About Zhao Xintong
Zhao Xintong (Chinese: 赵心童, approximately chow shin-TUNG; born 3 April 1997) is a Chinese professional snooker player and the 2025 world champion, the sport's first world champion from Asia and the first player to win a ranking event while competing as an amateur. He also won his first Triple Crown title at the 2021 UK Championship and followed that with victory at the 2022 German Masters. He first turned professional in the 2016–17 season, aged 19. In January 2023, Zhao was among a group of Chinese players suspended by the WPBSA and charged with match-fixing offences. Following an independent disciplinary tribunal, he was banned from competitive snooker for 20 months, as a result of which he lost his professional status on the World Snooker Tour. After his ban expired, Zhao competed on the amateur Q Tour, winning four consecutive events and finishing top of the 2024–25 Q Tour Europe rankings. He rejoined the professional tour for the 2025–26 season, then won the non-ranking 2025 Riyadh Season Snooker Championship and later ranking titles at the 2026 World Grand Prix, the 2026 Players Championship, and the 2026 Tour Championship. In 2026, he became the first player to win all three Players Series tournaments in the same season and the third player to win over £1 million in a single season, following Judd Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan. Zhao first turned professional in the 2016–17 season, aged 19. He is the reigning World Snooker Champion and the sport's first World Champion from Asia. He won his first ranking title and first Triple Crown title at the 2021 UK Championship, defeating Luca Brecel 10–5 in the final, after which he entered the top 16 of the snooker world rankings for the first time. The following month, he won the 2022 German Masters with a 9–0 whitewash over Yan Bingtao, becoming the third player—after Steve Davis and Neil Robertson—to win a two-session ranking final without conceding a frame.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.