John Higgins v Zhao Xintong live stream | World Grand Prix Snooker 2026 preview
Higgins and Zhao do battle again 20 days after their Masters epic (Credit: PA Images)
John Higgins goes head to head with Zhao Xintong in a blockbuster first-round clash at the World Grand Prix on Wednesday.
The standout tie of the opening round in Kowloon City, Hong Kong pits one of the game’s all-time greats against the reigning World champion at the Kai Tak Arena.
It was just under three weeks ago that the pair contested an epic quarter-final at the Masters, with Higgins recovering from 5-3 down to prevail 6-5 on the black.
That means the Scotsman has now won each of the last five meetings between the players, including both of their encounters this season (also at the British Open), while he was also a 4-1 victor against Zhao at this event in February 2020.
Higgins went on to reach his second final of the 2025-26 campaign at Alexandra Palace, losing out to Kyren Wilson, having also been runner-up to Wu Yize at the International Championship.
The four-time Crucible king’s World Grand Prix record is fairly modest, though. His previous 10 appearances have yielded just two quarter-final appearances, and five first-round exits.
That is something Zhao will look to pounce upon as he attempts to end his losing streak in this fixture, which stretches back to the 2021 UK Championship.
Ironically, he went on to lift the trophy following that victory over Higgins in York, so he will hope that serves as a positive omen just over four years later.
A run to the International Championship represents Zhao’s best performance in a ranking event this season, though the World champion did add to his Crucible crown by triumphing at the lucrative invitational Riyadh Season Championship in November.
Another mouth-watering showdown with four-time World champion Mark Selby awaits the winner of this clash in the second round.
The match breaks off at 11am GMT (7pm local time) on Wednesday and will be contested over the best of nine frames at Kowloon City, Hong Kong.
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