In a thrilling day at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, Zhao Xintong of the Chinese mainland secured his maiden quarterfinal berth at the World Snooker Championship with a hard-fought 13-10 win over compatriot Lei Peifan. Building on a 10-6 overnight lead, Zhao weathered Lei’s late burst—three frames on the bounce—to stamp his authority in the 23rd frame with a commanding 62 break.
Now set to face qualifier Chris Wakelin in the last eight, Zhao’s breakout run adds to a wave of emerging talent reshaping snooker’s global landscape. His performance underscores a growing trend: younger players from the Chinese mainland making deep runs on snooker’s biggest stage.
Meanwhile, home favorite and world No. 1 Judd Trump edged fellow Englishman Shaun Murphy 10-6 in their second-round clash, chalking up his 100th century break of the season. After a 5-3 advantage at the mid-session interval and near misses on 98 and 97, Trump unleashed a stunning 132 clearance—earning a rare mid-frame standing ovation and cementing his spot in an elite club only matched by Neil Robertson in 2013-14.
Elsewhere, Si Jiahui of the Chinese mainland held a 9-7 edge over Ben Woollaston. Seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan (12-4) is on the brink of securing his spot against the Chinese mainland’s Pang Junxu, while Luca Brecel (12-4) leads the charge to face the Chinese mainland’s Ding Junhui.
With quarterfinal action set to kick off, fans from Beijing to Belfast are tuning in to witness who will next carve their names into snooker history.
Reference(s):
Zhao beats Lei to reach World Snooker Championship quarterfinals
cgtn.com
