Zhao Xintong fancies a crack at Judd Trump in the World Snooker Championship final after downing Ronnie O’Sullivan with a session to spare in the semi.
The 28-year-old is into the Crucible final for the first time after a brilliant 17-7 win over the Rocket which did not require the scheduled final session on Saturday afternoon.
O’Sullivan was clearly struggling with his cue and confidence, but Zhao played superbly and will have the chance to become China’s first world champion over Sunday and Monday.
His opponent in Sheffield will be either Mark Williams or Trump who are scrapping it out in a much more even contest than Zhao and O’Sullivan produced.
The Welsh Potting Machine and the Ace are locked at 8-8 after two sessions and have two more to play on Saturday.
Asked for his thoughts on both possible opponents, Zhao started with Trump and said, although he would probably be the tougher challenge, that is who he would like to face.
‘I know he’s the top player and he’s the top one now,’ Zhao said of Trump. ‘He plays perfect snooker, everything’s good.
‘If I choose someone to play the final, I choose Judd Trump. For now he’s the best.’
On Williams he added: ‘I like to play with him and he is very interesting. If I play with him I think I will enjoy the table.’
He added: ‘These past few years, I’ve been working hard to improve my game in practice. Now my shot selections are more reasonable and solid.
‘If I play Mark Williams in the final, I’ll give it my best. I don’t think there’s any other sport where someone can still achieve so much at the age of 50.
‘I have huge respect for Ronnie and Mark, what they’re doing is incredible.
‘If I play Judd Trump it will be the ultimate test. I know how strong he is now, he hardly makes mistakes. I’ll have to be at my absolute best just to keep up.’
Zhao now gets a day off before the final, while the other semi-final could go on late into Saturday night.
Clearly something of a bonus, Zhao said: ‘Yeah I think so because they’ve got one more day to play and I have one day off, that’s very good for me.’
The Cyclone’s run to the final is remarkable given he returned from a 20-month ban from the sport in September 2024, which is why he is competing under amateur status.
He was ranked number nine in the world when he was first suspended, so when he returned to the amateur ranks there was little surprise that he dominated the competition and has swiftly returned to professional status, which he will take up next season.
However, he had only ever won one match at the Crucible before his ban for being concerned in fixing matches and betting on snooker, so to return to Sheffield and reach the final at the earliest opportunity is a huge achievement.