Stephen Hendry believes Zhao Xintong will be China’s first winner of the World Snooker Championship.
Ding Junhui has come the closest to making history for China as he was beaten by Mark Selby in the World Snooker Championship final in 2016.
Zhao, meanwhile, last played at the Crucible in 2022 where he was beaten by Stephen Maguire in the second round.
The following year, Zhao was one of 10 Chinese players banned from snooker in June 2023 for his part in the sport’s match-fixing scandal.
Zhao, who won the UK Championship in 2021, was given a 20-month ban for being party to another player fixing matches and also betting on matches himself.
The 28-year-old returned to snooker in September and made an quick impact, winning two Q Tour events and making two 147s in the process – the first player in history to make a maximum on that circuit.
To reach this year’s World Snooker Championship, Zhao had to go through four preliminary rounds as one of the 16 qualifiers and will now play Jak Jones, last year’s finalist, in the first round.
But seven-time winner Hendry believes Zhao has what it takes to become China’s first-ever world champion.
When asked to name who will be China’s first winner of the World Snooker Championship, Hendry said on his Cue Tips channel: ‘I think Zhao Xintong.
‘He’s coming off a three-year ban, he’s playing in the World Championship, he’s in the qualifying just now, even though he’s got to win four matches to get to the Crucible he’s already fifth or sixth favourite to win it. He’s that good.’
Meanwhile, Ken Doherty has described Zhao as a ‘young Jimmy White’ and feels he can go deep in the tournament this year.
‘There’s a few dark horses in there, and a couple of them would be Chinese,’ Doherty said to Gambling.com.
‘One is Zhao Xintong, who’s won four matches. If Kyren Wilson and Zhao Xintong come through those first matches, they will play each other in the last 16.
‘That would be a good test for Kyren Wilson. Zhao would be a dark horse for me. When he did break the rules, he wasn’t gambling on the matches or he wasn’t throwing matches like some of the players who were banned.
‘But he’s served his ban and took it on the chin. He’s a wonderful talent and he’s welcome back into the sport. I think people will love watching him play, because he’s a gifted young man.
‘The way he plays the game so gracefully – he reminds me of a young Jimmy White, the way he plays. He’s that good, he’s that talented.
‘He’s already won the UK championship before his ban. I think he’ll go and win another big one, and he’ll be at the top of the game very, very soon.’
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