Zhao Xintong wrapped up a comfortable 10-4 victory over Jak Jones to knock the 2024 runner-up out of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Both of last year’s finalists have exited the 2025 event in the first round, following defending champion Kyren Wilson’s defeat by Lei Peifan on Saturday.
Zhao will meet fellow Chinese player Lei in his next match for a place in the quarter-finals.
Trailing 7-2 overnight, Jones started the second session with a break of exactly 100.
He reduced his deficit further when Zhao missed a simple brown during what appeared to be a routine clearance that would have restored the 28-year-old’s five-frame advantage.
But Zhao won the next two with breaks of 70 and 55 to move 9-4 ahead and then compiled a break of 87 after returning from the mid-session interval to defeat the 16th seed from Wales.