Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to win the World Snooker Championship with a victory over Welshman and three-times winner Mark Williams at the Crucible Theatre on Monday, the latest chapter in Zhao's remarkable rise and fall story.
The 28-year-old won by 18 frames to 12, despite a spirited comeback attempt from Williams.
Zhao, who is touted as the sport's next superstar, received a 20-month ban in January 2023 after a match-fixing scandal that rocked the sport, the repercussions of which meant he was classed as an amateur at this event and needed to get through four rounds of qualifying to reach the Crucible.
The Chinese player, who lives just a 10-minute walk from the Crucible venue, took an 11-6 overnight lead into Monday's third session.
While Zhao looked completely unflappable and kept smiling throughout the afternoon session, Williams struggled for accuracy. Williams appeared powerless to stop his opponent from taking a seemingly unassailable 17-8 lead, meaning Zhao needed to win just one frame in the evening final to claim the world title.
But a free-wheeling Williams made things interesting by winning the evening's first four frames with a flurry of excellent shots before the younger player answered in the fifth to secure victory.
The final was already historic no matter the result, as the 50-year-old Williams became the oldest player to reach the final with his semi-final win over world number one Judd Trump.
Williams said: "He (Zhao) is as good to watch as [Ronnie] O'Sullivan was when he was younger. He just strolls around the table and pots balls from anywhere as if he doesn't have a care in the world.
"Xintong is going to be a national hero now. He'll be on the front page of every news outlet going and I'm sure there are Chinese companies ready to throw zillions at him.
"It's great for our sport to have someone at the top who is so attacking and so young."
Zhao had swept aside seven-time winner O'Sullivan in the semi-finals to set up what had been billed as the coronation of a new snooker king.
The Chinese player, nicknamed "the Cyclone", raced out to an early 7-1 advantage in the best-of-35-frame contest but Williams staged a mini revival in Sunday's second session to keep alive his hopes of a fourth title.
No player, however, had overcome such a large overnight deficit since the tournament moved to the Crucible in 1977.
Zhao joined Terry Griffiths and Shaun Murphy as the only qualifiers to capture snooker's most prestigious trophy. He banked a cheque for £500,000 pounds ($664,000.00) with Monday's victory.
"It's like a dream - I can't believe it," said Zhao, who also became the first amateur player to triumph at the Crucible, having lost his tour card in January 2023 for his part in a match-fixing scandal.
Zhao had admitted being party to an effort to fix or contrive to fix two matches involving his compatriot Yan Bingtao - the former Masters winner - and despite frequently expressing contrition for his involvement, there will be some who believe his triumph is a tainted one.
"There was big pressure and I was a bit nervous because I knew I couldn't miss," Zhao added. "I knew he could come back so quickly so I had to concentrate and be very careful."
Referencing his 20-month ban that expired in September, Zhao added: "I had nearly two years not playing in tour competitions and that's why I said my first target was to get through qualifying to the Crucible.
"I can't believe I went on to be champion, but I am back now and I want to keep going."
Williams had defied his own low expectations by forcing his way into his fifth Crucible final and eclipsing the previous record set by his fellow Welshman Ray Reardon who was 49 when he lost the 1982 final to Alex Higgins.
Blighted by eye problems and booked in for lens replacement surgery this summer, Williams nevertheless dredged up every inch of his vast experience to edge past fellow veteran John Higgins in a quarter-final classic, then recovered from a 5-1 deficit to sink world No1 Judd Trump in the last four.
But Zhao's lightning start to their seventh career meeting - Williams got the better of a first round qualifying clash in 2017 when he had temporarily slid out of the world's top 64 - effectively ended any hopes the Welshman had of clawing his way back to wrest a fourth world crown.
A 7-1 deficit first session instead paved the way to victory for Zhao, who was one frame short of becoming the first man to lift the title in an afternoon session since Stephen Hendry obliterated Jimmy White in 1993.
Williams, who is now considering postponing scheduled lens replacement surgery after his surprise run to a fifth Crucible final, added: "I played well all tournament but unfortunately I was never in the final from the first few frames.
"Some of the balls Zhao potted were unbelievable. I used to feel like that at 27 or 28. To do what he's done, having been out for 20 months then come back and won every game, come here and bashed everyone up in a major tournament, is unbelievable."
