Xiao Guodong makes a 147 maximum break at Snooker Superstar Invitational Tournament

Xiao's feat of snooker perfection arrived on the final day of the three-day exhibition event that was being held in Hangzhou, China. Several of snooker’s top ranked stars featured in the showcase, including seven-time World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan and world number one Judd Trump who both registered wins on day two.

In a rerun of the recent Champion of Champions final that Williams triumphed in, Xiao - playing on home soil in the Far East - took the opening frame with the help of a 65 break. However, world number six Williams went into the mid-session interval 3-1 ahead having strung together three consecutive frames along with efforts of 121 and 100.

On resumption, momentum swung back as runs of 58 and 114 drew Xiao level at 3-3, before he retook the lead and went one away from the five-frame winning target following a 98 in frame seven.

Williams broke off in frame eight, and 35-year-old Xiao drilled in a long red to start his scoring. 'X Factor' then proceeded to pot all the reds with blacks before clearing all the colours to complete the 147 in front of a jubilant crowd.

As this is not a professional event on the World Snooker Tour, Xiao's 147 is not official and will not be recorded in the sport's record books - the same as Marco Fu's contribution last week at the Macau Snooker Masters - but nevertheless, it was a special moment for Xiao in front of home support as he wrapped up the win over three-time World Champion Williams.

It has been a remarkable few breakthrough months for Xiao, 17 years on since he first turned professional.

Early in the season, Xiao reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, and just several weeks later at the Wuhan Open in China he won his first world ranking event title after defeating compatriot Si Jiahui 10-7 in the final.

Xiao continued his incredible form by making the semi-finals of the International Championship, where he was pipped 9-8 by Chris Wakelin. That run was enough to push Xiao up into the world's elite top 16 rankings for the first time in his career, which meant he was a seed player for the televised stages of the UK Championship in York.

More was to come for Xiao as he made his debut at the Champion of Champions. In round one, he stunned Ronnie O'Sullivan, coming back from 3-0 down to defeat The Rocket 4-3, before eliminating Mark Selby 6-5 from 4-1 behind in the quarter-finals, and then Mark Allen 6-3 in the last four. The trophy proved to be one step too far, though, as Williams scored his maiden Champion of Champions crown with a 10-6 verdict.

In December, Xiao also got to the semi-finals of the 2024 Scottish Open to cap off an memorable four-month spell on the professional circuit.

Frustratingly for Xiao, he lost his opening match at the UK Championship, which saw him slip outside the top 16 and miss out on a debut appearance at the upcoming Masters at the Alexandra Palace in London. However, in the provisional rankings, he is on course to be a seed player - for the first time - for the 2025 World Championship at the Crucible, and in the end-of-season projections he is currently inside the world’s top 10.

Footage of Xiao’s 147 in Hangzhou is on YouTube here.