Zhao Xintong nearing pro tour return after winning third consecutive Q Tour event

Former UK Championship winner and top 16 star Zhao has now claimed the last three legs of this season's UK/Europe Q Tour series and is on a remarkable winning streak of 24 matches. In recent months he previously won stops in Stockholm and Manchester, making a maximum 147 break at each of those tournaments.

With just two more events to go on the amateur-only circuit , 27-year-old Zhao has built a very strong lead at the top of the rankings. The number one player at the end of the regular season will earn a two-year card for the World Snooker Tour starting in 2025.

Two-time ranking event champion Zhao won three matches to make it through to 'Finals Day' in the Austrian capital where he began with a 4-2 victory over current English amateur champion Steven Hallworth in the last 16; registering runs of 137 and 133 along the way.

It looked like Zhao's winning sequence was coming to an end in the quarter-finals, though, when he trailed Matthew Glasby 3-0, but the Chinese cueist produced a fantastic comeback as he strung together the next four frames to keep his hat-trick hopes alive.

In the semi-finals, Zhao enjoyed a far more straightforward route through as he made breaks of 62, 99, 102 and 82 in a 4-0 whitewash over Sean O'Sullivan.

Australia’s Ryan Thomerson - who was on the World Snooker Tour during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 terms - reached his second Q Tour event final of the season having made the title match at Event One in Leeds. On his way to another showpiece match, Thomerson defeated Liam Highfield 4-1 in the last eight and Hayden Staniland 4-2 in the last four.

However, the title would be one step too far for Thomerson, as Zhao completed his three-peat with a 4-2 victory - along with breaks of 123, 101, 142 and 54.

Zhao is £4,900 ahead of second-placed Dylan Emery in the rankings. With the winner of each of these events pocketing £3,000, Zhao’s promotion back to the professional tour could be confirmed at Q Tour Event Six in Belgium in January.

Despite currently being an amateur, Zhao experienced snooker’s big time again last month when he won four qualifying matches to reach the televised main stages of the 2024 UK Championship in York. Along with several other successful amateurs, Zhao was awarded an invite to the Triple Crown event.

For full results from the 2024/25 UK/Europe Q Tour Event Five, please visit snookerscores.net here.