PLANS for Riyadh Season 2025 have been formally announced – with WWE and darts events now on the agenda.
As part of the Middle Eastern sporting bonanza which starts this week and runs until early next year, Saudi Arabia will host the Royal Rumble, becoming the first nation outside of North America to take on a marquee WWE event.
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Cody Rhodes and other WWE superstars will head to Saudi for the Royal RumbleCredit: Getty
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Saudi darts fans will get a closer look at Luke Littler at the Saudi Arabia Darts MastersCredit: PA
They are also expected to stage Wrestlemania in 2027.
The Kingdom will host the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters in January as part of the World Series of Darts.
The PDC has never taken a professional darts event to Saudi before.
Chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced the plans for Riyadh Season 2025 in a press conference on Sunday.
Alalshikh has previously said he wants to try something “crazy” with darts – but it is not yet clear what he has up his sleeve.
The Riyadh Season Snooker Championship remains on the calendar, along with high-profile events in tennis and boxing.
Ring IV will feature boxing showdowns including David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde and Brian Norman Jr. vs Devin Haney.
A parade in Boulevard City will kick off Riyadh Season 2025 on October 10.
Tyson Fury arrives in Riyadh to meet with promoter Turki Alalshikh
The entertainment extravaganza will feature 15 global championships as well as 34 exhibitions and festivals.
And Alalshikh estimates that its brand value has reached £2.4BILLION.
Organisers said: “Riyadh Season 2025 will be a defining milestone in the history of global entertainment, emphasising that Riyadh has become the emblem of a new era of creativity, culture, and international entertainment excellence.”
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Jannik Sinner won last year’s Six Kings SlamCredit: Getty
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Turki Alalshikh announced plans for Riyadh Season 2025 on SundayCredit: Getty
NEIL ROBERTSON hit another huge snooker landmark on Tuesday – in front of a one-man audience.
The 43-year-old took on Umut Dikme in qualification for the International Championship at Pond’s Forge in Sheffield.
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Neil Robertson achieved his 1000th century on Tuesday
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He celebrated in front of a one-man audience
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The feat has only been achieved by three other players – including Ronnie O’SullivanCredit: Getty
And while leading 4-1 in the sixth frame, he achieved the 1000th century of his career.
After potting the final ball to confirm a score of 126 in the frame, Robertson walked back to his chair and raised his arms in front of the only spectator in the room.
The Australian became just the fourth player to reach the 1,000 century mark.
Speaking earlier this year, Robertson said: “Well to receive the award, you have to do something really special.
“What was quite surprising was, I think I must’ve been the youngest person receiving the award out of everyone there.
Pluto TV adds FREE snooker television channel starring legend Ronnie O’Sullivan
“So that was really special, to receive it and be around so many people that have achieved special things in their lives… it was very inspiring to see.
“It has to rank right up there [among his top achievements] because for me to get this award, I have to achieve everything in my career first. Without all those achievements, I wouldn’t be able to get it.”
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN says he is loving his new life in Dubai – and loving the fact he now has a wife.
Snooker’s greatest ever player made two significant lifestyle changes this year and both of them have given him major contentment in his personal life.
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Ronnie O’Sullivan has opened up about moving to DubaiCredit: Getty
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O’Sullivan recently moved to the UAE with his wife, Laila RouassCredit: Getty
Few people knew about it until he announced the news on his Instagram page with a photo from the big day and the caption: “We finally made it official!! Mr & Mrs O’Sullivan.”
And then the couple packed up their belongings and moved to the UAE, which is an easier commute to events in China and his Saudi Arabia snooker academy.
On the benefits of heading to sunnier climes, O’Sullivan, 49, told SunSport: “It’s really good. I’ve got a great practice facility there, which was one of the main reasons for going.
“I was struggling to find somewhere to play. It was either get a train up to Sheffield or try to move to Sheffield.
“But my wife wasn’t too keen on Sheffield. So she said we either go Spain or Dubai.
