows? It's a crazy stat. I am sure Ding enjoys it. 'Ali Carter has battled through some tough deciding matches, which is what he does best. He's a fantastic match player. A very gritty, determined character. 'I will have to dig deep and play some of the best snooker I have played in maybe the last 18 months.'
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Zhao Xintong, 28, tipped to become richest snooker player in history and dwarf Ronnie O'Sullivan's earnings
ZHAO XINTONG has been tipped to become the richest snooker player in history. Yet Asia's first world champion has been warned by his manager that he is not allowed to splash too much cash despite his £500,000 title winnings. 3 3 The Chinese cueist flies home on Wednesday and if the reception he received outside the Crucible is any gauge, he will be mobbed on his return. Hordes of fans waited patiently for him outside the Stage Door to the Sheffield theatre following his 18-12 win over Mark Williams – and they were back again on Tuesday morning for selfies and autographs. Sheffield-based Xintong, 28, has the potential, less than a year after his comeback from a 20-month corruption ban, to earn enormous amounts on and off the table. Ronnie O'Sullivan has earned close to £15million in career prize money but that could be dwarfed by Xintong if he dominates the game. WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: 'Xintong has the potential to become the richest earning snooker player in the history of the sport. 'That's quite a bold statement when you think about the titles that Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan won. 'But the size of the market is huge and when you see the association of the brands who want to partner with snooker, it has endless potential. 'Let's sing the praises of this young boy. He's an amazing talent. To go all the way in this is nothing short of a miracle. 'This is one of the biggest occasions snooker has ever seen. 'We've seen the growth in the China market and we've seen the size and scale of grass-roots development underneath that. 'To see a world champion returning to China a national hero is really going to send the sport to another level.' So much of this year's tournament had been framed by the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Black Ball Final, one of the significant moments in the sport's history and enduring popularity. Xintong's victory, albeit tainted by his past involvement in a match-fixing scandal, could have a similar impact in the Far East. There are more than 300,000 official snooker and billiards clubs in China and it is played by hundreds of millions of people. Ferguson reckons opening up this key Far Eastern market might open doors at IOC level and help their chances of being part of a future Olympic Games, maybe as soon as Brisbane 2032. He said: 'We're talking to all the multi-sport bodies. There's a lot of politics involved and these bids are about multi-cue sports. 'Probably the best potter' 'It's quite complicated. But at the end of the day, the size of snooker now, how important China is to the IOC, someone has to look at this today and say this is now snooker's time. 'It's a game-changer for us if we get in somewhere like the Olympics. The Paralympics may be another route.' Williams – who downed shots at the after-party while Xintong left after just an hour – called his opponent ' probably the best potter I've ever seen'. The Welshman, 50, said: 'Good luck to him. I'm sure he's going to earn a few quid out of this. 'He could dominate or at least give Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson a run for their money. We've got a new superstar. 'I'm sure there are Chinese companies ready to throw zillions at him already. Ronnie O'Sullivan comparisons 'It's great for our sport to have someone attacking and young. He's 28. Not a Luke Littler but similar. 'He's as close and as good to watch as O'Sullivan when he was younger. 'He just walks round the table as if he's going to the toilet, strolling, and pots from anywhere and walks around without a care in the world. 'Two minutes later he's on 65, and you have no idea how he's got 60 just like that.' Xintong's manager Victoria Shi – who runs an academy in Sheffield – will make sure he does not get too big for his boots as the money floods in. She said: 'Let him enjoy it, but if he enjoys it too much, I'll tell him off. I will. He practises for six or seven hours a day. He works hard. 'He's the first Asian world champion. That's huge. Its like if Tottenham won the Premier League and Son [Heung-min] was the first Asian footballer to win. It's the same.'
