Four Consecutive Wins: Snooker Great News: Zhao Xintong Triumphs Over Higgins 10-7, Climbs to Fifth in Rankings + £140,000 Prize

On February 23rd Beijing time, the Snooker Players Championship final concluded. After an intense marathon match, Chinese player Zhao Xintong powered through the later frames to overcome the experienced Higgins 10-7, taking home the title—an incredible achievement. He earned £150,000 in prize money, roughly 1.4 million RMB, and advanced to fifth in the global rankings. This is Zhao Xintong’s sixth career championship and his third this season!

Both Zhao Xintong and Higgins are World Champions, though there is a significant age gap between them. Zhao, a standout post-90s offensive prodigy often compared to Rocket, contrasts with Higgins, one of the ‘75 Three Giants,’ who remains formidable in his fifties. Both reached the final by narrowly edging out opponents 6-5 in tough 11-frame semifinals, making this new-versus-veteran clash highly anticipated. The question of whether youth or experience prevails is about to be answered, but regardless of the winner, a fierce and relentless battle was inevitable!

At the start, Higgins aggressively took the lead, going up 2-0. Zhao quickly found his rhythm to even the score at 2-2. The match then turned into a marathon tug-of-war, with many errors and neither player showing strong single-break dominance. They traded frames evenly, with Higgins maintaining a slight lead. However, at 7-6, the momentum shifted as Higgins showed signs of fatigue. Zhao unleashed a barrage of precise long shots and consecutive century breaks, winning four straight frames to clinch the title 10-7, securing back-to-back ranking event victories!

This was truly exhilarating. Congratulations to Zhao Xintong on his championship win. He is incredibly strong now, unafraid of facing the ‘75 Three Giants’ or the ‘80s Five Tigers.’ This match against Higgins proved his rising prowess, as he grew stronger and left Higgins unable to respond. At present, Zhao is arguably the strongest active Chinese snooker player. He is likely to claim more titles and has a real chance to challenge for world number one. Achieving a career Grand Slam seems only a matter of time. Let us all congratulate Zhao Xintong once again!

Written by / Sports Novel