Zhao Xintong has the Crucible Curse and another hex to break at World Championship

Zhao goes into the 2026 World Snooker Championship as the outright favourite with bookmakers following an irresistible spell of trophy-winning results on the professional circuit in recent weeks.

This time last year, ‘The Cyclone’ didn’t even possess a top flight tour card, but was invited to the world qualifiers due to finishing top of that season’s Q Tour rankings list - snooker’s secondary tier.

Technically competing as an amateur, Zhao navigated all four preliminary rounds to qualify for the main draw at the Crucible Theatre where he won a further five matches to become China’s, and Asia’s first winner of snooker’s blue riband event.

Overcoming a sketchy start to this term, the 29-year-old has since made more history. He became the first player to win all three Players Series events - World Grand Prix, Players Championship, Tour Championship - within the same season. Twelve matches played, twelve matches won.

History stacked against Zhao in Sheffield

However, despite being widely regarded as the best player in the world right now, the stats are against Zhao retaining the world crown in the coming weeks, on two counts.

Firstly, and most famously, is the ‘Crucible Curse’. No first-time champion at the hallowed venue has come back the following year and won it again.

The closest anyone has gone to going back-to-back at the first time of asking is 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, who reached the final again but lost to Steve Davis, 18-14. Johnson defeated world number one Davis 18-12 in the title match the year before. Ken Doherty was also a runner-up twelve months on from a maiden title.

In total, 23 first-time Crucible title winners have tried to retain, but all have failed, including in each of the past two years with 2023 World Champion Luca Brecel and 2024 World Champion Kyren Wilson both going out on the opening day of their respective defences.

Nevermind being a first-timer, it’s an uncommon occurrence for anyone to claim back-to-back Crucible accolades. Only Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Mark Selby have done so.

The other hex that Zhao will need to break is nowhere near as prolific or established, but is still another interesting talking point.

No player who has won the Tour Championship has then gone on to win the World Championship in the same season.

The Tour Championship - the only other event on the professional tour that exclusively features multi-session matches throughout - has been held since 2019. Apart from it’s inaugural edition, it has always been the penultimate event of the top tier campaign, but recent winning form and results from it have counted for little at the Crucible.

In fact, neither the Tour Championship winner, nor the runner-up, has appeared in the world final a few weeks later.

Ronnie O'Sullivan won the first Tour Championship but went out first round in Sheffield to amateur James Cahill.

2020 TC winner Stephen Maguire also exited first round at the worlds, whilst Neil Robertson (2021 and 22 Tour Championship victor) was eliminated in the quarter-finals and the last 16 respectively in Yorkshire.

Shaun Murphy (2023) and Mark Williams (2024) were both sent packing from the Crucible after their first assignment. Last year, John Higgins went home after the quarter-finals.

With two hoodoos hovering over his head in Sheffield, wouldn’t it be quite something for Zhao to dispel both of them at the same time, next month?