Disgraced snooker star banned over match-fixing wins World Championship return (2025)

ZHAO XINTONG has knocked Jak Jones out of the World Championships.

The disgraced snooker player was making his return to the Crucible having previously been banned from playing.

Xintong, 28, was serving a 20-month ban after being caught up in thematch-fixing storm that involved 10 Chinese players.

He had accepted that he was a party to another player fixing two snooker contests on separate occasions in March 2022.

And on top of his 20-month ban,Xintong also had to pay £7,500 in costs.

He returned to snooker in the Q Tourafter his suspension expired in Septemberlast year.

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Xintong showed that he still had his ability with the cue on his return to the World Championship.

He even benefited from some luck in the first frame as a shot on the blue fortunately cannoned into the middle pocket.

Jones was the 16th seed in the tournament and had reached the final against Kyren Wilson last year.

He outclassed Welsh cueman 10-4 in their round one clash to progress to the next round.

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Xintong will now face Lei Peifan, who knocked out world champion Wilson, in the last 16.

Jones hailed the performance by Xintong and believes he is one of the best at the moment.

He has admitted that the Chinese cuenman would not be a "surprising" winner of the tournament.

He said: "I don't see anyone who is playing better than him.

"If he wins it, I wouldn't be surprised at all and that would be good for the game.

"His long potting and scoring are good and he also has a good tactical game.

"There are players who have won a lot more, but I don't see anyone in the tournament who is actually better than him."

Xintong also spoke after the match and insisted the game was about "regaining confidence".

He said: "Overall, I’m pleased with my performance, especially in terms of scoring.

"I put my opponent under a lot of pressure. Jak reached the final here last year, so I knew I had to play really well to have a chance of beating him.

"I lost the first two frames today but I just tried stay in my rhythm. That helped me recover and stay focused.

"This match was about regaining confidence. I won’t be back on tour until next season, so every match I play now is very important.

"I haven’t had many opportunities to compete this season, so whatever the outcome, I just wanted to do my best and show my game.

"The qualifiers were tough and intense, but they helped release some pressure and allowed me to build up momentum.

"My scoring was strong there, and it gave me a solid foundation to start the main event here. It felt great to be back.

"I’ve had some good matches here in the past, but I still haven’t achieved what I really want.

"Lei has played brilliantly and has shown he’s capable of winning titles. A lot of Chinese players are at that level now."

He has previously been hailed as an exciting talent by snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The Rocket said: "The last time I was this excited about a player was when I saw Stephen Hendry play when I was only about nine years old.

"Zhao is the only one who made me think 'Wow, he could be something special'.

"He could be the greatest of all time with his talent, his ability.

"I always say he'sRoger Federerwith a snooker cue in his hands. He's like me, he's a quick learner."

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Wilson was 6-2 up in his match with Peifan before the Chinese ace came back to win.

He looked haunted at times as he lost 10-9 to brilliant debutant Lei Peifan, who claimed EIGHT of the last 11 frames of an enthralling contest.