The Irish Sun
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Zhao Xintong, 28, tipped to become richest snooker player in history and dwarf Ronnie O'Sullivan's earnings
ZHAO XINTONG has been tipped to become the richest snooker player in history. Yet Asia's first world champion has been warned by his manager that he is not allowed to splash too much cash despite his £500,000 title winnings. Advertisement 3 Zhao Xintong is tipped to become the richest snooker player in history 3 Xintong could make more than snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan 3 Ronnie O'Sullivan has earned close to £15million in career prize money The Chinese cueist flies home on Wednesday and if the reception he received outside the Crucible is any gauge, he will be mobbed on his return. Hordes of fans waited patiently for him outside the Stage Door to the Sheffield theatre following his 18-12 win over Mark Williams – and they were back again on Tuesday morning for selfies and autographs. Sheffield-based Advertisement Read More on Snooker WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: 'Xintong has the potential to become the richest earning snooker player in the history of the sport. 'That's quite a bold statement when you think about the titles that 'But the size of the market is huge and when you see the association of the brands who want to partner with snooker, it has endless potential. 'Let's sing the praises of this young boy. He's an amazing talent. To go all the way in this is nothing short of a miracle. Advertisement Most read in Snooker CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 'This is one of the biggest occasions snooker has ever seen. 'We've seen the growth in the China market and we've seen the size and scale of grass-roots development underneath that. Emotional Zhao Xintong shares touching moment with rarely-seen girlfriend after World Snooker Championship triumph 'To see a world champion returning to China a national hero is really going to send the sport to another level.' Advertisement So much of this year's tournament had been framed by the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Black Ball Final, one of the significant moments in the sport's history and enduring popularity. Xintong's victory, albeit tainted by his past involvement in a match-fixing scandal, could have a similar impact in the Far East. There are more than 300,000 official snooker and billiards clubs in China and it is played by hundreds of millions of people. Ferguson reckons opening up this key Far Eastern market might open doors at IOC level and help their chances of being part of a future Olympic Games, maybe as soon as Brisbane 2032. Advertisement He said: 'We're talking to all the multi-sport bodies. There's a lot of politics involved and these bids are about multi-cue sports. 'Probably the best potter' 'It's quite complicated. But at the end of the day, the size of snooker now, how important China is to the IOC, someone has to look at this today and say this is now snooker's time. 'It's a game-changer for us if we get in somewhere like the Olympics. The Paralympics may be another route.' Williams – who downed shots at the after-party while Xintong left after just an hour – called his opponent ' probably the best potter I've ever seen'. Advertisement The Welshman, 50, said: 'Good luck to him. I'm sure he's going to earn a few quid out of this. 'He could dominate or at least give Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson a run for their money. We've got a new superstar. 'I'm sure there are Chinese companies ready to throw zillions at him already. Ronnie O'Sullivan comparisons 'It's great for our sport to have someone attacking and young. He's 28. Not a Luke Littler but similar. Advertisement 'He's as close and as good to watch as O'Sullivan when he was younger. 'He just walks round the table as if he's going to the toilet, strolling, and pots from anywhere and walks around without a care in the world. 'Two minutes later he's on 65, and you have no idea how he's got 60 just like that.' Xintong's manager Victoria Shi – who runs an academy in Sheffield – will make sure he does not get too big for his boots as the money floods in. Advertisement She said: 'Let him enjoy it, but if he enjoys it too much, I'll tell him off. I will. He practises for six or seven hours a day. He works hard. 'He's the first Asian world champion. That's huge. Its like if Tottenham won the Premier League and Son [Heung-min] was the first Asian footballer to win. It's the same.'
The Irish Sun
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Emotional Zhao Xintong shares touching moment with rarely-seen girlfriend after World Snooker Championship triumph
ZHAO XINTONG shared a touching moment with his girlfriend after being crowned snooker world champion. China's Xintong, 28, became the first man from Asia to win the World Snooker Championship. Advertisement 6 Zhao Xintong celebrated winning the Snooker World Championship with Victoria Shi and his girlfriend Yiyi Credit: AFP 6 Yiyi delicately plucked out a piece of confetti from Xintong's hair during the celebrations Credit: AFP He Xintong's manager and 'second mum' Victoria Shi immediately ran over to give him a Chinese flag to wrap around his shoulders. And then he got his hands on the famous trophy. With his parents watching back home in China - his mum has never been on a plane - it was Victoria and Xintong's girlfriend Yiyi who joined him beside the table for the celebrations. Advertisement READ MORE IN SNOOKER The trio were all smiles for the