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Snooker’s Chinese revolution continues apace at the World Championship

JAMES NALTON hails the rise of the number of Chinese players heading to the Crucible   

Zhao Xintong during day three of the Halo World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

THERE has already been a Chinese snooker world champion. In March 2024, 20-year-old Bai Yulu defeated Mink Nutcharut of Thailand 6-5 to win the world championship on the World Women's Snooker Tour.

Having been mooted for several years, a Chinese champion on the main World Snooker Tour (WST) is also expected sooner rather than later, and the number of players to have qualified for the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield this year shows why.

A record 10 Chinese players will take to the Crucible stage this year, as Lei Peifan, Zhao Xintong, Fan Zhengyi, Pang Junxu, Wu Yize and Zhou Yuelong came through the qualifiers to join top-16 players Ding Junhui, Xiao Guodong, Si Jiahui and Zhang Anda in the last 32 of the tournament.

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