Zhao Xintong is seven frames away from claiming glory at the World Snooker Championship after a great start against Mark Williams.
The Chinese star beat his idol Ronnie O’Sullivan with a session to spare to set up a showpiece event at The Crucible against Williams, and he is leading 11-6 after the first two sessions.
However, given he’s just returned from a 20-month ban, if he were to win the £500,000 prize, it could be controversial.
Here, talkSPORT.com looks into why the 28-year-old was suspended.
Why was Zhao Xintong banned?
Xintong was one of ten Chinese players who were caught in a match-fixing scandal.
In 2023, it was revealed that the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association had charged Xintong and nine others with offences related to match fixing.
At the time, he was the 2021 UK Championship winner, but he pleaded guilty to betting on matches and being aware that another player was throwing games for money.
At the time of the investigation, the WPBSA released a statement.
It read: “The players are currently suspended from attending and competing on the World Snooker Tour and in other WPBSA governed events until the conclusion of the hearing or hearings and the determination of this matter.
“This matter will be referred to a formal hearing before an independent disciplinary tribunal that will take place at a venue and on a date to be confirmed.”
Xintong could become the first Chinese winner of the World Snooker ChampionshipGettyOnce the investigation was concluded, Xintong was hit with a 20-month ban.
This meant he lost his place as a professional player and had to qualify for the World Snooker Championship as an amateur.
In the first round, he faced last year’s runner-up Jak Jones and smashed him.
From there, the Chinese star has grown and produced a remarkable display against O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan was looking to win this competition for the eighth time of his career, but he was no match for Xintong, who he has praised in the past.
In fact, Ronnie thinks Xintong should be forgiven for his role in this scandal.
The seven-time world champion had even been practicing with Xintong in the build-up to the tournament.
However, he probably wasn’t expecting to be beaten 17-7 by him in the last four.
Despite this, O’Sullivan feels Xintong should be allowed to carry on his career.
He said: “Yeah, I think it was unfortunate for some of the boys.
“I think they wasn’t really involved in it from what I gather. So some of them, you just think, it was really harsh for them.
“There’s some there that obviously were at it. And I think for some of them, it was a bit unfair. Maybe, I don’t know.
“I don’t know the full facts of it to be honest with you. But from what I heard, he was just caught in the firing line and a bit naivety, I suppose.”
If Xintong does win today, he would become the first Chinese player in history to claim World Snooker Championship glory at The Crucible.
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