How it unfolded
Zhao Xintong had been implicated in China's large-scale 2023 match-fixing case and served a 20-month ban, for a relatively minor role in the scheme. On his return he had to start from qualifying because of his lowered ranking, but he came through every qualifying round to reach the main draw. Throughout the tournament he spoke in interviews about having come through the hardest period of his life mentally, and he carried steady form all the way to the semi-final. His final opponent was 50-year-old Mark Williams, who had himself set the record as the oldest finalist in Crucible history. Zhao won 18-12 on the strength of steady break-building and safety play, becoming the first world champion from China and from Asia. In his winning interview, he thanked the family and coaches who had believed in him over the previous two years, visibly moved to tears.
Why it still matters
This was the moment, twenty years on, that completed the journey Chinese snooker began when Ding Junhui first lit the spark in 2005 and pushed it as far as a final in 2016. A player coming up through qualifying to become world champion is rare in this tournament's history, and because the win came after overcoming a serious ban, the final is widely discussed as a story about resilience as much as a result.