Zhao Rules in Riyadh
Zhao Xintong landed his first title since conquering the Crucible as he beat Neil Robertson 5-2 in the final of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in Saudi Arabia.
Described by Stephen Hendry in commentary as “the best ball striker I have ever seen”, China’s 28-year-old Zhao gave another wonderful demonstration of his talent as he saw off Shaun Murphy and Judd Trump then Robertson in this 12-man invitation event to bank the £250,000 top prize.
In May this year, Zhao reached a landmark in snooker history by becoming the first Asian player to win the World Championship, and he looks set to be a huge force at the top of the sport for many years to come. After a relatively quiet start to the current season, with just one previous semi-final appearance, the left-hander delighted fans in Riyadh with his effortless potting and unflappable character. With another trophy to his name, the weight of expectation that comes with the World Champion status has been eased.
World number ten Zhao has now won all four of the finals he has contested as a pro and will go into the upcoming UK Championship – a title he captured in 2021 – full of self belief. He is the 11th different winner in 11 tournaments so far this season.
Robertson had hoped to complete the ‘Saudi double’ by adding this crown to the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters title he won in Jeddah in August. The world number three may have been considered favourite going into the final but crucially failed to take opportunities to win the third frame, and couldn’t recover.
Zhao got the better of the opening frame and had a chance to snatch the second from 46-0 down, but on 33 he left a black to top corner short of the pocket, handing Robertson an opening to make it 1-1. In the third, Robertson potted six reds with blacks before running out of position, and his opponent clawed his way back to eventually take it on the colours. A rapid run of 131, his second century of the tournament, put Zhao 3-1 ahead, and he continued that momentum after the interval with a 134 to go three up with four to play.
Australia’s Robertson pulled one back with a run of 91 for 4-2 and he led 37-17 in frame seven when an attempted red to centre hit the far jaw. The balls were not ideally placed for Zhao, but he fashioned an excellent 57 to clinch the title.
“I feel so happy, it’s amazing to win this title,” said Zhao. “I was nervous but I just tried to concentrate on the table. It’s my first time in Riyadh so I will have a lot of good memories here and I look forward to coming back. Lots of people from China were here, they gave me huge support and that was so important to me. My only target now is just to keep getting better.”
