John Higgins v Zhao Xintong live stream | Masters Snooker 2026 preview
Higgins and Zhao go head to head at Alexandra Palace (Credit: Action Plus Sports Images)
John Higgins goes head to head with Zhao Xintong on Thursday in a mouth-watering opening quarter-final at the Masters.
The last-eight action at Alexandra Palace commences with one of snooker’s all-time greats taking on the reigning World champion.
They are at opposite ends of the scale, though, when it comes to Masters experience. Higgins is making his record-extending 32nd consecutive appearance, 30 more than his opponent.
The pair met on Zhao’s debut in snooker’s most prestigious invitational event four years ago, with the Scotsman prevailing a commanding 6-2 winner.
In fact, Higgins has won each of the last four meetings between the players, including their most recent clash at this season’s British Open.
The Wizard is appearing in his 16th Masters quarter-final after ending a run of three straight first-round exits with a 6-2 victory over Barry Hawkins.
Higgins, who made breaks of 99, 71, 61, 58, 53 and 50 along the way, now bids to reach his 10th semi-final at the event.
Zhao, meanwhile, is fresh from claiming his first ever match win at the Masters, after defeating an out-of-sorts Gary Wilson 6-2.
The Cyclone was similarly in decent scoring form, with contributions of 72, 67, 54, 51 and 50 on route to a comfortable victory.
Zhao is now three more wins away from completing the career Triple Crown. He would be the 12th player to achieve the feat, and first since Judd Trump in 2019.
And a good omen for the reigning Crucible king is that, following his most recent win over Higgins at the 2021 UK Championship, he went on to lift the trophy.
A showdown with either Judd Trump or Mark Allen awaits the winner in the Masters semi-finals.
The match breaks off at 1pm GMT on Thursday and will be contested over the best of 11 frames at Alexandra Palace.
How to watch John Higgins v Zhao Xintong live stream
18+ | Funded account required | Geo restrictions may apply | Please Gamble Responsibly
1) Go to Bet365 via this special link
2) Register an account, place a £10 first bet and get £30 in Free Bets* (18+ only, T&Cs apply)
3) Once registered, go to the sports homepage and select ‘Snooker’ from the left-hand menu
4) Select the play icon next to the match in progress and the stream window will appear
*18+ only. New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5-£10* (*or currency equivalent) to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. Registration required. GambleAware.org