Zhao Xintong Completes Q Tour Quartet
Zhao Xintong defeated Ehsan Heydari Nezhad 4-1 in the final of the sixth WPBSA Q Tour Europe event of the season in Mons, Belgium.
Zhao’s success at the Delta Moon Snooker Club saw him lift a fourth successive Q Tour Europe title during a weekend where he guaranteed his position at the top of the ranking list and secured a return to the World Snooker Tour (WST) as a result.
The 27-year-old from China has won 32 consecutive matches across events in Stockholm, Manchester, Vienna and now Mons as he shows no signs of slowing down in a dominant campaign.
Victories against local cueists Edwin Depoorter and Olivier Pechenart on the opening day saw Zhao reach the last 64 stage, where he then overcame England’s Hamim Hussain 4-2 with the help of an attempted 147 break that broke down on the yellow with the contribution at 120.
The maximum attempt, which would have been Zhao’s third of the season in a Q Tour event, came just moments after Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko had completed a stunning 147 of his own in the third frame of his victory over Daan Leyssen.
By reaching the last 32 stage, coupled with early exits for event one winner Dylan Emery and twice runner-up Ryan Thomerson, meant that Zhao held an unassailable lead at the top of the Q Tour Europe ranking list and was guaranteed a return to the professional ranks.
Despite this, there was no signs of complacency from Zhao as he whitewashed Asutosh Padhy to reach the concluding day before overcoming Aaron Busuttil (4-0), Nathan Jones (4-1) and then storming past Florian Nuessle 4-0 in just 41 minutes to reach the final once more.
There, he would face Iran’s Nezhad who had come out of nowhere to reach his maiden Q Tour final. The 34-year-old had not won a single match in a Q Tour event prior to arriving in Mons, but defeated Luke Pinches and Nicolas Mortreux without dropping a single frame on the final day to reach the last four.
He then knocked out former professional Steven Hallworth in impressive fashion as he scored breaks of 140, 128 and 71 en route to a 4-3 win.
Zhao was a strong favourite for the highly anticipated title match in Mons but it was the man from Iran who took the opening frame of the best-of-seven contest.
Q Tour’s top ranked player hit back to take the next two before pulling off a dramatic clearance to win frame four on the black and move one away from the title. A break of 70 in the next then saw Zhao get over the line and secure a fourth consecutive Q Tour title.
“I’m so happy because Q Tour has so many good players and I have managed 32 consecutive wins which is amazing” said Zhao.
Finishing top of the Q Tour Europe ranking list has also earned the 27-year-old a place in the 2025 World Championship qualifying round and he has high hopes for the event in April, adding: “Next season is very important for me so I will keep practicing every day. I will play in the World Championship this year and I will do my best to get back to the Crucible – it is everybody’s dream to play there!
The seventh and final Q Tour Europe event of the season will take place at the Landywood Snooker Club in Walsall, England on 7-9 February and entries remain open until 24 January at 12:00 GMT. Enter now.
