Reigning champion Zhao beats Ding to reach quarters

Zhao Xintong beat Mark Williams in last year's final and has the title back in his sights [Getty Images]

China's reigning champion Zhao Xintong defeated compatriot Ding Junhui 13-9 in a high-quality encounter to move into the 2026 World Championship quarter-finals.

Zhao, 29, began the final session with a 9-7 advantage, although 39-year-old Ding, the first Chinese player to win a ranking event, pulled one back by winning a 46-minute opening frame on Sunday.

However, Zhao then won the next two to move 11-8 ahead, before Ding took the 20th frame with a break of 76.

A break of 108 from Zhao, his third century of the match, took him to the brink of victory, and he sealed the win in the next frame.

Zhao, who also made five half-centuries, is trying to break the so-called 'Crucible Curse', which stems from the surprising fact that none of the previous 20 first-time winners of the World Championship in Sheffield have successfully retained the title the following year.

He will play 2005 champion Shaun Murphy next.

'A very special match for us'

Such was the interest in the match between Ding and Zhao in China that Jason Ferguson, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, suggested that "hundreds of millions" could be watching.

"This was a very special match for us that everybody knows about and wants to keep eyes on it," said Zhao. "There was more pressure, it is not like before.

"It was very different last year when I was a nobody guy, but now I don't want to lose any match and just want to keep going."

On his quarter-final with Murphy, Zhao added: "When he won the World Championship I was eight years old. When I was eight I saw him play with Ding many times and I know he's very good and still plays very good snooker.

"I will try my best. I'm far from my best."

Ding, the 2016 runner-up, made eight breaks of at least 54 in the match but was unhappy with his performance.

"It was not good enough, I was a little bit disappointed in the first two sessions," said Ding. "It's hard when I'm 7-9 down and he found his game quickly. I tried, it was just not working.

"He [Zhao] is doing well and he is improving every time. My thought is he is better than anyone."