Snooker star banned for shocking role in match-fixing scandal qualifies for World Tour after 20-month suspension
SNOOKER star Zhao Xintong has qualified for the World Tour after serving a 20-month suspension over a match-fixing scandal.
The Chinese ace was one of 10 players banned from snooker in the summer of 2023.
Xintong accepted that he was a party to another player fixing two snooker contests on separate occasions in March 2022.
The former UK Championship winner also bet on matches during a three-year period.
And on top of his 20-month ban, Xintong also had to pay £7,500 in costs.
He returned to snooker in Q Tour after his suspension expired in September.
Xintong has now finished top of the WPBSA Q Tour Europe rankings after several event wins — as well as potting the first-ever Q tour 147.
It means he has secured a two-year World Snooker Tour card.
And Xintong will now be able rub shoulders with the sport’s biggest names once again, having already come up against Shaun Murphy in UK Championship qualifiers.
He said: “I am very happy because I have hoped for this day for a long time.
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“I knew it would be very hard to get back on to the tour and I needed to play very well because all the players on Q Tour are really good.
“I went a long time without playing a competitive match and I have really enjoyed being back. To play on the tour, I need to be winning and gain some confidence.
“I will do my best to win this title, I am guaranteed to be on the tour next season now but I still want to do the best I can.
“I want to enjoy the matches but if I play well, I know I can be a champion against on the tour. I believe in myself so let’s do it.
“Two years ago I made a little mistake, now I’ve come back. I know how important snooker is to me and now I just want to come back to the snooker table.
“These two years have been very long for me, I’ve practiced every day. I knew I would come back so I need to keep confident in myself.
“I believe that if I play well then I can beat anybody. I’m just going to try my best.”
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
- 1969 – John Spencer
- 1970 – Ray Reardon
- 1971 – John Spencer
- 1972 – Alex Higgins
- 1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 – John Spencer (2)
- 1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 – Terry Griffiths
- 1980 – Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 – Steve Davis
- 1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 – Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 – Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 – Dennis Taylor
- 1986 – Joe Johnson
- 1987 – Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 – Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 – Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 – Stephen Hendry
- 1991 – John Parrott
- 1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 – Ken Doherty
- 1998 – John Higgins
- 1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 – Mark Williams
- 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2002 – Peter Ebdon
- 2003 – Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
- 2005 – Shaun Murphy
- 2006 – Graeme Dott
- 2007 – John Higgins (2)
- 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
- 2009 – John Higgins (3)
- 2010 – Neil Robertson
- 2011 – John Higgins (4)
- 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
- 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
- 2014 – Mark Selby
- 2015 – Stuart Bingham
- 2016 – Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 – Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 – Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 – Judd Trump
- 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
- 2021 – Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
- 2023 – Luca Brecel
- 2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 – Alex Higgins