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Ronnie O’Sullivan speaks out on Zhao Xintong’s 20-month ban as Chinese star reaches final
Seven-time world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has said Zhao Xintong was hard done by to receive a 20-month suspension for his part in a match-fixing ring. ‘The Rocket’ saw his dream of a record-breaking eighth Crucible crown crumble on Friday after suffering a 17-7 semi-final defeat to the Chinese star in Sheffield.
Zhao returned to competitive snooker in September 2024 after more than a year-and-a-half on the sidelines. He was one of 10 Chinese snooker players implicated in a match-fixing investigation but received the shortest suspension handed out by the WPBSA. The 28-year-old was found to be in breach of “being party to another player fixing two matches,” as well as placing bets on snooker matches. He also had to pay £7,500 in costs for his part in the operation.
