Zhao Xintong

Career

Zhao Xintong first drew international attention in June 2012 at the Zhangjiagang Open defeating high ranking players Xiao Guodong and Yu Delu to reach the last 16 of the tournament where he narrowly lost to 4–3 Stephen Lee. Zhao would build on this success by reaching the second round of Asian Tour Events the Yixing Open and Zhengzhou Open. As a wildcard entrant he defeated former World Champion Ken Doherty in the International Championship to reach the last 32 of a ranking event for the first time, again narrowly losing in a final frame decider to 6–5 Matthew Stevens.

Having also earned he way to the last 32 of the World Open and China Open, Zhao started gaining the reputation of the Wildcard Menace.

Zhao entered the World Amateur Championship in late 2013 reaching the final, however he lost to his fellow countryman Zhou Yuelong 8–4 and thus missed out on a chance to join the world snooker main tour for the 2014/2015 season. 2015/2016 season

Zhao entered several events in an attempt to qualify for the 2015/2016 season.

He was narrowly defeated in the first round of the ACBS Asian Snooker Championship. In the second event Zhao got extremely close to qualifying for the main tour managing to reach the final round before losing before losing 4–3 to Duane Jones in a black ball finish in the deciding frame.

Achievements

• In 2013, at the International Championship, he beat six-time World Champion Steve Davis 6–1 who later commented: "This boy was astonishingly good and better than anybody I have ever seen at that age - and that includes Ronnie O"Sullivan!" He went on to reach the third round of the competition before losing 6–2 to Marco Fu, however he would go on to avenge this loss by defeating Fu in the first round of the 2014 Shanghai Masters. Xintong won three games in the first event of Q School before losing 4–3 to Alexander Ursenbacher in the penultimate round.