Zhao holds off Williams fightback for World Snooker crown

Zhao Xintong becomes first Chinese winner of World Snooker Championship with 18-12 victory over three-time champion Mark Williams at the Crucible

Last Updated: 05/05/25 8:54pm

Zhao Xintong was crowned China's first World Snooker Championship winner after withstanding a stirring comeback from Mark Williams to complete an 18-12 victory at the Crucible.

Resuming the final session one frame short of victory, Zhao was forced to wait for his history-making moment as the Welsh veteran reeled off four in a row to stretch the match beyond a mid-session interval.

Williams, at 50, the oldest finalist in Crucible history, had his chances to further reduce the deficit before Zhao recovered his poise to rocket in a match-clinching break of 87 and raise a Chinese flag in front of the Crucible crowd.

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New world champion Zhao told BBC Sport: "I can't believe what I do. Very exciting. Thank you."

He was also full of praise for his opponent, saying: "I'm so nervous tonight. Mark Williams is still a top player, he gave me so much pressure. He's the best."

Asked how tired he was after his mammoth effort, the 28-year-old replied: "I'm not tired," before adding he would "maybe have a couple of drinks tonight" to celebrate.

Williams added: "What a potter he is, over there. I'm glad I'll be too old when he's dominating the game!

"I've got nothing but admiration for what he's done - hadn't played for two years, come through qualifiers, bashed Ronnie up, bashed me up… bashed everybody up!

"What can you say? There's a new superstar of the game, and he's over there."