05 May 2025 3:56pm
End of session: Williams 8 Zhao 17
The final frame of the afternoon session has pretty much summed up the rest, with Zhao Xintong mopping up after mistakes by Mark Williams. He is being put under minimal pressure in his march to a first world title. Williams was magnificent in beating John Higgins and Judd Trump but has simply run out of steam, as had Ronnie O’Sullivan against Zhao in the semi-final. The 17-day Crucible marathon is supposed to get more difficult as it goes on but the opposite has in fact been the case for Zhao.