On May 6 (Beijing time), the fourth session of the World Snooker Championship final concluded with Chinese player Zhao Xintong defeating Mark Williams 18–12 to claim the title. Zhao made history by becoming both China’s and Asia’s first-ever World Snooker Champion.

Zhao ended the third session with a dominant 17–8 lead, putting him on match point. In the fourth session, Williams mounted a brief comeback, producing breaks of 101, 96, and 73 points in a four-frame streak to close the gap to 12–17. After the mid-session interval, Zhao responded with an 87-point break to clinch an 18–12 victory and seal his place in snooker history.

Zhao also became the first player in history to win the World Championship as an amateur. He had previously received a 20-month suspension from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) for involvement in match-fixing. He returned to competition in September last year. As he is only eligible to rejoin the professional tour next season, Zhao entered this World Championship as an amateur, battling through four qualifying rounds to reach the main draw.

In the final, Zhao delivered an explosive performance, scoring two century breaks (100, 104) and eleven additional breaks over 50 (77, 57, 83, 71, 56, 96, 71, 58, 52, 67, 87).

Powerful Performance: Zhao Xintong Leads Throughout the Final

The 2025 World Snooker Championship final followed a best-of-35 frames format, played over four sessions (8/9/8/10).

On May 4, in the first session, Zhao showed impressive form, taking a commanding 7–1 lead over Mark Williams.

On May 5, after the second session of 9 frames, Zhao led 11–6.

In the third session, Zhao continued his dominance, winning another 6 frames to extend his lead to 17–8.

Defeated O’Sullivan in the Semifinals: Zhao Xintong Reaches His First Final

The semifinals followed a best-of-33 format. Zhao Xintong defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan 17–7 to reach the World Championship final for the first time in his career. After the match, the two players shared a smile, handshake, and hug—showcasing the sportsmanship and camaraderie between great athletes.

Zhao had shown promise as early as the 2016 English Open, where he scored a 130-point break against O’Sullivan before narrowly losing 3–4. After that match, O’Sullivan personally approached Zhao to offer advice. Their mentor-mentee relationship began there, and O’Sullivan has since publicly praised Zhao multiple times, calling him a player of immense potential.

It’s worth noting that Zhao reached the final by winning eight consecutive matches, starting from the qualifying rounds. He became the first Chinese player to reach the World Championship final since Ding Junhui in 2016. At 28 years and 30 days old, Zhao also became the youngest Chinese player ever to reach a World Championship final, surpassing Ding’s record of 29 years and 31 days.