Zhao Xintong ends Xiao Guodong’s remarkable winning streak to reach 2026 Wuhan Open final

In an all-Chinese title decider, Zhao will face Chang Bingyu on Saturday in a two-session, best of 19 frames affair where the winner will collect the third ranking crown of the season, and a top prize of £175,000. Hot property Chang advanced to the second ranking final of his career having defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan in Friday’s first semi-final.

Zhao - who is guaranteed to finish this event as the world number one for the first time in his career - defeated reigning Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong, 6-2, in the second semi-final.

Having won the title in back-to-back years in 2024 (his maiden ranking accolade) and 2025, Xiao’s incredible 18-match winning streak in the tournament is now over.

The opening frame of the last four encounter turned out to be a memorable one as Zhao nicked it having been 31 behind with just 25 on.

The 2025 World Champion laid a fiendish snooker behind the brown on the green which ended up near the pink. Xiao missed it, and left a free ball which Zhao potted. Not at that visit, but Zhao later deposited the frame by one point on the final black.

Both players struggled to find much rhythm during the opening mini-session, with the table perhaps not being as reactive as normal, maybe because of the hot conditions in Wuhan.

Zhao doubled his advantage, but an out-of-sorts Xiao managed to level up at 2-2 going into the interval, registering the first half-century of the tie with a 65 in frame four.

On resumption, though, Zhao - whose highest break was only 32 at that point - went up levels, stringing together four consecutive frames along with efforts of 57, 67, and wrapping up victory courtesy of a 124 in the last.

The 29-year-old is through to the seventh ranking event final of his career, and is aiming for his seventh ranked title as he holds a 100% winning record in all the professional finals he has appeared in (played seven, won seven).

With a six-figure difference between the prizes for the champion and the runner-up, if Zhao lifts the trophy at the Optics Valley Gymnasium inside the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, he would build a handy cushion between himself and the rest of the pack at the top of the global standings.

Like Chang’s route to the final, Zhao has won all his matches in this competition with plenty of spare change; he has dropped just seven frames in five matches.

Zhao and Chang have faced each other just once before on the World Snooker Tour, that came at the 2022 Championship League Ranking Event - behind-closed-doors - with Zhao winning 3-0.

Tomorrow will be a very different occasion.

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