“And I thought, well, Dubai is nearer China. Obviously it’s in the Middle East.
“All the tournaments that I play and all the work that I do is there. It just made sense to go to Dubai.
“Really enjoying it out there. Great gyms. I’m enjoying that side of it.
“I had some friends over there before that played snooker and they’ve helped me get into Dubai life.
Ronnie O’Sullivan signed most lucrative deal in snooker history as Netflix cameras go behind scenes of Saudi pact
“I’ve met some really nice friends and fitted in really well. So yeah, it’s great.
“I’m not a sunbather, but I’d much rather the heat than cold, if that makes sense. Spring and autumn are my favourite times.”
Like most newly-married men, using the word ‘wife’ instead of girlfriend or fiancée in conversation has taken some getting used to.
O’Sullivan – who has three children from previous relationships – said: “Everyone just knows where they are a bit more.
“It probably feels a bit more mature, I suppose. It does take a while.
“At first I was like, oh, to say that word (wife), but now it feels pretty normal. It’s nice. Everything’s good. Everyone’s happy, which is the main thing.”
O’Sullivan has pulled out of three consecutive tournaments on medical grounds but his next appearance on the baize will be at the Xi’an Grand Prix, which starts on October 7.
In the meantime, he has thrown his support behind the launch of Pluto Snooker 900, the world’s first 24/7 dedicated snooker channel, which will stream free and on demand on Pluto TV.
The Snooker 900 format consists of 900 seconds (15 minutes) on the table, a 20-second shot clock, ball in hand for fouls and a sudden-death blue-ball deadlock shootout to settle ties.
The channel – which will initially broadcast 18 hours a week of live snooker from Monday to Wednesday – launches on Monday (October 6) with a Legends Week.
This will star golden oldies Jimmy White, Ken Doherty, John Parrott, Tony Drago, Joe Johnson and Tony Knowles.
Over the next 12 months, there is more than £600,000 in prize money pledged for amateur players.
And episodes of O’Sullivan’s acclaimed coaching series, The Rocket Method, will also be screened.
O’Sullivan, the seven-time world champion, said: “I remember filming the masterclass and after day three, having been on my feet for 12-13 hours a day, I couldn’t even walk.
“That was probably the hardest work we’ve ever done because we really had to crash it out.
“You’ll see every bit of advice from beginner to the real advanced stuff.
“I put it all on the table there. It’ll be great for any snooker or pool player or any cue sports player that wants to improve their game. I’ve really gone into big detail.
“Hopefully this new channel launches some snooker ambition in young players. It’s going to be like a bit of talent spotting.
“The 900 format, which sharpens the mind, is going to give people a chance to feel what it’s like to play on TV. Feel what the pressure and that nerve is like.”
Mika Immonen has tragically passed awayCredit: Alamy
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Ronnie O’Sullivan has paid tribute to the pool superstarCredit: Getty
Tributes poured in for the Iceman, who became a legend on the pool circuit.
O’Sullivan has now opened up about his bond with Immonen, who would stay at his house during his time in the UK.
The Rocket took to Instagram to say: “So sad to hear of the passing of my friend Mika, someone I did not see enough of but thought a great deal of.
“Stayed at my house on times in UK and enjoyed our runs in the forest, one of the greatest pool players of the generation, an honour to share a pool table with him but also the personal times together I will never forget.
“Sadly missed, devastated today.”
Immonen became the only Finnish star to win the World Nineball Championship in 2001.
He also won back-to-back US Open Pool Championship titles in 2008 and 2009.
The Iceman established himself as a pool icon with his appearances at the Mosconi Cup over the years.
He represented Team Europe on 15 occasions – the second-most of any European.
Immonen was named MVP for his performance in the 2008 competition.
Ronnie O’Sullivan shares workout vid as snooker icon gives update after skipping £100k tournament
They played each other in the semi-finals of the 2024 Masters – with O’Sullivan winning 6-2.
