Zhao Xintong v Chris Wakelin live stream | World Snooker Championship Quarter-Final preview
Zhao is set to make Crucible history on Tuesday (PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo)
Zhao Xintong will make Crucible history when he steps out to play Chris Wakelin in their World Championship quarter-final on Tuesday.
It promises to be an intriguing last-eight showdown between two players who find themselves in uncharted territory in Sheffield.
Nevertheless, they have undoubtedly earned the right to make it this far. Between them, they have eliminated a former winner, last year’s finalist, a former Masters and UK champion, and the player who dethroned defending World champion Kyren Wilson.
Zhao, who will be back on the WST Tour next season, is set to become the first amateur player to appear in the Crucible quarter-finals.
The former UK champion returned to competitive snooker after a 20-month ban at the start of this term, but has certainly made up for lost time.
Having won four matches to qualify for the UK Championship in November, he followed suit for this event – hitting 12 centuries along the way.
Zhao has only added a further ton in his opening two matches, but has still been at his clinical best by notching 16 breaks over 50 on his way to a 10-4 victory over Jak Jones, and 13-10 win against compatriot Lei Peifan.
Although, he arguably faces his sternest test yet in Wakelin, who is set for yet another milestone during an impressive season.
The world number 20 is set to return to the top 16 following this tournament, in which he had not won a match prior to this year.
Wakelin, who dropped just seven frames during qualifying, ended his drought in style by claiming the scalps of 2010 champion Neil Robertson and maximum man Mark Allen, while overcoming poor head-to-head records against both players.
He was quickly out of the blocks in both of those games – racing into 7-2 and 10-2 leads respectively – and will need to do more of the same against Zhao to boost his chances of progressing to the one-table setup, while guaranteeing the biggest payday of his career.
Wakelin beat Zhao 4-1 in their only previous encounter at the Gibraltar Open three years ago. However, this best-of-25 will be a completely different proposition altogether for both players.
Either seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan or 2023 semi-finalist Si Jiahui will await the winner in the semi-finals.
The match breaks off at 10am BST on Tuesday with the opening eight frames, resuming at 7pm BST with a further eight, before playing to a conclusion at 2.30pm BST on Wednesday at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
How to watch Zhao Xintong v Chris Wakelin live stream
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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
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All matches are also available to watch live at Sky Bet. To watch, simply:
- Go to Sky Bet via this special link
- Register an account (18+)
- Get £40 in Free Bets when you place a first bet of 5p or more on snooker
- Go to the Snooker menu and select ‘Watch Live’ next to the match in progress
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