Zhao Xintong Makes History With Players Series Slam — And Now Heads To Sheffield As Clear Favourite
The Dominant Display That Has Redefined This Season
Zhao Xintong is not just the hottest player on the planet right now — he is rewriting the record books at pace. The 29-year-old Chinese left-hander demolished Judd Trump 10-3 in the final of the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship in Manchester on Sunday to become the first player in history to win all three Players Series events in a single season. If you had him backed for the World Championship title at the Crucible, you will be feeling very good about life right now.
A Week of Near-Perfection in Manchester
The numbers from Zhao's week in Manchester are simply staggering. He conceded just eight frames across four matches — beating Chris Wakelin 10-4, John Higgins 10-1 (the heaviest ranking-event defeat of Higgins' illustrious career, for context), and then brushing aside the world number one Trump with something approaching contempt. His trademark long potting was unerring all week and his break-building looked utterly effortless, the kind of snooker that makes even seasoned observers stop and stare.
Sunday's final was billed as a genuine contest between two elite operators, but it never materialised as one. Zhao led 5-3 after the afternoon session and then won every single frame in the evening to close it out. Trump had his moments — he ran out of position on 47 with a chance to take the opening frame of the night session, and Zhao punished him immediately with a clinical double to a centre pocket before clearing the table. Runs of 45 and 39 made it 7-3, and that was effectively that. Even Trump himself could not argue with the verdict. "Over the last two months Zhao has been the best player in the world," the Bristol man admitted. "I always enjoy the challenge — it's up to me to go away and try to improve." That is about as candid an assessment as you will hear from a competitor of Trump's stature.
The Bigger Statistical Picture
This victory takes Zhao's ranking final record to a remarkable six wins from six — a feat previously achieved only by the greats: Steve Davis, Mark Williams and Neil Robertson. He now sits level with Ken Doherty, Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter on the all-time list with six ranking titles to his name, and he becomes just the 12th player ever to claim three ranking crowns in a single season. The £150,000 top prize pushes his season earnings past the £1 million mark, and he climbs to a career-high fourth in the Johnstone's Paint World Rankings.
After a relatively subdued first half to the campaign — his only notable win being the invitational Riyadh Season Snooker Championship back in November — Zhao has been a force of nature since February. He won the World Grand Prix, followed that up with the Players Championship, and has now completed this extraordinary Players Series hat-trick. It mirrors the brilliance that saw him become the first Asian player to win the World Championship at the Crucible last spring, and it raises an obvious question: can anyone stop him doing it again?
World Championship Verdict — Back Zhao Now
The short answer is: possibly not, and the bookmakers are going to have to take a serious look at their ante-post markets before Sheffield. Zhao can even mathematically take over as world number one if he wins the £500,000 jackpot at the Crucible and Trump exits in the first round — though that scenario requires plenty of variables to fall into place. What is not in doubt is that Zhao heads to Sheffield as the clear favourite on current form, and any price above 3/1 (4.00) should be considered serious value given everything we have seen over the past two months.
Trump, meanwhile, will be licking his wounds after a run of near-misses that would test the patience of a saint. The 36-year-old has now lost 22 ranking finals in total, and this season alone he has finished runner-up at the Northern Ireland Open, the Champion of Champions, the UK Championship, and now the Tour Championship. His German Masters victory feels a long time ago. He arrives at the Crucible as a dangerous opponent — he always does — but right now he looks a step behind the very best version of Zhao Xintong, and that is a sobering place to be.
The World Snooker Championship gets under way in Sheffield later this month. Zhao is the man to be on. Keep an eye on SnookerWins for full ante-post analysis, first-round previews and the best available prices as we build towards the sport's biggest fortnight.
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