Zhao Leaves Jones on the Brink: Stunning Scoring Spree Rocks Crucible

Zhao leaves Jones clinging on after ruthless display in World Snooker Championship opener

Jak Jones is in deep trouble at the Crucible Theatre. The Welshman, a surprise finalist last year, is teetering on the brink of a first-round exit at the hands of a resurgent Zhao Xintong, whose blistering scoring performance left the packed Sheffield crowd buzzing and Jones trailing 7-2 after the opening session.

It was billed as an intriguing clash—Jones, seeded 16th and hoping to build on last year’s fairytale run, versus Zhao, an amateur on paper but hardly one in pedigree. And by the end of Sunday morning, there was no doubt who was in charge.

Zhao leaves Jones facing a mountain to climb when they return on Monday morning. The Chinese cueist, 28, needs just three more frames to complete a famous win and book his place in the last 16, where he’ll meet compatriot Lei Peifan—the man who sensationally dumped out defending champion Kyren Wilson.

Zhao’s return to the big stage: flair, firepower, and redemption

Zhao leaves Jones clinging on after ruthless display in World Snooker Championship opener

Zhao Xintong’s journey back to the Crucible stage hasn’t been without drama. Once hailed as the future of Chinese snooker, he saw his career derailed by a match-fixing scandal that saw him suspended for nearly two years. Though he wasn’t found guilty of throwing matches himself, his involvement in betting breaches and being complicit in other players’ offences saw him sidelined in 2023.

But his return this season has been nothing short of electrifying.

Competing as an amateur at this year’s World Championship, Zhao breezed through qualifying and brought that same momentum into his opening-round clash. Against Jones, he unleashed the full repertoire: fluent cueing, fearlessness, and that trademark attacking flair that made him so popular before his ban.

The highlight? A breathtaking 142 total clearance in the fifth frame—the highest break of the tournament so far. Alongside it came six other half-century visits, as he punished every single error from Jones with clinical precision.

Jak Jones struggles to find rhythm as Zhao surges

For Jones, this was far from the confident performance that saw him reach the final 12 months ago. The Welshman did show glimpses of quality—particularly a 99 break in frame three and a 70 in the final frame of the session—but overall, he looked second-best in almost every department.

Jones missed early chances in multiple frames, and against a player in Zhao’s form, those mistakes proved fatal. Every loose safety, every missed long red, was met with a swift and punishing response. And by the time frame nine came around, Jones’ body language told the story. The usually composed Welshman looked rattled and unsure of how to stop the bleeding.

Still, all is not lost. We’ve seen comebacks at the Crucible before—this is snooker’s theatre of dreams and disasters for a reason. But make no mistake, Zhao leaves Jones with a massive task when they resume. The Welshman needs to win eight of the remaining ten frames to progress.

The Crucible atmosphere heats up: other results and what’s next

Elsewhere on Sunday, China’s Xiao Guodong booked his place in the second round with a composed 10-4 victory over Matthew Selt. Xiao, seeded 14th, led 7-2 overnight and weathered a minor Selt fightback before closing out the match with three consecutive frames. He now awaits the winner of the ongoing clash between John Higgins and Joe O’Connor.

Meanwhile, Mark Allen begins his latest hunt for a maiden world title on Sunday afternoon. The Northern Irishman, who already has the UK and Masters crowns in his collection, is looking to complete the full Triple Crown and finally etch his name into Crucible folklore. He opens against Fan Zhengyi in a tricky first-round tie.

Three-time world champion Mark Williams holds a narrow 5-4 overnight lead against Wu Yize in another tense battle. That match resumes on Sunday evening, alongside Neil Robertson’s shock deficit against Chris Wakelin—Robertson trails 7-2—and Barry Hawkins’ tight 5-4 edge over Hossein Vafaei.

A statement of intent from Zhao

In a championship that’s already seen the defending champion fall at the first hurdle, Zhao’s dominant return feels like a defining early moment. From his suspension to this blistering Crucible comeback, it’s been a road of redemption paved with talent, grit, and renewed focus.

Zhao leaves Jones needing a miracle, but perhaps more importantly, he’s put the rest of the field on notice. Amateur or not, Xintong is playing like a man who’s got unfinished business—and the Crucible might just be the stage where he finally delivers on the promise that once had the whole snooker world talking.