World Snooker Championship 2025: Ronnie O’Sullivan loses to dominant Zhao Xintong as Mark Williams reins in Judd Trump

Seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan suffered a 17-7 loss to a dominant Zhao Xintong as his World Championship semi-final came to an end a session early.

Zhao, 28, becomes only the second player from Asia to reach a Crucible final, nine years after his Chinese compatriot Ding Junhui, was runner-up to Mark Selby in 2016.

Leading 12-4, Zhao compiled breaks of 62 and 128, to dash any hopes O’Sullivan had of building some momentum after taking the first two frames of Friday evening’s session.

While O’Sullivan, who is level on seven Crucible crowns in the modern era with Stephen Hendry, took the first frame after the mid-session interval, Zhao exhibited an incredible temperament to round off the match.

In front of a crowd overwhelmingly urging 49-year-old O’Sullivan to take the contest into Saturday, Zhao compiled breaks of 85, 63 and 88 to seal the most famous victory of his career.

His scintillating performance on Friday morning laid the platform when he became only the fourth player to win a session 8-0 against O’Sullivan at the Crucible.

And he was able to maintain that later in the day to become only the second player since John Parrott in 1994 to defeat O’Sullivan with a session to spare.

O’Sullivan, who has made no secret about struggling with his cue since snapping his old one at the Championship League in January, elected to change his tip and ferrule after Thursday’s opening session against Zhao.

However, it did not have the desired impact as he missed a series of regulation pots against an opponent who punished him in ruthless fashion.

Zhao, a former UK Championship winner who is competing as an amateur, delivered the sort of clinical performance that suggests he may be ready to become the first player from China to take the title in Sheffield.