Murphy says O’Sullivan could have done more to be an ambassador for snooker – like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are for tennis.
Neil Robertson falls victim to ‘boomerang shot’ leaving snooker commentator stunned
He said: “One of the reasons I idolised Steve Davis so much was I was brought up in a world where being the greatest meant a lot more than how good you were at playing snooker, and unfortunately, for all of the good things Ronnie has done in terms of his snooker ability, I think he’s done an equal amount of, if not more, damage to the sport from an ambassadorial point of view.
“I think it’s such a shame that he hasn’t done for snooker in his ambassadorial position the things that people he says he looks up to – like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – have done, that he hasn’t taken a leaf out of their book and treated the sport that’s given him so much the same level of respect.
“If he had used his platform for good, he could have single-handedly dragged snooker into a different stratosphere in terms of popularity. He could have made us much more mainstream.”
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O’Sullivan and Murphy have forged a great rivalry in snookerCredit: PA:Press Association
Just five minutes before the ideal time for prime, professional sport of 1am, Chang Bingyu sees out his advantage in the deciding frame to sneak by Noppon Saengkham.
Saengkham needed a perfect ending and snookers but missed a pot on the pink which left him needing too much so offered the concede with a handshake.
The dozen people still here broke into minimum applause.
He’s into the next round!
Latest scores
He misses a simple red off the rest. The lead is 60 with 59 remaining, so Noppon needs snookers.
Noppon Saengkham 3-3 Chang Bingyu (0-60)
Latest scores
The Bingyu lead grows and with 74 remaining, he’s only a few pots away from victory.
Noppon Saengkham 3-3 Chang Bingyu (0-52)
Latest scores
The opening Bingyu break is 31. 107 points remain on the table.
Noppon Saengkham 3-3 Chang Bingyu (0-31)
Latest scores
Incredible clearance from Saengkham and he takes the sixth frame!
We’re headed to a decider after a sensational pink pot saw him get the black back into play off the cushion and leaves a simple roll into the left middle pocket to win the frame by 10 points.
The Jester from Leicester secured a 10-5 victory over the Scotsman as he went one better than the 2023 British Open, where he lost in the final to Mark Williams.
In 2024, World No1 Judd Trump became only the third player in history to reach 1,000 century breaks.
But in the very same match, he was eliminated by Mark Allen following a 5-3 defeat in the quarter-finals.
Trump has never won the British Open and will be looking to add the Clive Everton Trophy to his ever-expanding collection of titles.
Kyren Wilson also features in Cheltenham as he looks to put his poor display at the English Open last week behind him.
There will be no Ronnie O’Sullivan this week after the Rocket withdrew from the competition on medical grounds last Tuesday.
When is the British Open 2025?
The British Open 2025 will begin on Monday, September 22.
The tournament will run up until Sunday, September 28.
The Centaur in Cheltenham will host.
What TV channel is the British Open 2025 on and can it be live streamed?
The British Open 2025 will be broadcast live on ITV4.
You can live stream all the action for FREE via the ITVX app/website.
Alternatively, you can keep up to date with all the action by following SunSport’s live blog.
So Allen plays safe to get the cue ball to baulk and actually hits the jaws of the yellow pocket and just stays aboard!
Zhou Yuelong 8-8 Mark Allen (0-0)
On the stretch, Zhou gets a simple pot all wrong and misses into the right corner pocket.
The cue ball remains around the reds too but not sure if he’s gotten away with it and not left anything on.
Zhou Yuelong 8-8 Mark Allen (0-0)
Safety exchange to start the frame as you might probably expect.
Every shot carefully thought out as an error could spell the end.
Zhou Yuelong 8-8 Mark Allen
An enormous cheers greets both men as they return to the floor.
Zhou Yuelong to break in the decider.
Zhou Yuelong 8-8 Mark Allen
We’re heading to a decider!
Allen sinks the remaining balls after Zhou potted the cue ball and we’re going to have a 17th and final frame to decide our English Open winner.
