Zhao Xintong became the first player caught up in snooker's biggest match-fixing scandal to return to the sport following his 20-month suspension. The new world champion made quite the statement on his comeback, taking snooker’s biggest honour after coming through four rounds of qualifying just to book a spot at the Crucible.

Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to win the World Snooker Championship with a victory over Welshman and three-times winner Mark Williams at the Crucible Theatre on Monday, the latest chapter in Zhao’s remarkable rise and fall story.

The crowning of Zhao Xintong as Asia’s first world snooker champion will have come as a surprise to many unfamiliar with the sport, who will have also been unaware of its vast popularity in China.