Zhao Xintong: Dominant Win Sets Up High-Stakes Semi with Higgins after Selby Reversal
In Manchester, zhao xintong swept into the Tour Championship semi-finals with a 10-4 victory over Chris Wakelin, setting up a last-four meeting with John Higgins after Higgins fought back from 8-5 down to beat Mark Selby 10-8. The juxtaposition of Higgins’ comeback and Zhao’s clinical scoring has reshaped the semi-final picture and framed a showdown between a resurgent veteran and the reigning world champion.
Why this matters right now
The Tour Championship semi-finals now feature two contrasting narratives drawn from the opening knockout round. Higgins, having overturned a five-frame deficit, advanced to face the world champion following a match that mirrored last year’s decisive encounters. The timing and momentum from both winners will be central as they prepare for the scheduled semi-final slot at 13: 00 BST. With Neil Robertson and Judd Trump paired in the other semi-final, the tournament’s latter stages promise high-calibre matchups and a compressed test of form and endurance.
Zhao Xintong and the semi-final stage
The path Zhao Xintong took to the last four was emphatic. He compiled multiple century breaks and controlled sessions from the outset, establishing a 5-3 lead after the opening session and closing out a 10-4 victory with a sequence of high-scoring visits. Zhao produced breaks that punctuated his dominance and finished the match by taking four consecutive frames late on to seal the win. This sequence underlines why zhao xintong arrives in the semi-finals not merely as a qualifier but as a form player whose scoring capacity will be a decisive variable against Higgins.
Wakelin challenged at points, including a 71, but Zhao’s run of high breaks — including several above 100 — turned the contest into a scoreboard margin rather than a sustained tactical battle. For the semi-final, that scoring momentum gives the world champion a clear statistical advantage in table control and frame-winning rate going into a match against a player who found late resilience.
Expert perspectives: Higgins and Robertson
John Higgins, 50, reflected on the nature of his comeback, offering a succinct read on the match dynamic: “I thought he was beginning to hit the ball superbly so you are thinking maybe it could be the same as last year. That is all I was hoping. It came true again. He went into the balls and didn’t land on one and you are thinking maybe it is my turn. I was delighted the way I dug in. ” That assessment frames Higgins’ semi-final advance as a mixture of timely form and opportunism.
Neil Robertson, who won the tournament in 2021 and 2022 and reached the last four with a 10-8 victory over Barry Hawkins, spoke to the difficulty of navigating tight matches: “Things weren’t going well. At 7-5 I had to regroup, I tried to hang in there. If I am going to have any chance of doing well in the World Championship where not every session goes your way, you need to find a way to get through it. ” Robertson’s comments underscore how momentum swings, resilience and session management remain determinative even when heavy scoring is on display elsewhere — a point that will matter when Higgins meets zhao xintong.
Both quoted players highlighted contrasting routes to the semis: one through recovery and grit, the other through high scoring and control. That contrast will shape tactical preparations and the likely psychological edge heading into the semi-final session.
As the Tour Championship moves into its closing rounds, the match-up between John Higgins and Zhao Xintong crystallises broader questions about form versus fight: will Higgins’ late-match resilience withstand the onslaught of century breaks Zhao has displayed, and can zhao xintong translate session dominance into a winning formula against a player who has repeatedly found late peaks? The answer will define not only this semi-final but the narrative of the tournament as a whole.