And that decider will start after midnight, when they kicked things off at 1pm this afternoon. It’s been said so many times this week but that’s a completely absurd situation to expect sports stars to operate at their best in. Genuinely ridiculous.
But never mind. A one-frame shoot-out for £100,000!
Zhou Yuelong 8-7 Mark Allen (59-75)
Allen flukes a snooker when he hits the green this time.
Zhou makes contact with the green too but it sends the cue ball into the pocket after doing so!
Maybe it was the reset for Slessor, who gets to 19 points in this break without much concern.
Elliot Slessor 4-4 Mark Allen
We’re headed for a decider!
And if you’ve been here for the last couple of hours, that absolutely won’t surprise you.
Slessor pots the pink before the pair have a couple of shots at putting the black safe.
That was, until Slessor leaves Allen the straightest pot he could hope for into the yellow pocket which he smashes away.
Only one winner from here but hopefully, for Slessor’s sake, the fact it’s a one-frame shoot-out will reset him. As the last hour and a bit has been pretty desperate to say the least.
Elliot Slessor 4-3 Mark Allen (46-59)
Oooooh, Allen misses the pink for the frame!
A routine pot too and the pink bounces away to safety and he takes a 13-point lead with 13 on the table!
Elliot Slessor 4-3 Mark Allen (46-0)
It WAS the big opportunity and again it goes begging for Elliot Slessor.
It’s actually getting tough to watch now as we tick into Saturday morning.
Mark Allen returns to the table once more.
Elliot Slessor 4-3 Mark Allen (33-0)
The Slessor break continues as he takes his time over each shot knowing this is his opportunity.
SNOOKER star Mark Allen has slammed Sky Sports News over their transfer deadline day coverage.
It has been an action-packed day of transfers across the Premier League and EFL.
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Mark Allen slammed Sky Sports News coverage of transfer deadline dayCredit: Getty
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He criticised the use of fans on the show
But Allen has taken exception to the guests who have appeared on Sky Sports News.
He questioned the presence of ‘fans’ on the show discussing transfers, rather than experts.
The Northern Irishman tweeted: “Jesus, just turned on @SkySportsNews to follow deadline day…… why oh why are they bringing in fans rather than experts for discussions?
“Pretty sure paying customers won’t be happy with this. Sort it out.”
Allen, 39, is not afraid to voice his opinion – but this is one that has been shared by other viewers.
One wrote: “Podcasters and youtubers 👎🏼”
Another added: “Games gone Mark. Barely watch it now.”
A third wrote: “The whole thing is hyped-up nonsense!”
And another commented: “Like inviting me down to the Crucible to critique you, Ronnie and Judd’s long potting 🤣”
One supporter remarked: “Very poor.”
Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan responds to comments about him being ‘written off’
Hello and welcome to SunSport’s coverage of the Wuhan Open!
Unfortunately we do not have anyone working through the night – or from China – to cover the early games (3am BST).
However, we will keep you updated with all the latest scores as they happen for the later sessions, which start at 7am and 12.30pm BST.
Our first person through the door arrives at 7am and has been tasked with immediately updating this blog with the latest headlines.
Eight matches are due to start in 10 minutes, with a further eight at 7am and then eight more in the final session.
Mark Allen headlines this first session, while the likes of Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Mark Selby, defending champion Xiao Guodong and Zhao Xintong are all in action at different points in the day.
Today’s matches are also a mix of round one holdovers and round two games.
SHAUN MURPHY has given his verdict on where the glamorous Saudi Arabia Masters ranks among snooker’s top tournaments.
He claims that the tournament is still far behind the game’s triple crown events, the traditional peak of the Snooker calendar.
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Shaun Murphy has revealed that he is not convinced that the Saudi Arabia Masters competes with triple crown events in prestigeCredit: Getty
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The English snooker player, who has won a triple crown himself, feels that the huge prize money alone still leaves the competition far below the sport’s premier competitionsCredit: Getty
The Saudi event offers some of the sport’s biggest prize pots, with the top players in the world competing for a total prize pool of over £2.3million.
