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Zhao Xintong 'satisfied' with two-title season as world snooker champion, but concedes performance 'not enough for some'
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Published 16/02/2026 at 12:09 GMT
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World champion Zhao Xintong built on last season's World Championship win with victory in the Riyadh Season Championship and World Grand Prix, and the world No. 7 declared himself "satisfied" with his performance so far. The 28-year-old will return to the table this week to compete in the Players Championship, which sees him face Elliot Slessor in the first round of the tournament.
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World champion Zhao Xintong is "satisfied" with his two titles so far this season.
Zhao won the 2024/25 World Championship in superb form, which came after his 2021/22 season wins in the UK Championship and the German Masters.
This year, he won the recent World Grand Prix in Hong Kong as well as the non-ranking, but lucrative, Riyadh Season Championship title.
He has done well at other tournaments, too, reaching the semi-finals of the International Championship, as well as the Shanghai Masters and Champion of Champions, and he also got to the quarter-final stage of The Masters.
That has taken him to a world ranking of No. 7, just short of his career best of No. 6 that he reached in 2022.
His next match-up will be against Elliot Slessor in this week’s Players Championship, and a deep run in Telford will do no harm to his attempt to climb up the world standings.
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Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Zhao reflected on his remarkable run in in finals. Since his first title in the German Masters, he is yet to lose when he reaches the final of a tournament.
"I wasn’t paying much attention to it until I reached the Grand Prix final and read it in the media, but I felt that was giving me some extra pressure," Zhao said.
"It’s going to be brought up the next time I am in a final. Of course, I don’t want to lose, but this is snooker: the more thoughts you have in your mind, the more your game is exposed to unpredictability.
"This is a sport that requires absolute focus; any distraction might lead to one mistake, and then you might just lose the entire match if your mindset was haunted by that mistake, and then there’s no way back."
There is a suggestion that Zhao might be disappointed with his trophy haul following his World Championship win last May, but he said that he was satisfied with his career performance so far.
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"Maybe some fans would say [the World Grand Prix was] a belated title, but for me, it’s fine as long as it comes," Zhao added. "I had reached a few semi-finals and also won in Saudi Arabia.
"This might not be enough for some, but it was a very, very good result for me to have two titles this season. I am the only one to know, and could feel the pressure [as a world champion], so I’m quite satisfied."
Zhao will return to China in March for the World Open, held in Yushan, but explained that he would remain in the United Kingdom with compatriots Zhou Yuelong and Xiao Guodong until then.
"The Chinese players are pretty close," Zhao said. "We always eat at Xiao’s place, maybe once or twice a week. He’s a great brother and always looks after the younger ones among us.
"He’s also a very good cook and can certainly own a restaurant if he wants to. His braised beef brisket is delicious."
Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the 2026 Masters in London, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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