London, May 6 -- China's Zhao Xintong became the first Asian player to win the World Snooker Championship after beating veteran Mark Williams 18-12.
"I can't believe it. It's like a dream," said Zhao, who served out a 20-month ban for breaching betting regulations last September and earned his place at the snooker worlds by winning four qualifiers as an amateur.
The 28-year-old dominated Sunday's first two sessions at 11-6 and improved his advantage to 17-8 after the third session on Monday.
With Zhao only one frame away from making history, the 50-year-old Williams launched a strong fightback by taking four frames in a row at the start of the final session. But the three-time world champion couldn't hold off Zhao further, as the Chin...