6-2! Snooker UK Championship Report: New World Champion Eliminated, Zhao Xintong Suffers Heavy Defeat to Zhang Anda

On December 5th Beijing time, the UK Championship round of 16 began. In a much-watched clash, a Chinese derby took place as anticipated. The outcome surprised many, as the reigning world champion Zhao Xintong was heavily beaten 2-6 by teammate Zhang Anda, losing four frames in a row and bowing out in the second round. Zhang Anda secured his place as the second Chinese player in the last eight, showing great strength by knocking out seeded players in back-to-back rounds!

Zhao Xintong is the reigning world champion, ranked tenth globally and the highest among Chinese players. He recently won the invitational Riyadh Masters. As a seeded player in this tournament, he defeated Long Zehuang in the first round to reach the last 16, where he faced fellow Chinese player Zhang Anda again. Zhang, ranked 23rd in the world, qualified through the qualifiers and has the skill level of a top 16 player, having eliminated Gary Wilson in the first round. Regardless of who won this derby, a Chinese player was guaranteed a quarterfinal spot. The two players have very contrasting styles—Zhao is a favorite for the title, while Zhang, eager to return to the top 16, showed stronger fighting spirit!

The match started evenly, with both players fiercely competing in the first half. Zhang Anda scored two century breaks, leveling the match at 2-2 with Zhao Xintong. However, the second half became one-sided. Zhao made numerous basic errors and missed many shots, which was painful to watch. The eighth frame’s pink ball miss was particularly shocking. Meanwhile, Zhang played with sharp precision and momentum, winning four frames in a row to claim a 6-2 victory and advance to the semifinals—a very impressive performance!

It must be said that Zhao Xintong clearly lacks consistency. Whether due to distraction or other reasons, he still has a long way to go before reaching elite status. His form is unpredictable, fluctuating between good and bad. With Zhao out, our chances of winning this UK Championship seem slim. Pang Junxu and Zhang Anda are not yet strong enough to challenge the top players from the '75 trio and '80 quintet. Now it’s up to Ding Junhui to advance. We hope he can overcome his nemesis Donaldson. Let’s wait and see—keep fighting!

Written by / Sports Novel