ZHAO XINTONG is the king of the Crucible after beating Mark Williams 18-12 in the World Snooker Championship final.
The 28-year-old became the first Chinese player and first amateur to lift the prestigious trophy in the Steel City.
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Zhao won NINE successive ties, including four qualifiers, en route to victory in this year’s thrilling tournament.
The Chinese potter goes home with a cheque for a whopping £500,000 and moves up to 11th in the world rankings for next season.
After his historic triumph, Zhao was seen celebrating alongside his girlfriend and the head of the Sheffield Snooker Academy, Victoria Shi.
World Snooker Championship 2025
THE World Snooker Championship has concluded after a thrilling final!
Who is Zhao Xintong’s girlfriend?
Very little is known about Zhao’s girlfriend, but SunSport understands his partner is called Yiyi.
The 28-year-old’s other half was spotted at the table while the newly crowned world champion was posing for pictures with the trophy.
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After his Crucible win, Zhao thanked his girlfriend and his parents in an emotional speech.
The Chinese cueist 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.”
Why did Zhao Xintong get banned from snooker?
Zhao was tipped as one of the next stars to break into snooker’s elite after winning the 2021 UK Championship and 2022 German Masters.
But his career was put on hold in June 2023 after he was banned for 20 months for his role in a match-fixing scandal.
Zhao was one of 10 players involved who were suspended from snooker – but crucially, he did not fix matches himself.
He accepted that he was a party to another player fixing two snooker contests on separate occasions in March 2022.
The former UK Championship champion also bet on matches during a three-year period.
And on top of his 20-month ban, Xintong also had to pay £7,500 in costs.
Zhao will return to the pro tour next season and will be ranked 11th in the world after his Crucible win.