Zhao Xintong installed as favourite to win World Snooker Championship after Tour triumph

Chinese ace Zhao has been on an incredible run of form over the past couple of months, becoming the first player to win all three Players Series events within the same season.

Last year, competing as an invited amateur, Zhao created history as he became the first cueist from Asia to win the world professional snooker championship. His journey to the title began at the bottom of the ladder, as he had to navigate four successive qualifying rounds in order to merely qualify for the main draw, televised stages at the Crucible.

Back on the World Snooker Tour professional circuit full-time this season, Zhao’s results during the first half of the term were patchy as he won only seven matches from his opening six ranking event engagements.

Business picked up, though, in November as he made the semi-finals of the International Championship and Champion of Champions before claiming his first title whilst wearing the world crown at the Riyadh Season Championship invitational in Saudi Arabia.

Results dipped either side of Christmas, but he fashioned a rich vein of form in February as he won the World Grand Prix - his first ranking title of the term - in Hong Kong after victory over compatriot Zhang Anda in the final of the first Players Series event of the campaign.

This run in the Far East held extra significance, as in getting to the final, he qualified for the second leg of the Players Series, the Players Championship. However, it could have been very different when he trailed Mark Selby, 4-1, in the last 16 in Hong Kong, before recovering for a 5-4 outcome his way.

A fortnight on and Zhao joined an exclusive club of cueists who have won back-to-back ranking titles as he claimed the Players Championship accolade after a 10-7 final success over John Higgins.

Zhao’s 11-match winning streak on the World Snooker Tour was ended by Stuart Bingham in the last 16 of the Welsh Open, he then won a trio of matches on home soil at the World Open before bowing out to Gary Wilson.

But Zhao soon returned to winning ways, continuing his magnificent sequence on the Players Series as he posted a total frames aggregate score of 30-8 in brushing aside Chris Wakelin (10-4), John Higgins (10-1), and then world number one Judd Trump (10-3) en route to the Tour Championship crown.

His fourth title of the season - more than anyone else - Zhao completed a clean sweep on the Series, racking up twelve victories from twelve matches.

‘The Cyclone’ also currently holds two more impressive streaks; he has won all seven professional event finals he has competed in, and won his last nine deciding frame matches in ranking competition (excluding the one-frame Shoot Out).

Zhao has pocketed over £1.5 million in tournament earnings within the past 12 months, and has moved up to a career-high world ranking of fourth. He can become the world number one at the Crucible, although he needs to win the title again, and Trump to go out to a qualifier in round one.

Who is the favourite to win the 2026 World Snooker Championship?

Before the Tour Championship, Trump and Zhao were effectively joint-favourites across bookmakers for the upcoming world title.

But Zhao’s resounding triumph at the Manchester Central - including his comfortable result over Trump in the final - means he has now been installed as the clear favourite across the board for the Crucible trophy.

We won’t know the full first round draw for the Crucible until the morning of Thursday 16th April - two days before the main draw, televised stages begin - when the qualifiers are randomly paired with the top 16 seeds, but we have an idea of what certain players’ paths to glory may look like.

As the number one seed, Zhao is placed at the top of the draw, and as per tradition, will play and complete his first round match on the opening day at the Crucible Theatre.

If progress goes as per the seedings, Zhao would meet fellow Chinese trailblazer Ding Junhui in the last 16, with either Shaun Murphy or Xiao Guodong in the quarter-finals.

Neil Robertson, John Higgins, Ronnie O’Sullivan, or Chris Wakelin could await in the semis.

Of course, Zhao will no doubt have to contend with constant talk of the fabled ‘Crucible Curse’; no first-time world champion at the Sheffield venue has ever successfully defended the crown.

Last year, then reigning champion Kyren Wilson went into the event after a superb season having won four ranking titles, but he was stunned on the opening day by qualifier Lei Peifan who was making his debut there.

Elsewhere in the odds, Trump has been nudged to second-favourite, and seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan is third in the ratings following his recent run to the final of the World Open in China.

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