cameras as they posed with the trophy, with Yiyi appearing to hold back tears in the emotion of her man's victory. And then she showed her kind heart with a lovely moment. Yiyi spotted a piece of red confetti from the ticker tape had landed in Xintong's hair without him realising. So as she made way for him to have more photos, Yiyi delicately plucked the rogue confetti out. Advertisement Most read in Snooker Exclusive Xintong thanked his girlfriend, head of Sheffield Snooker Academy Shi and his parents in a classy victory speech. He said: "I can't believe this. Yes, I can't believe what I have done in this match. I'm very excited. Thank you. BBC World Snooker Championship commentator brutally shut down live on air by Shaun Murphy in 'very awkward' exchange 'I have been so nervous. Mark is a top player and gave me so much pressure. He's the best. 'I'm not tired. I will celebrate, maybe have a good drink tonight. Advertisement "I need to say thank you to everybody coming here. Thank you everybody. 'I can't believe this. I think I am dreaming. Maybe it's true. "Thank you to my parents, manager Victoria and girlfriend, WST and CBSA academy.' Xintong only returned from a Advertisement It saw him have his professional status revoked, meaning he technically won at the Crucible as an amateur. World Snooker Championship 2025 THE World Snooker Championship has concluded after a thrilling final! Follow all the reaction with SunSport's live blog of the World Snooker Championship Latest News Snooker Explained FULL results for 2025 How much prize money was won? Who were the BBC snooker presenters and pundits? What is on Zhao Xintong's bow tie? After coming through four rounds of qualifying then sweeping away the rest of the field, Xintong picked up a winner's cheque for £500,000. He also rises to No11 in the world rankings - but But there was clearly no hard feelings from Williams. Advertisement The Welshman was glowing in his praise for Xintong at the end of the final. He said: "What a potter he is over there, I'm glad I will be too old when he's dominating the game. 'I have nothing but admiration for what he has done, having come through the qualifiers. 'He hasn't played for two years, bashed Ronnie up, bashed me up, bashed everybody up. Advertisement 'There's a new superstar of the game and he's over there." The finalists then posed for a 6 Williams hilariously pretended to punch Xintong afterwards Credit: X @VICS_SNOOKER 6 Xintong put on a superb performance in the final Credit: PA Advertisement 6 He beat Mark Williams 18-12 in the one-sided final Credit: Reuters 6 Xintong became the first man from Asia to be crowned world champion Credit: PA
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Emotional Zhao Xintong shares touching moment with rarely-seen girlfriend after World Snooker Championship triumph
ZHAO XINTONG shared a touching moment with his girlfriend after being crowned snooker world champion. China's Xintong, 28, became the first man from Asia to win the World Snooker Championship. 6 6 He beat Mark Williams 18-12 in a dominant final at the Crucible. Xintong's manager and 'second mum' Victoria Shi immediately ran over to give him a Chinese flag to wrap around his shoulders. And then he got his hands on the famous trophy. With his parents watching back home in China - his mum has never been on a plane - it was Victoria and Xintong's girlfriend Yiyi who joined him beside the table for the celebrations. The trio were all smiles for the cameras as they posed with the trophy, with Yiyi appearing to hold back tears in the emotion of her man's victory. And then she showed her kind heart with a lovely moment. Yiyi spotted a piece of red confetti from the ticker tape had landed in Xintong's hair without him realising. So as she made way for him to have more photos, Yiyi delicately plucked the rogue confetti out. Xintong thanked his girlfriend, head of Sheffield Snooker Academy Shi and his parents in a classy victory speech. He said: "I can't believe this. Yes, I can't believe what I have done in this match. I'm very excited. Thank you. 'I have been so nervous. Mark is a top player and gave me so much pressure. He's the best. 'I'm not tired. I will celebrate, maybe have a good drink tonight. "I need to say thank you to everybody coming here. Thank you everybody. 'I can't believe this. I think I am dreaming. Maybe it's true. "Thank you to my parents, manager Victoria and girlfriend, WST and CBSA academy.' Xintong only returned from a 20-month ban for his involvement in a snooker match-fixing corruption scandal seven months ago. It saw him have his professional status revoked, meaning he technically won at the Crucible as an amateur. After coming through four rounds of qualifying then sweeping away the rest of the field, Xintong picked up a winner's cheque for £500,000. He also rises to No11 in the world rankings - but confusion and controversy over his prize money and ranking have left rival snooker stars "up in arms". But there was clearly no hard feelings from Williams. The Welshman was glowing in his praise for Xintong at the end of the final. He said: "What a potter he is over there, I'm glad I will be too old when he's dominating the game. 'I have nothing but admiration for what he has done, having come through the qualifiers. 'He hasn't played for two years, bashed Ronnie up, bashed me up, bashed everybody up. 'There's a new superstar of the game and he's over there." The finalists then posed for a hilarious photo with Williams pretending to punch Xintong, who was holding the trophy backstage. 6 6 6 6
