Ken Doherty expresses his feelings on snooker star's controversial Crucible return after ban from sport
One of the biggest stories and topics of debate throughout the 2025 World Snooker Championship has been Zhao Xintong’s return to the sport’s blue riband event.
Earlier this decade, Zhao established himself as one of snooker’s most exciting hot properties as he won his first two ranking event titles - including the 2021 UK Championship at the Barbican in York - and reached a career high of number six in the world rankings.
However, Zhao was suspended from the professional circuit during the 2022/23 season and later found guilty for his part in the match-fixing scandal that rocked the sport - involving ten Chinese players - although he was found not to have fixed matches himself.
Zhao was discovered to have been ‘a party to another player fixing two snooker matches' and that he 'bet on snooker matches in breach of the rules’ according to the findings of the investigation which were released online by the sport’s governing body the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).
Following early admissions and a guilty plea, Zhao’s punishment - as well as a £7,500 fine - from the WPBSA was a relatively short one, although he was immediately stripped of his tour card and place on the professional circuit.
His ban expired expired last September, meaning Zhao was free to compete on snooker’s amateur circuit in a bid to win back his professional stripes for next season. However, comments were made online around the fact that Zhao still had a domestic ban with the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) that runs until July 2025, meaning he can not play in a CBSA-organised event until then.
Zhao played on this season’s WPBSA Q Tour amateur circuit - essentially snooker’s secondary tour behind the professional ranks - as it provided a route back to the big time.
On the Tour he was sensational, winning four consecutive events and compiling two maximum 147 breaks. Zhao finished top of the rankings before the final event was played - and having missed the first event due to still being banned - to win a two-year professional tour card starting from the 2025/26 season which begins later this year.
However, the Q Tour also provides additional prizes which have allowed Zhao to feature on the professional circuit this season despite not having a card yet.
Before Christmas, he was invited to the 2024 UK Championship qualifiers where he won four qualifying matches to reach the main draw stages where he made his television return in a 6-5 defeat to Shaun Murphy in round one proper.
Zhao was also invited to this year’s World Championship qualifiers, where he again navigated his way through a gauntlet of four matches to secure his third appearance at the Crucible - his first since 2022 - and a spot in the main draw where he will meet last year’s runner-up and number 16 seed Jak Jones in the first round.
Having compiled 12 century breaks during the qualifiers, Zhao is only the third amateur player in history to have made the main draw at the Crucible.
Zhao Xintong knows how to win a Triple Crown event. 👑
— WST (@WeAreWST) April 19, 2025
The 2021 UK Championship could be a real dark horse for the tournament. He plays Jak Jones in Round 1, starting at 10am UK time on Sunday.#HaloWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/gaZkT44yGC
Ken Doherty says Zhao Xintong reminds him of ‘a young Jimmy White’
1997 World Championship winner Ken Doherty gave his opinion on Zhao’s Crucible return when being interviewing by Gambling.com.
The Irishman - who is the WPBSA Players Chairman - says that Zhao accepted his punishment, and is welcome back to the sport.
Six-time ranking event champion Doherty said: “When he did break the rules, he wasn't gambling on the matches or he wasn't throwing matches like some of the players who were banned for eight years. I think what happened was he might have lent his phone and those other players were using his phone to make bets or whatever."
“So he was caught up within the text messages and he was still guilty by association. But he’s served his ban and took it on the chin.
Doherty appears to be a big fan of Zhao’s talents and style of play, and when talking about his main contenders and dark horse picks for the 2025 World Snooker Championship title, he named the 28-year-old.
“He's a wonderful talent, he's welcome back into the sport. I think people will love watching him play because he's a gifted young man. The way he plays the game so gracefully, he reminds me of a young Jimmy White, the way he plays. He's that good, he's that talented” the BBC snooker pundit and commentator said.
“He's already won the UK championship before his ban. I think he'll go and win another big one and he'll be at the top of the game very, very soon."
18+ Be Gamble Aware