Zhao Xintong breaks silence on return from ban after qualifying for UK Championship

11/21/2024 12:30 PM

Zhao Xintong says he will be stronger as a result of his 20-month ban from snooker, admitting he ‘made a little mistake’ in being part of the sport’s match-fixing scandal.

The 27-year-old was banned from snooker for being party to another player fixing two matches and betting on snooker matches himself.

He was one of 10 Chinese players banned from the sport in June 2023, with his being the shortest of the punishments as he did not throw a match himself.

The former world number six saw his ban end in September and he has returned to amateur snooker in some style, winning two Q Tour events and making two 147s in the process – the first player ever to make a maximum on that circuit.

His performances earned himself a place in UK Championship qualifying and he has stormed through it, beating Sunny Akani, Jiang Jun, Noppon Saengkham and Ricky Walden to book his spot in York where he will play Shaun Murphy on Saturday.

After beating Walden 6-2 on Thursday the former UK champion was asked about his time away from the sport, specifically if he wanted to say sorry to snooker fans.

‘Two years ago I made a little mistake and now I come back, so I know how important snooker is for me, I want to come back to the snooker table and get trophies,’ he said.

‘These are very big lessons for me, it makes me appreciate snooker more.’

On whether other players tempted by corruption should learn from his mistakes, he said: ‘Let them know this is a big lesson so don’t make mistakes. Just playing snooker is a very good thing.’

Two players were banned for life from the sport as part of the scandal, with former Masters champion Yan Bingtao banned for just under six years.

Asked if he had been pressured into his involvement in the scandal, he said: ‘Little bit of pressure made me do the wrong thing at the wrong time.’

On his time out of the game, he said: ‘This two years is very long for me, I keep practicing every day. I know I’ll come back so I need to keep confident in myself so if I play well I can win anything. I keep practicing and just need to come back.

‘I know it’s very hard, but I think it made me stronger. Later I will be stronger.’

Asked whether he felt his punishment was fair, he said: ‘I don’t know, sorry.’

Despite his immense talent it is still a very impressive return to the table for Zhao, beating four tricky players in qualifying this week after dominating his amateur events.

Were there nerves on making his return to the sport?

‘Yeah, because a long time no play so I’m still finding the tournament feeling,’ said the former German Masters champion. ‘I think it’s not really come back now, I think I’ll do better in the future.’

He told WST: ‘I miss so much, two years not playing tournaments, now I’ve come back. I just want to enjoy the tournament and do my best.

Zhao’s form and belief that he has much more to give will be worrying the rest of the field in York, starting with Murphy in the opening round.

‘I believe if I play well I can beat anybody. I’ll try my best,’ Zhao said.

On his 147s on the Q Tour, he added: ‘The maximum I think, if I play well is no problem.’

The reaction to Zhao in York will be interesting to see as he has been an immensely popular player for his flamboyant style and incredible skill, but his indiscretion will certainly harm that popularity.

‘I just play snooker so I don’t think a lot. I just want to keep practice, play my snooker,’ he said on how players have responded to his return.

On what he expects from the crowd in York, he stuck to the line, saying: ‘I don’t think a lot now, I just want to play my snooker.’

Before he was drawn to face Zhao in round one in York, Murphy was asked about his return and feels he has served his time and should now be able to move on with his career.

‘Zhao Xintong obviously, very famously won this event a few years ago and perhaps more famously was part of the 10 players banned for match-fixing problems,’ he said.

‘I think it has to be said that Zhao Xintong was at the very lower end of those bans, he was never accused of cheating, he was never accused of fixing any matches. He did know about it and that is, of course, against the rules.

‘I’d say that’s been a very difficult 18 months of so for him. He has served his time and he’s back competing.

‘The problem with Zhao Xintong is he’s really bloody good! That’s the problem with Xintong.

‘It might be fair to say he’s done nothing for 18 months but practice, he looks very, very sharp.

‘He was caught, he took his punishment on the chin, admitted it straight away, paid all his fines and since then he’s done everything right. There’s an element of rehabilitation, so he’s back.’