Zhao Xintong smashed O'Sullivan's dream of winning the world championship for the eighth time, and the British media called it a little sad

Ronnie O'Sullivan was defeated 17-7 by Chinese player Zhao Xintong in the semifinals of the 2025 World Snooker Championship that ended on the evening of the 2nd local time in the United Kingdom, and his dream of winning the world championship for the eighth time was shattered.

Zhao Xintong, who reached the final of the 2025 World Championships, is expected to make history of snooker as an amateur player

On Friday morning local time, the match looked very smooth and restarted with a score of 4-4, but in the second stage, Zhao Xintong played a mesmerizing snooker performance that O'Sullivan couldn't stand, which meant that the seven-time champion will be eliminated in the remaining stage of the competition. 2021 British Championship champion Zhao Xintong was unstoppable in the morning match, and with O'Sullivan sitting in a chair for most of the time, he broke the match with a stunning eight consecutive wins. In the second stage of the competition, Zhao Xintong scored 57, 112, 82, 57, 67, 115 and 87 points in a single stroke, plus 62, 128, 85, 63 and 88 points in a single stroke in the third stage, making him reach the final of the World Championships for the first time in his career.

The British media said after the game that O'Sullivan had an early warning sign when he missed a black ball at the beginning of the second period, and although the "Rocket" showed courage when he returned on the night of the third period, there was still a sense of sadness to see such a snooker legend struggling in such a chaotic environment. O'Sullivan told the BBC after missing the final of this World Championships: "Zhao Xintong played very well, and his victory was what he deserved." He was brilliant throughout the game. It's all thanks to Zhao Xintong (the feel). ”

O'Sullivan was remorseful after making a mistake on the ball

The 49-year-old O'Sullivan bluntly said that he was acting badly. The "Rocket" briefly raised his hopes of a comeback after winning the first two games of the third period of the night, but Zhao Xintong quickly got back on track and continued to fire in the blink of an eye to win the match. Zhao Xintong said after the game: "I can't believe it. I need to say thank you to Ronnie because he has helped me a lot before. I just want to enjoy the Crucible Theater here. This is my first time playing a single table here. It was a wonderful time for me. I just want to enjoy it because I don't know how many times I'll be here. ”

The British media is optimistic that the "Golden Left Hand" will get another ticket to the World Championships final.

The second semi-final of this World Snooker Championship is playing out a very different drama, with Mark Williams drawing with Judd Trump after the second stage of the match, and it seems likely that the "Golden Left Hand" will get another ticket to the final.Phase IIMark WilliamsIn return to Trump a 5-3, the two sides are currently tied at 8.