Despite the money being comparable to the prizes on offer in the Snooker World Championships, Murphy feels that the event cannot hold a candle to its more prestigious counterparts.
He told Metro: “I’ve still got one foot in the history camp.
“I still think the history and the legacy of the existing three majors, the Triple Crown events, I think they’re stand alone events.
“This event obviously rivals the World Championship in terms of prize money and it’s a 10-year deal, so it’s got the potential to become in great standing.
“But at the moment, for me, the other three would still be ahead of this one, despite the prize money.”
The winner of the Saudi event will pocket a hefty £500,000 prize, the same on offer at the World Championships.
There is even a £50,000 bounty for any player who manages a 147 break at the tournament, meaning the potential prizes are also very attractive to lower ranked players hoping to pull off a miracle.
But the 43-year-old says that money can only bring the tournament so far when trying to compete with the game’s most established events.
“You can’t buy legacy. The prize money here is massive and we’re all enjoying competing and somebody is going to walk away with £500,000 this week, it’s an amazing opportunity and we’re all very grateful for it.
SHAUN MURPHY Life outside snooker – bullying, religion, golf and music
“But the legacy and how special the Triple Crown events are, you can’t buy that.
“For me, those events are head and shoulders above everything else.”
There are few more qualified to speak on the prestige that comes with the triple crown events, with ‘The Magician’ having won all three, including a World Championship title in 2005.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Ronnie O’Sullivan plays today for a spot in the quarter-finals, while world number one and defending champion Judd Trump was stunned on Tuesday in his round of 32 bout with 68th ranked Oliver Lines.
A 14-YEAR-OLD snooker player secured the first win of his professional career on day one of the Saudi Arabia Masters.
And at the other end of the age scale, Ken Doherty won the Battle of the Baize Oldies as he eliminated Jimmy White from the Jeddah tournament.
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Michal Szubarczyk has secured the first win of his professional snooker careerCredit: Instagram @szubisnooker
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Ken Doherty won the battle of the veterans as he knocked out Jimmy WhiteCredit: Getty
Polish teenager Michal Szubarczyk hit back-to-back breaks of 68 and 56 as he celebrated a 4-2 victory over English amateur Ryan Davies.
It is a career milestone, one he will remember forever, given he only received his two-year Tour Card at the start of this season.
In round two in the desert nation, Szubarczyk will play Hungarian world No.79 Bulcsu Revesz on Saturday.
And the winner of that clash will then take on Essex cueist Stuart Bingham, who was champion of the world 10 years ago.
The Eastern European – whose highest official break is 126 – took the 2025 European Championships in Turkey by storm, winning the under-16s and under-18s events before reaching the final of the open-age event.
Mark Williams, the three-time world champion, watched that tournament live and said Szubarczyk was “one of the best 14-year-olds I’ve ever seen in my life”.
The Welsh sporting legend added: “He’s up there with Ronnie O’Sullivan at that age.
“Maybe not as good, but not far away. Every time I watched him he was knocking in 80s, 90s, 100s. It was frightening.”
In April, dad Kamil told SunSport that his son modelled his game on seven-time world champion O’Sullivan.
Kamil said: “One of Michal’s special skills is his ability to play with the audience and the cameras.
Snooker fans baffled as star who’s not won a match all year knocks in staggering 147 break
“Normal teenagers are tense and stressed. He is more motivated.
“He loves playing when he has an audience, and so I know that anything can happen during this tournament.
“From the first time Michał saw snooker on TV, his hero was Ronnie. It was also my idol. This hasn’t been changed.
“And for both of us whenever Ronnie got knocked out of a tournament, we stopped watching it.
“That man played a key role in creating Michal’s playing style. Mike was fascinated by how offensive Ronnie played all of his games. But he wants to be more than just offensive.
“Ronnie is still motivating Michal to be better and better.”
