At Sheffield's iconic Crucible Theatre, China's Zhao Xintong took a commanding 11-6 lead over Wales' Mark Williams in the World Snooker Championship final on Sunday. The opening day saw Zhao, chasing history as his country's first world champion, race to a 7-1 advantage in the gripping best-of-35-frame contest.
Williams, 50, the oldest player to reach a final at the Crucible since 1977, struggled to find his rhythm in the first session. His best break of 61 in the sixth frame fell short, allowing Zhao to build momentum frame by frame.
The second session brought a mini-comeback for the Welshman, who won five of nine frames to trim the deficit. Despite that fightback, Williams still faces a mountain to climb: no finalist has overturned such a large overnight gap since the Crucible era began.
As play resumes on Monday, all eyes will be on whether Zhao can close out his fairytale run or if Williams can engineer a historic comeback.
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China's Zhao leads over Williams in World Snooker Championship final
cgtn.com
