Sport
World Snooker Championship final: Mark Williams edges second session but Zhao Xintong boasts commanding lead
Crucible qualifier Zhao Xintong took a commanding 11-6 lead over Mark Williams on day one of the World Snooker Championship final, getting the best of the three-time champion on the biggest stage of his career.
Aiming to become the first Chinese player to be crowned world champion, the 28-year-old followed up his semi-final thrashing of Ronnie O’Sullivan with a rampant opening session that left him 7-1 ahead.
For Zhao, whose ongoing amateur status is largely due to a 20-month ban for his role in a betting scandal, there is a chance to follow Terry Griffiths and Shaun Murphy as just the third player to lift the trophy having come through qualification.