On Friday evening in the Kingdom, two veterans of the sport took to the baize, though disappointingly only a few people bothered to watch from the stands at the Green Halls.
Former world champion Doherty, 55, took on White, 63, and he prevailed 4-1, hitting a 96 break in frame two.
They had rekindled a rivalry that began in 1991 and saw them battle it out at the World Championships and Masters.
The duo, who have a combined age of 118, are nowhere near their best these days but it is commendable and shows their genuine love for the sport that they are continuing to play professionally.
Doherty, who now plays Latvian Zizins Artemijs in round two on Saturday evening, has now won 17 of their 30 meetings.
Elite players such as Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson will enter the competition – which has a £500,000 top prize – in round five on Tuesday.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
The association also claims the governance of snooker “should factor in more of the views of the players”.
It has vowed to foster a “collaborative relationship” with the sport’s authorities, including the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the existing WPBSA Players’ Board, and World Snooker Tour “to enhance the sport’s future, while safeguarding player welfare and commercial interests”.
The PSPA says it has established a players board comprising of Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy, Ali Carter, Gary Wilson, Stuart Bingham, Jack Lisowski, Stephen Maguire, Mark Allen, Ryan Day and Joe Perry. Another player – Matthew Selt – has been appointed a director, alongside lawyers Ben Rees and Mark Kenkre.
The association also claims that seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has agreed to become a member, along with Chinese stars Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong.
“I’ve had lots of discussions with Ronnie” said Higgins. “He’s really excited about it, so it’s full steam ahead.”
The fact so many of the top players are behind the new body suggests some feel they do not have enough say in the running of the World Snooker Tour (WST), particularly the commercial side.
During the 2024 World Championship, the headlines at the Crucible were dominated by talk of a potential breakaway tour. This came after the game’s top players were approached to play in lucrative events in China and North America as part of a potential breakaway circuit.
Professional players sign a contract which does not allow them to compete in any outside events while WST tournaments are being played, unless they are events sanctioned by the WST, although players have recently negotiated more flexibility.
However, the WST has been increasing the amount of prize money in the game, and is preparing to stage the sport’s “fourth major” in Saudi Arabia with a prize pot of more than £2m. The second Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will take place later this week in Jeddah.
The WPBSA’s own players’ body was formed in 2020, and the governing body says it has “a specific mandate to act in the collective best interest of members in relation to welfare and issues affecting the professional game.”
It says that it “acts as a channel for member concerns and provides a platform whereby issues surrounding their wellbeing can be raised at the highest levels by the WPBSA Players Board.”
The PSPA says it has been formed with expert guidance from leading sports law professionals, and that its key objectives include legal and commercial support to protect players’ rights in sponsorship, broadcasting, and contractual matters.
Zhao Xintong lost his first snooker match for nine months as he fell victim to the Ding Junhui Curse.
Kyren Wilson moved into Sunday’s final of the Shanghai Masters with a superb 10-5 victory over China’s reigning world snooker champion.
The Warrior, 33, scored breaks of 66, 75, 70, 95, 70, 101 and 51 across the 15 frames and crucially claimed all SIX frames in the evening session.
For Xintong, it was a first defeat since losing to Shaun Murphy in the Last 32 of the UK Championship in York on November 23, 2024.
After that loss in the North Yorkshire cathedral city, Xintong won an astonishing 26 matches in a row, which included lifting the Crucible crown in historic scenes for his country.
But Xintong’s Far East homecoming was ruined by the Kettering cueist as he completely flopped in the evening action.
The Cyclone potted breaks of 113, 59, 95 and then a 121 to lead 5-4 in the afternoon but when nighttime came, he was outclassed by the Englishman.
And forget all about the Crucible Curse, which he has to negotiate next spring in Sheffield – the Curse of Ding Junhui struck again in a competitive environment.
This was the 21st time in a row that someone had beaten Ding, 38, and then LOST their next match.
A run that stretches back to John Higgins being the first victim at the Players Championship in February 2024 in Telford.
