Zhao Xintong opens up on becoming snooker world number one: ‘It was one of my dreams growing up’

Zhao defeated Neil Robertson, 5-1, on Thursday evening to reach the semi-finals of the 2026 Wuhan Open where he will face Chinese compatriot and reigning champion Xiao Guodong.

Heading into the televised stages of the £825,000 ranking event, five players were in the race to be world number one at the conclusion of the tournament, when the rolling rankings next get revised.

Current World Champion Wu Yize exited at the first hurdle when he was stunned by Artemijs Zizins, meanwhile Judd Trump - whose two-year reign at the top will now come to an end - and Mark Selby dropped out of contention when they lost their respective matches in the opening quarter-finals session.

With only £2,500 separating them at the top of the provisional rankings, those results meant that the winner of the last eight tie a few hours later between Zhao and Robertson would be guaranteed number one this weekend when the competition finishes.

Zhao overcame mid-match wobble against Robertson

Speaking to the World Snooker Tour shortly after his latest win in Wuhan, 29-year-old Zhao admitted that he was aware of the situation, didn’t think about it much, but then had to overcome a mid-match wobble.

“Before the match, I had a rough idea about the situation (world no.1)” said the 2025 World Champion, the first player from his country to win snooker’s blue riband event.

“A lot of fans had mentioned it to me, and I had also seen some of the comments. They said that this match was a battle for the world number one spot. But to be honest, personally, I didn’t really think about it that much.

“However, when I went 2-0 up against Neil Robertson, I did feel a little bit of a wobble inside. I remember there was one frame where I had a chance to extend my lead, and I was on 15-odd in that visit. I could clearly feel that I was getting a little bit anxious and rushing things. So I gradually tried to adjust after that, and overall I think I managed to settle myself down quite well.”

‘Extremely happy’ Zhao dreamt of world number one spot

Since the professional snooker rankings were devised in the 1970s, only 12 players have previously held the number one accolade. From that elite club, there has only been one Asian player, Ding Junhui, who has climbed to the top.

“At the moment, I probably haven’t really had the chance to fully take it in or savour it. I think after tomorrow, I’ll probably start to feel it more” said Zhao.

“Becoming world number one was definitely one of my dreams when I was growing up. Even now, after winning some ranking titles and becoming more settled mentally, I feel like being world number one isn’t necessarily my ultimate goal. But for a professional player, it’s certainly a very rare and special honour, so I’m extremely happy.”

Zhao on wanting to learn from Ronnie O’Sullivan

Snooker’s first world number one to be born in the 1990s, Zhao may well have another couple of decades near the top of the sport. 50-year-old Ronnie O’Sullivan is also in the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open, meanwhile 51-year-olds John Higgins and Mark Williams are currently inside the world’s top eight.

Zhao’s rise to the standings summit is even more notable when you consider that he did it without a full two season’s worth of prize money. After a frustrating start to his reign as the world champ last season, Zhao enjoyed a golden spell in the second half when he became the first player to win all three Players Series events within the same season.

His latest ranking semi-final appearance is his sixth inside 16 months - consistency that has earned him the number one status - and now he is looking to maintain such a strike rate, and add to his trophy collection.

“Like I’ve said in some of my interviews over the past couple of days, even if my goal isn’t simply to become world number one for a short period of time, what I really want is to learn more from the very best players, from people like Ronnie (O’Sullivan) and the other top players, to make my game more consistent and achieve more and better results, so that I can establish myself higher up the rankings.

“It’s not about winning this week and then saying, ‘Now I’m ranked above this player.’ To be honest, that’s not what I have in mind. I feel that I still have a lot more to give and a long way to go. There is still a lot for me to learn, so I think I still have a lot of potential.

“There are always difficulties (to win a title). Every match brings its own challenges. I just want to do my best to play good snooker, stay calm, get through this week and enjoy the competition tomorrow.”

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 Wuhan Open snooker, visit our tournament information centre here.