Zhao Xintong Dismantles Trump 10-3 to Complete Players Series Treble and Bank £150,000 Tour Championship Prize
A Dominant Display in Manchester
Zhao Xintong claimed his fourth ranking title of the 2025/26 season on Sunday evening, defeating world number one Judd Trump 10-3 at Manchester Central to lift the Tour Championship. The world champion had led 5-3 overnight and wasted little time in closing out the match, reeling off the first four frames of the concluding session to move 9-3 ahead and end any realistic prospect of a Trump fightback. The result confirmed Zhao's position as the dominant force in the game at present, with the World Championship at the Crucible now just 13 days away.
The victory was worth £150,000 to the 29-year-old, and it carried significant statistical weight beyond the prize fund alone. According to tournament records, Zhao became only the third player in snooker history to surpass £1 million in prize money within a single season, joining an exclusive group comprising Ronnie O'Sullivan and Trump himself. The win also made Zhao the first player ever to win all three events in the Players Series in the same campaign — he had already taken the World Grand Prix and Players Championship in February — completing an unprecedented clean sweep of the series.
Six Finals, Six Titles
Perhaps the most striking statistical footnote to emerge from Manchester concerns Zhao's unblemished record in ranking finals. The Chinese world champion has now won all six ranking finals he has contested, a record that places him in extraordinarily rare company. Prior to Sunday, only Steve Davis, Mark Williams and Neil Robertson had managed to win every ranking final they appeared in throughout their careers. Zhao, still only 29, has matched that benchmark at a stage of his career when most players are still building their major final experience.
Speaking after the match, Zhao acknowledged both the magnitude of the occasion and the pressure involved. "This is a big moment for me. Judd Trump is my favourite player. I am really happy and lucky that tonight I am the one that has won," he said. "It may look easy but actually I was very nervous. I am happy to have won all six of the finals I've been in. Manchester is a very good city and the crowd is amazing. I love it here." The win moves Zhao up to fourth in the world rankings, closing the gap on Trump at the summit ahead of what promises to be a compelling Crucible campaign.
Trump Frustrated by Familiar Problems
For Trump, the afternoon offered precious little comfort. The Bristol-born world number one had arrived at the final in reasonable form, having demolished John Higgins 10-1 in Saturday's semi-final — a result that inflicted the heaviest defeat of the Scotsman's 34-year professional career. Against Zhao, however, Trump's technical difficulties resurfaced. His highest break of 61 came in the third frame, and he was seen inspecting his cue tip on multiple occasions after failing to convert shots he would ordinarily dispatch with routine efficiency. Trump had opportunities in four of the five evening frames but could not capitalise, with a missed black off the spot in the final frame proving emblematic of his afternoon.
Trump had briefly threatened to make a match of it — recovering from 2-0 down to level at 2-2, and then taking the eighth frame to make it 5-3 with what appeared to be some momentum. Zhao responded immediately, however, compiling breaks of 91 and 98 in consecutive frames to reassert his authority, and from that point the outcome was never seriously in doubt.
In his post-match assessment, Trump was candid about the scale of Zhao's current superiority. "He's a great player and he's going to be around for a long time, so it is up to me and a few of the other players to start playing well against him, otherwise he's going to end his career with 100 tournaments or something like that," Trump said. "I think over these past two months he's been the best player in the world. He's amazing for the game."
World Championship Warning Signs
With the Crucible draw imminent and the World Championship beginning on 18 April, Zhao's form presents a daunting proposition for every player in Sheffield. Four ranking titles in a single season is a remarkable achievement by any measure, and his record of six finals without defeat suggests a temperament and consistency that few rivals can currently match. Whether any player can halt him at the Crucible — where he won his maiden world title — remains the defining question of snooker's 2025/26 season. On the evidence of Manchester, the burden of proof rests firmly with those who believe they can.