Neil Robertson v Zhao Xintong live stream | Wuhan Open 2026 preview
Zhao and Robertson go head to head in Wuhan (Credit: Ding Ting/Xinhua/Alamy Live News)
Zhao Xintong looks to maintain his perfect record against Neil Robertson when they collide in a mouth-watering Wuhan Open quarter-final.
One of standout ties of the round at Optics Valley Gymnasium on Thursday is a blockbuster battle between the players ranked second and third in the world.
It is one with added incentive, too, as the winner will remain in contention to potentially displace Judd Trump at the top of the WST rankings by lifting the trophy on Sunday.
Although a tough clash to call on paper, the head-to-head record has been surprisingly one-sided in favour of Zhao, who has won all three previous meetings between the players (excluding the Championship League).
That includes a resounding 6-0 whitewash at the same stage of last month’s Shanghai Masters, where the Cyclone outscored his opponent by 553 points to 64.
As a result, Zhao has won 15 of the 17 frames they have played since their first encounter at the 2019 English Open, which he won 4-0.
The 2025 World champion has bounced back from a first-round exit at the China Open, dropping just four frames in his three matches so far this week.
After whitewashing compatriot Gao Yang in the opening round, Zhao posted a pair of 5-2 victories over Jak Jones and fellow left-hander Barry Hawkins.
Meanwhile, Robertson has enjoyed an upturn in fortune in Wuhan, where he had never previously won a match prior to this week.
The Thunder, who suffered first-round exits in 2023 and 2024 before withdrawing the following year, overcame Ben Mertens 5-1 and Hossein Vafaei 5-3 in his opening two games.
He then ended the hopes of Liam Davies – the conqueror of Ding Junhui and 2025 runner-up Gary Wilson – with a 5-3 triumph in the round of 16.
Robertson is now gearing up for his sixth quarter-final appearance in as many tournaments, knowing he is just three more wins away from returning to the summit of the WST rankings for the first time since 2015.
Reigning champion Xiao Guodong or three-time Crucible king Mark Williams awaits the winner in the semi-finals.
The match breaks off at 12.30pm BST (7.30pm local time) on Thursday and will be contested over the best of nine frames at Optics Valley Gymnasium.
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