Zhao accepted fees of being a celebration to a different participant fixing two matches and betting on matches himself in an argument that led to 10 Chinese language gamers being punished, with life bans for Liang Wenbo and Li Hold.
Zhao’s enforced novice standing meant he needed to battle by way of 4 qualifying rounds simply to succeed in the World Championship essential draw on the Crucible, which is strolling distance from his Sheffield residence.
Resulting from return to the primary skilled tour subsequent season, Zhao is simply the third participant after Terry Griffiths and Shaun Murphy to win the title as a qualifier within the 48-year Crucible period.
Whereas Zhao’s story is startling, Asian snooker has been on the rise for a number of years.
The game is massively common in China, with a nationwide snooker academy in Beijing coaching the nation’s finest younger gamers.
Tens of millions of Chinese language followers have been anticipated to tune into the ultimate to witness Zhao’s coronation.
Solely 12 months in the past, Zhao was sitting at residence watching the World Championship within the midst of his ban.
However his street to redemption picked up pace with a blistering show to thrash seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan 17-7 within the semi-finals final week.
