Zhao Xintong reaches last 16 at WSC

China’s Zhao Xintong, the defending champion, became the first player to advance to the last 16 at the 2026 Snooker World Championship, defeating Liam Highfield 10–7 in the round of 32.

According to the schedule, matches in the round of 32 are played in a best-of-19-frames format, with the winner being the first to reach 10 frames. Each match is divided into two sessions. In the first session, held on April 18, Zhao Xintong was among the first to compete and took a narrow 5–4 lead over Highfield heading into the second session. Three other Chinese players also played that day, with Zhang Anda leading Mark Allen 5–3, and Xiao Guodong edging Zhou Yuelong 5–4.

In the early hours today, Zhao resumed his second session against Highfield. Highfield took the opening frame 68–48 to tie the match at 5–5. Zhao then accelerated, winning the next three frames—including breaks of 68 and 128—to extend his lead. In the sixth frame of the second session, Zhao secured a 78–37 win to take a commanding 9–5 lead.

Highfield, facing elimination, produced a superb 101-point break and added a 53-point contribution to close the gap to 9–7. However, Zhao gave his opponent no further chances, firing a 112-point break—the sixth time he passed 50 and his third century of the match—to seal a 10–7 victory and book his place in the next round.

Later today (April 19), Ding Junhui will make his appearance in the round of 32. The round of 16 matches are scheduled to begin on April 23.