World Snooker Championship 2025: Zhao Xintong dealt double 'crippling blow' against Chris Wakelin as pundits left 'absolutely shocked'

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Zhao Xintong has been the talk of the tournament at the World Championship so far. The 28-year-old, who dismissed Jak Jones and Lei Peifan en route to the quarter-finals, has been likened to Ronnie O'Sullivan and Tiger Woods in the effortless manner he has navigated the baize. But he showed perhaps his first sign of weakness in the second session of his quarter-final against Chris Wakelin.

'Incredible' - TNT Sports commentators left stunned as Zhao spurns 'easy' frame-ball

Video credit: TNT Sports

Zhao Xintong has been likened to Ronnie O'Sullivan and Tiger Woods on his path to the World Championship quarter-final, but he left TNT Sports commentators stunned with a pair of "shocking" frame-ball misses on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old, who came into his quarter-final off the back of a 21-match winning streak, has been the topic of widespread hype throughout the opening 11 days of the 2025 World Championship, as he has successfully ousted Jak Jones and compatriot Lei Peifan.

He was, yet again, in fine form as he took a 6-2 lead over Chris Wakelin during a dominant morning session on Tuesday, with a semi-final spot looking ever likelier.

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But TNT Sports commentators Phil Studd and Dominic Dale were left "absolutely shocked" when Zhao remarkably missed frame-ball in both the opening frames, surrendering them both to Wakelin.

In the first frame of the evening session, at 54-45, Zhao had a golden opportunity to seal it with a routine blue to middle left, but inexplicably sent it crashing against the jaws - to the dismay of Studd and Dale.

"Someone in the crowd said, 'Wow', and I agree with them. Wow indeed," Studd said.

Wakelin goes on to win frame after 'disastrous' frame-ball miss by Zhao

Video credit: TNT Sports

Dale added: "He’s missed frame-ball so many times in this match. Even when they’re as easy as this, that’s incredible. Clearly, he just needs to take a moment to compose himself on frame-balls."

After a brief safety exchange, Wakelin found the opening to seize the frame, with Zhao left looking despondent in his chair. Having worked his way into a golden opportunity to forge 7-2 ahead, instead he found his lead cut to three frames.

Zhao, though, shook off the disappointment to once again forge a lead in the subsequent frame at 53-17. A mid-distance red would have been enough to seal it, and he has been making light work of similar pots in his World Championship campaign so far. But he stunned The Crucible once again by sending the frame-ball crashing against the jaws.

"Again, unable to knock it in," Studd said. "If he were to lose this frame as well, frame nine and ten combined would be a crippling blow."

Indeed, Zhao did suffer the bitter disappointment of surrendering yet another frame to Wakelin, who moved to 6-4 down.

Zhao misses frame-ball AGAIN in dramatic start to evening session

Video credit: TNT Sports

"Successive frames thrown to the forewinds," Studd said. "For all intents and purposes, it should be 8-2. Chris Wakelin is only a couple behind now.

"Shocking. Shocking in the sense, we're absolutely shocked. He's missed frame ball not once, but twice."

Dale suggested Zhao, having not played at a major tournament on the pro circuit for some time, is not comfortable in holding a big lead against elite opposition.

"It seems to me Zhao Xintong is not comfortable with a big lead," he said. "He's not processing his thoughts correctly, he's not staying in the present.

"Every time he's on frame ball, he's putting pressure on himself. It's not part of a continuance of a break, it's one shot to win the frame, and he seems to be building himself up too much, putting too much pressure on himself."

Zhao did manage to stop the rot in the following frame, though it seemed the snooker gods were well and truly against him when Wakelin opened with an outrageously fortunate fluke.

'Don't believe it' - Zhao gives wry smile as Wakelin sinks outrageous fluke

Video credit: TNT Sports

'A lapse of concentration'

Snooker legend Jimmy White and TNT Sports snooker expert Alan McManus analysed Zhao's frame-ball capitulations during the interval, and White said the Chinese star had looked short of the pace he set during his opening-round victory over Jak Jones.

Speaking on Zhao's first miss, White said: "This is just a simple, regular shot. He just took his eye off it. It's a lapse of concentration, then all of a sudden these shots become pressure.

"Wakelin has been really struggling up to this point. No way in the world Wakelin should have won the frame.

"The way he played against Jak Jones in the first match, [he was] favourite for the World Championship. Since then, he's dipped. He needs to find that form and stay focused."

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McManus, meanwhile, said the two misses were a further demonstration that Zhao is still an unknown quantity on the pro snooker circuit.

"There's no question that Xintong should have won both frames. 56 in front, you punch the red in, don't play for position," McManus said.

"The players you're playing against are in the World Championship quarter-final. They're world-class, they're going to punish you.

"With Xintong, we still don't know that much about him, the way he plays, his shot selection. The last nine frames of this match he hasn't made a 50 break. The scoring has badly dried up.

"But his long game is still out of this world. This is why we still don't know the strength of him, in terms of potentially going on to win this tournament."

Zhao gathered his composure and went on to finish the frame much like he did in the morning session, taking a 12-4 lead over Wakelin and putting himself within touching distance of a semi-final spot.

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