Reigning World Champ defies first hurdle of Crucible curse

Reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong continued straight where he left off last year at the Snooker World Championships, grabbing another Crucible victory with a 10-7 scoreline over challenger Liam Highfield.

The 29-year old Chinese superstar didn't have the easiest day at work though, as the rank 92 qualifier put Zhao through a gauntlet at the start of the match.

The turning point of the match proved to come in frame 11 where a 6-5 lead was finally secured. Following this Zhao composed himself and found some proper rhythm, completing breaks of 128 and 112 to close the game out.

Last year's World Championship gold was history by Zhao, has he became the first Asian player to achieve this feat. Now his goal is of course to break the "Crucible curse", as not a single first-time World Champion has previously succeeded in defending his title in the tournament's 49-year history.

The curse has gained even more traction over the last couple of years, with many reigning champs such as Luca Brecel, Kyren Wilson among others falling as early as the 1st round of their title defence. Zhao didn't shy away from admitting to feeling the pressure.

- I didn't play very well and the pressure was immense. This was completely different from before - the first time defending the title is very challenging.

- I was extremely proud when they introduced me as World Champion this morning. I just wanted to stay in the tournament and avoid defeat at the very beginning, Zhao told WST following the clash.

Highfield on the other hand was left to rue some lost opportunities.

- I kept him at bay for the first session, but in the evening there were a couple of frames I should've taken. I just missed in those crucial moments, he said.

In the other match of the opening night Barry Hawkins took a commanding 7-2 lead over Matthew Stevens. They'll be back at it on Sunday at 14:30 BST.

Zhao meanwhile continues his title defence to the 2nd round, where he'll be facing either Ding Junhui or David Gilbert. The latter two will start their 1st round bout on Sunday at 10am.

Below you can find all the scores, results, and schedule of the Snooker World Championship 2026 first round. Also included is a video of the most important moments from the match between Zhao and Highfield.










Don't miss: Snooker World Championship 2026 - See the schedule, tv and results

Source: WST