Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

Zhao Xintong's name once again captured the spotlight of Chinese sports and the global snooker world when the 28-year-old lifted the World Snooker Championship trophy at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Monday, becoming the first Asian player ever to win the world title.

Zhao's victory is not just a personal milestone, but reflects the genuine progression of Chinese snooker from the margins to the mainstream and is expected to further boost the sport's popularity and development in China.

Zhao, who finished serving a 20-month ban in September for breaching betting regulations, earned his place at the snooker worlds by winning four qualifiers as an amateur. He battled through nine matches across 29 grueling days, winning 111 frames - a new record for most frames won en route to a world title, the People's Daily reported.

In the first round, Zhao outplayed 2024's runner-up Jak Jones 10-4. In the second round, he defeated Chinese player Lei Peifan 10-3 and then breezed past Chris Wakelin 13-5 in the quarterfinals. During the semifinal match, Zhao smashed seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 17-7, and defeated three-time world champion Welshman Mark Williams 18-12 in the final.

"Stay true to your original aspiration!" Zhao said in a post on China's X-like social media platform Sina Weibo on Tuesday. His long-waited historic title represents the culmination of over two decades of Chinese snooker's ascent to the pinnacle of the sport. Chinese snooker pioneer Ding Junhui said on Sina Weibo, "This glorious moment is the best reward for all the Chinese fans who have long supported Chinese snooker and waited for this day."

Ding, who was once the closest Chinese player to the title but lost to Mark Selby in the 2016 final, also said in the post on Tuesday, "As I said before, 'I'm glad to see that the threshold I once broke through has now become a runway for everyone.' And today, someone has finally crossed the finish line on that runway! Congratulations to Zhao Xintong on winning the 2025 Snooker World Championship!"  

The year 2005 is regarded as the "founding year" of Chinese snooker as it was when Ding defeated seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry to win the 2005 China Open, sparking a rapid growth of the sport in the country. It was also in 2005 that the 8-year-old Zhao began practicing snooker.

From 2008 to 2018, Chinese snooker experienced a "golden decade." The number of Chinese players competing on the professional snooker circuit surged, and more cities across China began hosting major international snooker tournaments. By the 2018-19 season, China had 26 professional snooker players, making it the country with the most professionals outside the sport's birthplace, the UK, according to the Beijing News.

During the 2021 UK Snooker Championship final, Zhao rose to fame with a stunning victory, becoming the second Chinese player to win one of snooker's three most prestigious tournaments - the World Championship, UK Championship and the Masters - after Ding. After winning the German Masters in 2022, Zhao rose to ninth in the world rankings and was regarded as a rising leader of both Chinese and global snooker's new generation.

In January 2023, the once-glorious young star received a 20-month ban after a match-fixing scandal that rocked the sport. In September 2024, as soon as the suspension ended, he resumed his journey toward becoming a professional player, starting from lower-tier amateur events in Europe. In December, he claimed victory at the Austrian leg of the tour, earning a wildcard entry into the 2025 World Snooker Championship qualifiers. 

Currently, Zhao is still serving a suspension in China until July 1, during which he is not allowed to take part in domestic snooker events or activities.

The 2025 World Snooker Championship saw a record-breaking 10 Chinese players reach the main draw, with six of them making it to the last 16, the highest number in the tournament's history. Zhao will start the next season as the world No.11, while there are nine more Chinese players in the world's top 32. 

From relying on a lone star to now fostering a generation of competitive players on the international tour, the sport in China has matured. The steady development of grassroots training systems, a growing professional environment, and increasing institutional support have all contributed to the conditions that allowed a player like Zhao to rise. 

From "threshold" to "finish line," snooker is very likely to witness another explosive surge of interest in China with Zhao's historic victory, which may further inspire and boost the popularity of the sport and the development of China's snooker youth training system.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn