Today’s 1/8 finals of the 2026 World Snooker Championship staged the pinnacle Chinese derby.Defending champion Zhao Xintong went through three stages of fierce battle and defeated Ding Junhui 13-9. He defeated his opponent in the World Championships for the first time in his career and advanced to the quarterfinals.This is the first long-game matchup between the two in their careers with 13 wins in 25 games. It is regarded as a inheritance battle between the old and new leaders of Chinese snooker.
After 8 games in the first stage, the two sides were evenly matched at 4-4. Ding Junhui staged an extreme reversal in the 8th game (62:61), and Zhao Xintong scored 116 points on a single stroke.
In the second stage, Zhao Xintong's condition soared, with a long-table shooting rate of 71%. He scored 115 points in a single stroke and broke 100 points in three strokes, establishing a 9-7 lead.
In the third stage, Ding Junhui tenaciously chased to 9-11. Zhao Xintong withstood the pressure and scored 108 points on a single stroke to lock the match point, and finally won 13-9.
Zhao Xintong broke 100 in 3 strokes and 50+ in 5 strokes; Ding Junhui scored 50+ in 8 strokes. Although his performance was stable, his key ball accuracy was slightly inferior.
After this battle, Zhao Xintong became the core of the new generation of Chinese snooker, while Ding Junhui still showed top competitiveness at the age of 39. Together, they supported the golden era of Chinese snooker.
In the next quarter-finals, Zhao Xintong will face Sean Murphy to compete for the semi-finals of the World Championships.