ZHAO XINTONG has knocked Jak Jones out of the World Championships.
The disgraced snooker player was making his return to the Crucible having previously been banned from playing.
GettyZhao Xintong has advanced to the next round in the World Championship[/caption]
GettyHe knocked out last year’s finalist Jak Jones[/caption]
Xintong, 28, was serving a 20-month ban after being caught up in the match-fixing storm that involved 10 Chinese players.
He had accepted that he was a party to another player fixing two snooker contests on separate occasions in March 2022.
And on top of his 20-month ban, Xintong also had to pay £7,500 in costs.
He returned to snooker in the Q Tour after his suspension expired in September last year.
Xintong showed that he still had his ability with the cue on his return to the World Championship.
He even benefited from some luck in the first frame as a shot on the blue fortunately cannoned into the middle pocket.
Jones was the 16th seed in the tournament and had reached the final against Kyren Wilson last year.
He outclassed Welsh cueman 10-4 in their round one clash to progress to the next round.
Xintong will now face Lei Peifan, who knocked out world champion Wilson, in the last 16.
Jones hailed the performance by Xintong and believes he is one of the best at the moment.
He has admitted that the Chinese cuenman would not be a “surprising” winner of the tournament.
He said: “I don’t see anyone who is playing better than him.
“If he wins it, I wouldn’t be surprised at all and that would be good for the game.
“His long potting and scoring are good and he also has a good tactical game.
“There are players who have won a lot more, but I don’t see anyone in the tournament who is actually better than him.”
Xintong also spoke after the match and insisted the game was about “regaining confidence”.
He said: “Overall, I’m pleased with my performance, especially in terms of scoring.
“I put my opponent under a lot of pressure. Jak reached the final here last year, so I knew I had to play really well to have a chance of beating him.
“I lost the first two frames today but I just tried stay in my rhythm. That helped me recover and stay focused.
“This match was about regaining confidence. I won’t be back on tour until next season, so every match I play now is very important.
“I haven’t had many opportunities to compete this season, so whatever the outcome, I just wanted to do my best and show my game.
“The qualifiers were tough and intense, but they helped release some pressure and allowed me to build up momentum.
“My scoring was strong there, and it gave me a solid foundation to start the main event here. It felt great to be back.
“I’ve had some good matches here in the past, but I still haven’t achieved what I really want.
“Lei has played brilliantly and has shown he’s capable of winning titles. A lot of Chinese players are at that level now.”
He has previously been hailed as an exciting talent by snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The Rocket said: “The last time I was this excited about a player was when I saw Stephen Hendry play when I was only about nine years old.
“Zhao is the only one who made me think ‘Wow, he could be something special’.
“He could be the greatest of all time with his talent, his ability.
“I always say he’s Roger Federer with a snooker cue in his hands. He’s like me, he’s a quick learner.”
Wilson was 6-2 up in his match with Peifan before the Chinese ace came back to win.
He looked haunted at times as he lost 10-9 to brilliant debutant Lei Peifan, who claimed EIGHT of the last 11 frames of an enthralling contest.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
1969 – John Spencer
1970 – Ray Reardon
1971 – John Spencer
1972 – Alex Higgins
1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
1977 – John Spencer (2)
1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
1979 – Terry Griffiths
1980 – Cliff Thorburn
1981 – Steve Davis
1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
1983 – Steve Davis (2)
1984 – Steve Davis (3)
1985 – Dennis Taylor
1986 – Joe Johnson
1987 – Steve Davis (4)
1988 – Steve Davis (5)
1989 – Steve Davis (6)
1990 – Stephen Hendry
1991 – John Parrott
1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
1997 – Ken Doherty
1998 – John Higgins
1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
2000 – Mark Williams
2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
2002 – Peter Ebdon
2003 – Mark Williams (2)
2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
2005 – Shaun Murphy
2006 – Graeme Dott
2007 – John Higgins (2)
2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
2009 – John Higgins (3)
2010 – Neil Robertson
2011 – John Higgins (4)
2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
2014 – Mark Selby
2015 – Stuart Bingham
2016 – Mark Selby (2)
2017 – Mark Selby (3)
2018 – Mark Williams (3)
2019 – Judd Trump
2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
2021 – Mark Selby (4)
2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
2023 – Luca Brecel
2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
2 – Alex Higgins
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