Zhao Xingtong (Photo by Benutzer:Bill da Flute)
Zhao Xintong admitted he felt “big pressure” as he came through a nervy first round test to beat Liam Highfield 10-7, a successful start to his bid to retain the Halo World Championship title.
China’s 29-year-old Xintong looked vulnerable for much of the day against world number 92 Highfield, the lowest ranked player to come through the qualifying rounds, and could have fallen 6-5 behind. But he eventually came good, taking five of the last seven frames to earn a meeting with Ding Junhui or David Gilbert in the second round; a match which starts next Friday.
A year ago, Xintong made snooker history as the first player from Asia to lift the sport’s most famous trophy, beating Mark Williams 18-12 in the final. He is now aiming to break the Curse of the Crucible, as in the 49-year history of the Championship in Sheffield, no first-time winner has successfully defended the title.
Rated as short as 2/1 favourite by bookmakers at the start of the event, Xintong has been the player of the 2025/26 season so far, notably hitting top form since February and collecting silverware at the World Grand Prix, Players Championship and Tour Championship. And while today he was far from his best, he will be relieved to have negotiated an awkward opening hurdle, particularly given that first-time champions Luca Brecel in 2024 and Kyren Wilson in 2025 both crashed out in the opening round.
Trailing 5-4 after the first session, Highfield took the opening frame tonight on the colours and he had a scoring chance in the next but crucially on a break of 55 he missed a routine yellow to a baulk corner, and Xintong later took the frame with a delightful 44 clearance to regain the lead. That proved a key turning point as Xintong rattled in breaks of 68 and 128 to go 8-5 ahead at the interval.
Highfield might have pinched frame 14 but, in potting the final yellow, snookered himself on the green, and he later finished second best in a safety tussle as Xintong moved to the brink of victory. England’s Highfield fought back with an excellent break of 101, then a run of 53 helped him close to 9-7.
However Xintong kept his composure and blasted in a long planted red at the beginning of frame 17, setting up a break of 112, his third century of the match and 77th of the season.
“I didn’t play that well, there was big pressure,” said Xintong after reaching the second round at the Crucible for the third time. “It’s not like before, it was very different. The Crucible is very interesting like that. I’m really happy to win. I tried to control myself but I missed some easy balls. Tonight I felt better but it’s tough because it’s my first time as defending champion.
“The 11th frame was important, when I won that to go 6-5 ahead it gave me confidence that I could finish the game. The first round is very difficult, it’s hard to enjoy. I was very proud this morning when I was introduced, I wanted to stay in the tournament and not lose today.”
Highfield said: “I kept him at bay in the first session but tonight there were two or three frames I could have won, I just missed chances. The 11th frame hurt me, after that Zhao played well. I was trying to make sure I got on the next red and I took my eye off the yellow.”
Williams Pulls Ahead In Kowalski Test
Mark Williams pulled away from 3-3 to take a 6-3 lead over Crucible debutant Antoni Kowalski in his opening round clash.
Poland’s 22-year-old Kowalski is the first player from his country to compete at snooker’s most famous venue, and it’s a spirited performance so far though he has passed up opportunities to put pressure on three-time champion Williams. Legendary Welshman Williams, age 51, needs four more frames when they return on Sunday evening, with the winner to meet either Barry Hawkins or Matthew Stevens in the last 16.
Kowalski – who rescued his place on the pro tour by winning three matches in the qualifying rounds – made an excellent start with a break of 82, just a few pots short of becoming the only player than Fergal O’Brien in 1994 to make a century in his first frame at the Crucible. Williams took the next two with a top run of 85 before Kowalski battled back to 3-3 with breaks of 67 and 68.
In frame seven, Kowalski trailed 60-44 when he missed a tricky pot on the final yellow, and Williams punished him to regain the lead. Another vital mistake from Kowalski in the eighth, missing the last red to a top corner when down 50-35, left him 5-3 behind. The last frame of the session came down to a safety exchange on the final brown, resolved when Williams knocked a mid-range pot into a baulk corner.
On the other table, Xiao Guodong leads 5-4 in a Chinese derby against Zhou Yuelong which also finishes on Sunday night. Two-time Wuhan Open champion Guodong came from 2-0 down to 2-2 with a top break of 122, and later took frame six with a 35 clearance before adding the next with a run of 56. He also snatched frame eight from 41-0 down for 5-3, and he had a chance to extend his lead but missed the pink with one red remaining, and qualifier Yuelong took advantage to trail by just one overnight.
Barry Hawkins established a 7-2 overnight advantage over Matthew Stevens in a battle between two former finalists.
Stevens had an early 2-1 lead but 2013 runner-up Hawkins then reeled off six frames in a row with a top break of 99.
