Zhao Xintong was delighted after sealing his spot in the 2025 World Snooker Championship draw with a 10-8 victory over Elliot Slessor on Tuesday.
The 28 year-old, competing as an amateur as he continues his comeback from a controversial ban, held off a stern challenge from the Englishman in Sheffield.
Zhao last participated at the Crucible Theatre in 2022 when he beat Jamie Clarke en route to a place in the last 16.
The 2021 UK champion was found guilty of being involved in the huge Chinese-led betting scandal that rocked the sport soon after, although he was cleared of the more serious match-fixing charges.
Since his return to competitive action, Zhao dominated the amateur Q Tour, and by finishing at the top of those rankings he has guaranteed his return to professional status from next season.
He’ll be hoping to end this campaign on the highest of highs, though, with many considering him to be a dark horse to go all the way to glory in Sheffield.
“I am very happy,” Zhao Xintong, who compiled 12 centuries in the four matches he won at the qualifiers, told the World Snooker Tour.
“I know that it’s very difficult to get back to the Crucible, and I’ve done it again so I’m so proud of myself.”
“Slessor is a really good opponent, and he played really well tonight. He gave huge pressure for me, but I won. I was lucky, and I’m just so happy.
“I just tried my best to play snooker and try every time to have a good break – just enjoy the table time.
“Hopefully, I can really come back to being a top player. But I need more wins, so I just try my best.”
Zhao, a former world number six, will be a name that all of the seeds will be desperate to avoid when the first-round draw is conducted on Thursday morning.
Elsewhere on the first of two Judgement Days at the English Institute of Sport, Zhao’s fellow Chinese competitor Zhou Yuelong also progressed.
There were victories for former ranking event winners Ryan Day, Chris Wakelin, and David Gilbert – the latter with a dramatic 10-9 defeat of Aaron Hill.
Ben Woollaston secured his return to the Crucible Theatre for the first time in a dozen years with a routine triumph over Ross Muir.
The biggest upset on Tuesday saw Daniel Wells pip Gary Wilson in a deciding frame.
Wilson had missed out on automatic qualification by just a few thousand pounds, and the world number 17 was ultimately made to pay for falling just short.
Wells will represent one of the Crucible debutants in 2025, as will Zak Surety who produced a fine display to thump Ricky Walden 10-3.
The World Open semi-finalist admitted that he was “trying not to cry” after fulfilling a career-long ambition of qualifying for the sport’s most prestigious tournament.
“I had a semi the other week in China, which was amazing,” Surety said, referencing his last-four appearance in Yushan where he lost 6-5 to John Higgins.
“But it was a devastating loss. I was thinking it can’t happen again – surely it’s my turn – and thankfully it is.”
The remaining eight Judgement Day matches take place on Wednesday.
2025 World Snooker Championship qualifiers
Judgement Day 1
Results
Gary Wilson 9-10 Daniel Wells
Zhou Yuelong 10-5 Yuan Sijun
Ricky Walden 3-10 Zak Surety
Ross Muir 4-10 Ben Woollaston
Elliot Slessor 8-10 Zhao Xintong
Ryan Day 10-5 Sunny Akani
Martin O’Donnell 2-10 Chris Wakelin
David Gilbert 10-9 Aaron Hill
Judgement Day 2
Wednesday, April 16th at 11am and 5pm UTC+1
Wang Yuchen vs Hossein Vafaei
Michael Holt vs Fan Zhengyi
Joe O’Connor vs Jackson Page
Jamie Jones vs Pang Junxu
Matthew Stevens vs Wu Yize
Gao Yang vs Lei Peifan
Matthew Selt vs Jimmy Robertson
He Guoqiang vs Ali Carter
Featured photo credit: WST
