Hong Kong victory reasserts Zhao's return to top table

When the black ball dropped into the pocket and the scoreboard confirmed a 10-6 victory, Zhao Xintong set down his cue and allowed himself a long, measured smile.

He had just defeated compatriot Zhang Anda to win the 2026 World Grand Prix under the lights at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Sports Park, compiling five century breaks along the way, including a tournament-high 145. For a player who once teetered on the brink of professional ruin, the moment was less a single triumph than a declaration: the fall had been real, but so was the return.

At 28, Zhao has become both a symbol of redemption, and the standard-bearer of a resurgent Chinese presence in snooker. His path back to the top has been anything but linear, marked by early brilliance, public disgrace, enforced exile and a painstaking return to grace, built frame by frame.

Born in 1997, Zhao picked up a cue at the age of eight. His talent was immediately apparent — fluid action, natural timing and an instinct for attacking angles. With his family's support, he committed fully to the sport in his early teens, embracing structured, high-intensity training with the singular goal of turning professional.

In 2016, aged 19, he did just that, and it did not take long for him to make his mark on the circuit. In December 2021, he claimed the UK Championship, one of snooker's Triple Crown events, defeating Luca Brecel 10-5.

The victory made him the first player born in the 1990s to win a Triple Crown title and marked him as a leading figure of the sport's next generation.

Two months later, he lifted the German Masters trophy in Berlin, reinforcing the notion that China had found a successor capable of extending the legacy of Ding Junhui.

Then, in 2023, everything changed. Zhao was caught up in a major WPBSA investigation into betting rule breaches involving several Chinese players. He was found to have placed bets on behalf of fellow player Yan Bingtao, but was not involved in fixing any matches himself. Zhao received a 20-month suspension, reduced in part due to his early admission of guilt and his cooperation.

Overnight, the narrative shifted: a rising star became a cautionary tale. Labels like "tainted player" and "career over" circulated freely.

Sponsors retreated, fans expressed disappointment and the momentum he had built disappeared overnight.

Zhao chose to confront the setback rather than evade it. He issued a public apology, acknowledged his mistake and withdrew from the spotlight. With no tournaments to anchor his calendar, he turned to relentless practice: refining safety play, strengthening tactical patience and stabilizing a game long defined by flair.

When his suspension ended in Sept 2024, he returned to competition through the Q Tour, winning four consecutive events — a first for the Tour — and secured his ticket to the professional circuit. The victories were quieter than his earlier triumphs, but they served a critical purpose: proof, to himself and the world, that his edge had not dulled.

The defining statement of his comeback came at the 2025 World Snooker Championship. Entering as a qualifier, Zhao navigated the Crucible's tables with composure and authority, defeating top names, including Ronnie O'Sullivan before overcoming Mark Williams 18-12 in the final.

He became the first Chinese player — and the first Asian — to win the World Championships, surpassing Ding Junhui's runner-up finish in 2016 and shifting the trajectory of Chinese snooker in a single two-week period.

Hong Kong's 2026 World Grand Prix was the next stage of consolidation. Zhao, Zhang Anda, Xiao Guodong and Zhou Yuelong reached the semifinals together — the first time in ranking-event history that all four semifinalists were Chinese. Nine Chinese players reached the last 16, signaling that the sport in China had moved beyond a single star to a deep, competitive cohort.

In the final against Zhang, Zhao remained steady even after a tightly contested 4-4 opening session. As the match unfolded, his precise potting and aggressive break-building gradually asserted control, and he secured a 10-6 victory.

The 180,000-pound ($245,400) winner's check was substantial, but the symbolic significance was greater: his triumph confirmed that last year's world championship victory was no fluke, but part of a sustained reassertion of his place at the sport's top table.

After the match, Zhao's tone was characteristically measured.

"Honestly, I didn't expect to win the title," he said. "I was on the verge of losing in both the first and second rounds, but managed to turn things around."

"There were so many fans at the venue supporting us Chinese players — that gave me tremendous motivation. I'm grateful to the organizers for providing such a platform. Without it, I wouldn't have had the chance to lift this trophy," Zhao said.

Zhao's journey now sits at an intersection of legacy and evolution. Ding Junhui once carried Chinese snooker into the nation's mainstream consciousness; Zhao's role is different. He is no longer a solitary pioneer, but the central figure in a widening field of Chinese contenders. His game, once defined by audacious attack, now balances flair with discipline. The swagger remains, but it is tempered by hard-earned equilibrium.

As the lights in Hong Kong dimmed and the table was cleared, Zhao walked away, not as a blemished prodigy, but as a once-fallen player who confronted the consequences and, under immense pressure and scrutiny, rebuilt a path to the top of his sport.