Snooker star banned over match-fixing scandal on brink of tour card and £15k bonus as he opens up on ‘little mistake’

ZHAO XINTONG could unafraid a World Snooker Tour Card if helium scoops the £250,000 UK Championship successful York.

The Chinese amateur cueist booked his spot successful the past 32 – helium faces No.9 effect Shaun Murphy connected Saturday – aft beating Ricky Walden 6-2 successful qualifying successful Leicester.

If helium wins the Triple Crown title, helium volition rocket up the one-year satellite ranking database and the apical 4 astatine the extremity of the season are guaranteed a nonrecreational spot for the 2025-26 campaign.

He is besides successful enactment for the £15k precocious interruption bonus arsenic helium knocked successful a 146 successful his archetypal qualifier past play – unless idiosyncratic celebrates a 147 maximum.

Xintong – victor of the UK rubric successful 2021 – was one of 10 Chinese players charged and banned for breaching match-fixing rules successful June 2023.

He was fixed a 20-month suspension, which ended successful September, though helium did NOT hole a lucifer himself.

Xintong, 27, called his offence a "little mistake" and added: “I missed this due to the fact that I didn’t play present for 2 years.

"Now, I travel back. I privation to bask the tourney and bash my best. It’s overmuch different. This is much important for me.

"I similar snooker. I request to travel back. I volition effort my champion successful practice. I privation to travel backmost to the snooker table. I emotion it adjacent more.

Xintong added: "Shaun is simply a precise bully player. He tin cookware a batch of balls.”

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He besides insists he's learnt from his ban.

Xintong told the BBC: “Two years agone I made a small mistake, present I’ve travel back.

“Let them cognize this is simply a large lesson, don’t marque the mistake. Play snooker, it’s a precise bully thing.

“These 2 years person been precise agelong for me, I’ve practised each day.

“I knew I would travel backmost truthful I request to support assured successful myself."

Ronnie O’Sullivan, the defending champion, is besides successful enactment connected Saturday day astatine the Barbican.

The seven-time Crucible king, 48, faces 45-year-old chap Englishman Barry Hawkins, the antheral helium bushed successful the 2013 satellite final.