Snooker: Zhao Xintong beats John Higgins 10-7 to win Players Championship in Telford
World champion Zhao Xintong delivered a dominant finish to defeat John Higgins 10-7 in the Players Championship final in Telford, consolidating a run of form that included an earlier win at the World Grand Prix this month. The result matters now because it extends Zhao's streak of ranking success and denied Higgins a historic late-career title.
Players Championship final in Telford
Zhao, 28, closed out the final 10-7 after a tense contest that swung several times in its opening stages. Higgins opened 2-0, Zhao drew level, and Zhao first went ahead to lead 4-3 before Higgins forced parity with a 90 break in the next frame. The pair traded frames into the evening session; from 7-6 down Zhao seized control, winning four straight frames to clinch the title.
Zhao Xintong's fifth century and fifth ranking title
The final featured a string of high-quality scoring: Zhao produced successive centuries from 7-6 down to move ahead and later hit what was described as a fifth century to seal what was called a "ridiculously easy" final win. The victory is Zhao's fifth ranking-event triumph and his second consecutive ranking title following his World Grand Prix success earlier this month. He becomes the fourth player to win all of his first five ranking finals, joining Steve Davis, Mark Williams and Neil Robertson.
John Higgins, age 50, pushed but narrowly denied
Higgins, 50, applied pressure at multiple points and produced a 90 break to level one pivotal frame, yet Zhao's late burst prevented Higgins from becoming the oldest winner of a ranking event. Scotland's Higgins praised Zhao after the match, calling him "an absolute genius" and saying the last three frames were "absolutely poetry in motion, " adding that he thinks Zhao "will be the man to beat at the World Championship this year. "
World Grand Prix and Wakelin frame context
Zhao's Players Championship success followed his triumph at the World Grand Prix earlier this month. Fans and commentators have been able to relive an "incredible" first frame between Wakelin and Zhao from that event, which formed part of the momentum behind Zhao's run into and through the Players Championship.
Benfica, T20 World Cup and other headlines on the sporting agenda
Alongside the snooker coverage, a number of other distinct sporting and cultural items featured in the same news cycle: Benfica's Prestianni received a provisional one-match ban; at the T20 World Cup Shimron Hetmyer was out for 85 while the Windies were set for a big total; commentary has examined why Manchester United fans should be glad if Harry Maguire extends his stay; attention has fallen on a Bafta-winning documentary; explorations of neurodivergent minds and how noise shapes daily life were highlighted; there has been interest in what draws Sweden's players to England's Women's Super League; five talking points were drawn from round three of the Six Nations; and analysis looked at how ruthless Arsenal exposed Tottenham's weaknesses.
What makes this notable is the combination of Zhao's scoring peak—successive centuries and a fifth century in the final—with the broader narrative of a young world champion translating recent form into consecutive ranking titles. The cause-and-effect was clear: Zhao's run of high breaks from 7-6 down directly produced a four-frame streak that decided the match, and that scoring burst transformed a close encounter into a decisive 10-7 victory.
Zhao celebrated what was described as a "dream" win in Telford, while Higgins offered measured admiration for a player whose recent run has made him a leading contender for the season's remaining major events.
