**Translation: Zhao Xintong’s World Championship Victory – Is Snooker the Future Trend for Billiard Halls?**
In the 2025 Snooker World Championship final, Chinese player Zhao Xintong defeated veteran Mark Williams with a total score of 18-12, successfully lifting the championship trophy. This is not only a highlight moment in Zhao Xintong’s personal career but also a major breakthrough for snooker in China and even across Asia, marking a milestone significance.
Zhao Xintong’s journey to the championship is nothing short of legendary. He was once suspended for 20 months due to a match-fixing scandal. After his comeback, he started from a wildcard in the qualifying rounds as an amateur, overcoming all obstacles, winning 9 consecutive matches and 111 frames, and eventually claiming the title. His attacking style shone brightly on the court, with 18 century breaks in a single tournament equaling Ding Junhui’s record. In the final, facing the intense pressure of Williams chasing 4 consecutive set points, he still demonstrated exceptional mental toughness with his “accuracy is justice” strength, becoming the first player to win the championship as an amateur. He unlocked the achievement of “double crown in three major tournaments” and joined the ranks of top players.
Zhao Xintong’s victory has significantly boosted the development of snooker in China. During the tournament, over 150 million Chinese viewers followed the event, greatly igniting public enthusiasm for snooker. In major cities across the country, the booking rate for snooker tables in billiard halls has surged, even leading to a hot scene of “no table available.” On social media, discussions about Zhao Xintong and snooker have remained highly popular, and sales of related products and enrollments in training courses have also boomed. This upsurge has attracted more young people to pay attention to and participate in snooker, injecting new vitality into the development of snooker in China and expected to further expand its mass base.
From the overall development trend of Chinese snooker, Zhao Xintong’s championship is no accident. In recent years, China has established its own snooker academies, such as the CBSA World Snooker Academy, providing systematic and professional training environments for young players. Under strict training models and professional teaching systems, batches of outstanding young players have emerged continuously. Nowadays, the number of Chinese players active in the frontline of snooker is increasing. Among the world snooker top 50 rankings, the average age of Chinese players is only 27 years old. Compared with the average age structure of British players over 40, it shows strong youthful vitality and development potential. For example, young players like Si Jiahui and Lei Peifan have also gradually made a name for themselves in international competitions, which indicates that China’s snooker youth training system is playing a positive role and laying a solid talent foundation for future development.
At the same time, commercial capital has gradually increased its investment in the snooker field, promoting the overall development of billiard sports. The rise of self-service billiard halls has attracted a large number of young consumers, among whom post – 90s account for up to 65% of the snooker consumer group. Social media platforms like Douyin have also helped snooker tap into commercial value. For example, the “National Challenge” has received 5 billion views, further expanding the audience and influence of snooker. In addition, the emergence of new business models such as players’ live – streaming e – commerce has opened up new paths for the commercial development of snooker, forming a良性循环 (benign cycle) of “talent – events – business.”
In contrast, snooker is showing a trend of gradual decline in its native UK. The average age of British players exceeds 40 years old, and there is a serious gap in the new generation. The shrinkage of high prize money and commercial value has made young people more inclined to choose sports with higher commercialization such as football and tennis. However, the rapid development of Chinese snooker has allowed the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) to see new opportunities. The relocation of the WPBSA headquarters to Shanghai marks the continuous improvement of China’s voice in the international snooker field, and China is gradually transforming from a follower to a leader in snooker. China’s “fast – paced violent aesthetics” playing style has not only achieved excellent results on the court but also gained international recognition, even being used as a teaching material by the University of Cambridge.
With the continuous emergence of Chinese young players, the continuous investment of commercial capital, and the strengthening of national support policies for the sports industry, snooker is expected to usher in a more prosperous and opportunity – filled new stage in China in the future. Zhao Xintong’s championship has injected a “shot in the arm” into the development of Chinese snooker. In the future, snooker will also become a trend in billiard halls, and when bosses open billiard halls, they can appropriately introduce snooker tables when choosing billiard tables.