Zhao Xintong stepped up his bid to become the first Asian player and first amateur to conquer the Crucible as he swept aside Chris Wakelin 13-5 to reach the semi-finals of the Halo World Championship.
Wakelin had enjoyed a fine run, coming through the qualifying rounds then knocking out Neil Robertson and Mark Allen, but he was no match for 28-year-old Zhao who led 12-4 after two sessions and wrapped it up early in the third to set up a semi-final with Ronnie O'Sullivan or Si Jiahui. He will be only the third player from mainland China to play in the famed one table situation at snooker's most famous venue, after Ding Junhui and Si Jiahui. So far, Ding has come closest to becoming the first Asian champion, finishing runner-up to Mark Selby in 2016, and Zhao can now dream of going one better.
He came through four qualifying matches just to earn a Crucible spot and has since knocked out Jak Jones, Lei Peifan and Wakelin. Already enjoying the deepest ever run by an amateur in this event, he is looking to join Terry Griffiths and Shaun Murphy as the only qualifiers to lift the trophy. The gifted left-hander, winner of the UK Championship in 2021 and German Masters in 2022, will now play a best of 33 frame match for the first time in his career, starting on Thursday at 1pm.
Today's result also means that, with a guarantee of £100,000, Zhao has earned enough prize money to climb into the top 64 of the Johnstone's Paint World Rankings so he will keep those points heading into next season.
Breaks of 69, 92, 56, 68 and 58 helped Sheffield-based Zhao take a 12-4 lead on Tuesday, crucially pulling away from 6-4 to win six frames in a row. Wakelin pulled one back today but Zhao ended his hopes in frame 18 with breaks of 49 and 28.
"I’m definitely happy to win, but to be honest, neither of us played particularly well," said Zhao. "There were quite a few mistakes, and we both gave each other a lot of chances. I know I'm capable of playing better than that. Maybe it’s because I’ve been playing continuously for over 20 days now, this long format takes a toll on your concentration.
"Physically I still feel okay, but mentally I wasn’t as sharp as I was earlier in the tournament. That’s something I’ll learn from. It’s shown me how I should prepare and how to cope with this type of match in the future. Even though the scoreline looks big, we both struggled out there.
"This tournament is really different from regular ones. It’s more like a battle of mental strength. In other events, you might finish a match in a single session. But here, even if you win one session, or even two, it doesn’t mean you’ve won the match. You need to win the third session too. It’s mentally exhausting. To be ready for this kind of match, you have to prepare well in advance, in your daily life, your routines, in every way really.
"I didn’t set any high expectations for myself coming into this. Now I’ve come this far, I do think there’s a chance I can go even further. I feel like there’s even more potential in me, and I hope I can perform even better from now on.
"When I was a kid, watching snooker on TV and seeing the semis and final here, it was such a powerful image. And now that I’m standing there myself, I feel really happy. Of course, I still hope I can go one step further and win the semi-final, maybe even challenge for the title.
"If it’s Si Jiahui, it’ll be great for Chinese snooker because one of us is guaranteed a place in the final. I think we’d play a very entertaining, attacking match. If it’s Ronnie O’Sullivan, that would be special as well. He’s been my idol since I was young, and playing against him in a World Championship semi-final would be an honour. I’d be excited either way."
Wakelin said: "It was a big occasion and it didn't go to plan. I played a big final in China and didn't feel nervous, but I did feel nerves in this one. The quarter-finals at the Crucible is a big game for anyone. I tried to be too aggressive and my long game went to pieces. I have no regrets, I worked really hard. I have an amazing team and they allow me to be the best version of myself, on and off the table. It has been an incredible season for me and hopefully I can build on that."