STEPHEN HENDRY reckons there’s one snooker star that will be “fuming” following Zhao Xintong’s World Snooker Championship success.
Zhao, 28, became China’s first ever world champions when he swept Mark Williams aside in a comfortable 18-12 win at the Crucible on Monday.
3
3
Zhao, who has only just returned from a 20-month match-fixing ban, beat Ronnie O’Sullivan, Chris Wakelin, Lei Peifan and Jak Jones on route to the final as he made history in Sheffield.
The superstar cueist made China proud as the first ever player from Asia to pocket the £500,000 grand prize of the World Snooker Championship.
But seven-time champ Stephen Hendry reckons that Zhao’s compatriot, Ding Junhui, won’t be as pleased as everyone else at his achievement.
Hendry, who holds the joint record for the most Crucible successes, claimed that Ding would have every right to feel miffed at not being China’s first world champion, having led the way for the nation in snooker for so long.
Speaking on The Snooker Club podcast, he said: “If it was me, I’m Ding Junhui, I’m not happy tonight.
“I don’t know Ding well, maybe he’s close to Zhao and he’s delighted for him.
“But if it was me I’m thinking: ‘I’m not happy that I’ve had so many years to do it, I haven’t managed to do it, this guy’s come along after being out of the game for two years and just done it, qualified and done it.’
“He’s now the man in China. There’s a huge exhibition circuit, huge invitational tournament circuit apart from the ranking tournaments.
3
World Snooker Championship 2025
THE World Snooker Championship has concluded after a thrilling final!
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
“Ding has to be there, Ding has to be involved, Ding is often one of the co-promoter and it’s all about Ding. It’s not going to be like that.
“There’s a whole new outlook to it now, so it will be interesting to see the dynamics.”
However, it appears that Ding is just as happy as the rest of the Chinese snooker fans, taking to social media to claim that he is chuffed that his trailblazing led to Zhao’s success.
He wrote: “Congratulations to Zhao Xintong for winning the World Championship.
“I said before: ‘I am very happy to see that the threshold I broke in the past has now become everyone’s runway!’
“And today, someone finally reached the finish line on this runway!
“This moment of glory is the best reward for the Chinese fans who have been supporting Chinese snooker and waiting for this day!
“The darkness we once walked through, it was all so that people could see the light.
“Today Zhao Xintong did it! What he won is the shared dream of generations of Chinese snooker players. I’m happy for you and proud of the rise of Chinese strength!”
While Zhao thanked Ding for paving the way for his success, replying: “Thank you Brother Hui for your persistence and breakthroughs in those years. It enabled us to continue running on a wider track today.”
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