Zhao Xintong beats Hill to reach quarters

On November 3, the 2026 World Snooker Tour International Championship continued. In a just-concluded Round of 16 match, Chinese player Zhao Xintong defeated Ireland's Aaron Hill 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals! Next, Zhao will face Chang Bingyu for a spot in the semi-finals.

In this tournament, Zhao reached the last 32 after beating Ian Burns 6-1 and David Lilley 6-4. In last night's (Nov 2) Round of 32, Zhao edged past Sam Craigie in a tense deciding frame to survive. Meanwhile, Aaron Hill whitewashed Anton Kazakov 6-0 and then cruised past Daniel Wells 6-2 to set up the clash with Zhao.

The match started at 14:00 on Nov 3. Zhao found his rhythm early, taking a 2-0 lead, highlighted by a stunning 131 break in the second frame. In the third frame, Hill potted first but missed a blue, allowing Zhao to take over and compile an 82 break to extend his lead to 3-0. Hill pulled one back in the fourth with a 103 break, sending Zhao into the mid-session interval with a 3-1 advantage.

The second half began with a lengthy tactical battle in the fifth frame, which Hill won to close the gap to 2-3. The players then traded frames, with Zhao holding a 4-3 lead. In the eighth frame, after Zhao gained 6 points from a foul, play was suspended due to a venue scoring system failure caused by a signal interruption, sending both players back to the locker room. Upon resumption, Zhao took the frame to reach match point. The ninth frame was another scrappy affair with mistakes from both sides, but Zhao seized his chance to seal the victory.

Ultimately, Zhao Xintong eliminated Aaron Hill 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. Zhao compiled one century (131) and four 50+ breaks (82, 71, 78, 51), while Hill managed two centuries (103, 140) and one 50 (52).

In the quarter-finals, Zhao will face a Chinese derby against Chang Bingyu, who defeated Yuan Sijun 6-2 in another all-Chinese clash. Chang won five straight frames after trailing 1-2 to set up the last-eight meeting. Chang fired three centuries (104, 112, 104) and two 50+ breaks (66, 74), while Yuan had breaks of 50 and 62.

Elsewhere, Si Jiahui suffered a 3-6 comeback defeat to Hossein Vafaei. Si led 3-1 at the interval, but Vafaei won five consecutive frames to close out the match. Vafaei produced breaks of 107, 102, and 50, while Si posted four 50+ breaks (80, 71, 51, 56).