World Champion Zhao Xintong produced brilliance under pressure on day two of the 2025 Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions, overcoming Mark Allen and Kyren Wilson in Leicester to move a step closer to his first Champion of Champions title.
Zhao commented: “I just tried my best out there and I’m really happy with how I played today. I missed a few shots and Kyren took full advantage to go 5–3 ahead. I didn’t want to let him win too easily — I wanted to make it a real battle. I just kept fighting, stayed focused, and managed to come back. I was a bit lucky in the last two frames, especially with the final black, but sometimes you need that. I’m just happy to make it through to my first Champion of Champions semi-final.”
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Zhao began the day in sensational form, dismantling 2023 Champion of Champions winner Mark Allen 4–0 with a devastating display of heavy scoring, compiling breaks of 68, 88, 119 and 76 to whitewash the Northern Irishman and reach the group final.
The evening’s group final saw a clash of World Champions, as Zhao faced former World Champion Kyren Wilson — who earlier overcame the recently crowned Northern Ireland Open champion Jack Lisowski 4–3 in a tense encounter.
Wilson levelled early after Zhao took the opener, but the reigning World Champion soon found his rhythm, pulling ahead 3–1 as he looked to continue his dominance from the afternoon session. Wilson, however, showed his own class, responding in stunning fashion with breaks of 122, 63, 120 and 88 to move within one frame of victory.
With his back against the wall, Zhao produced an extraordinary comeback. A magnificent break of 136, followed by a clinical century of 100 to force a decider. The final frame turned into a nerve-shredding safety battle, with both players trading control until a missed black from Wilson handed Zhao the chance he needed to seal a dramatic 6–5 victory — booking his place in the semi-finals, where he will face World No.1 Judd Trump.
Tomorrow, defending champion Mark Williams begins his title defence against World Seniors Champion Alfie Burden, while Leicester’s own Mark Selby takes on Scotland’s Stephen Maguire.
There are still a limited number of tickets available across the week, starting from £15 a session. Secure your ticket here.
For those wanting to catch the action live, find the full list of global broadcasters here.
