Chinese snooker star Zhao Xintong hailed as future world champion after winning major UK title

China’s Zhao Xintong has been hailed as a future world champion after he beat Luca Brecel 10-5 to clinch snooker’s UK Championship crown in York on Monday (Hong Kong time).

Zhao’s 10-5 victory against his Belgium opponent was the first ranking title of his career, and the manner of his win at the York Barbican has made the snooker world sit up and take notice.

Six-time world champion Steve Davis said the 24-year-old, who broke into the elite top 16 as a result of his win, could use the triumph “as a springboard” to greater things.

“He’s got the credentials to be the first Chinese world champion,” Davis said. “Everyone thought it might be Ding Junhui, but who is to say Zhao won’t be the one to do it?”

China has long been viewed as the country that will break Britain’s stranglehold on the table sport and another of its talented young players, Yao Bingtao, won the Masters in January. Zhao’s win means two of the sport’s Triple Crown titles are held by Chinese players.

Zhao, who will move up to ninth in the world rankings, collected £200,000 (HK$2.06 million) in prize money and earned a place in next month’s Masters tournament in London.

“I am just so happy,” Zhao said. “It was an exciting night tonight and I love York. It was the biggest match for me and it was my first time, so I tried my best because it was Luca. I feel very, very happy now. I am very excited.”

Zhao and Brecel had ripped up the form books in their respective semi-finals, Brecel firing four centuries in a 6-4 win over Kyren Wilson, while Zhao compiled six breaks in excess of 70 to sink Barry Hawkins.

In the final, the pair continued their fine form, and Zhao showed no sign of nerves when compiling breaks of 79 and 61, in between Brecel’s superb 133, as the first four frames were shared for 2-2.

Having lost the next two, Brecel took a seventh frame that could have been crucial, capitalising after Zhao missed a routine black off the spot.

But he hit back by taking the following frame to lead 5-3 after the first session.

Zhao started the final session in composed fashion with breaks of 87, 120 and 56 to stretch his lead to 8-4, and although Brecel made 81 to pull a frame back, Zhao took a tactical 14th frame and then sealed the win with 99.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kwLG70a1mnKCZo65wrdGtoJyklWSAcoGXbm5uZ5Odtq%2Bx0p5krKafpLimvoysq5qqXa%2B1oruMsaCnrJ%2BjtG60wKKjnpxdm8K1wdGeZLCnoqGxbq%2FHmqSpoZ%2BjeqKy056p