Former champion Zhao Xintong is one of 16 amateurs who have been invited by the WPBSA to compete in the 2024 UK Championship qualifiers.
The young Chinese competitor memorably made a name for himself at the tournament three years ago when he romped to glory at the Barbican Centre in York.
Zhao beat Luca Brecel in the 2021 final and was widely regarded as the brightest young player in the game at the time.
Not long after, he beat friend and countryman Yan Bingtao 9-0 to capture a second ranking title with success at the 2022 German Masters.
But Zhao’s promising career on the main tour quickly unravelled when he was caught up in the subsequent match-fixing scandal that rocked the sport.
Ten players from China were found guilty of being involved, including Liang Wenbo and Li Hang who were handed lifetime bans.
Zhao was given the lightest sentence after being found not guilty of fixing matches, although he was aware of other matches that were being fixed and he also broke the rules by betting on snooker games.
Free to return to competitive action in September, it didn’t take long for him to get back to winning ways as he emerged with the trophy at Q Tour Event 3 in Sweden.
That victory has safeguarded his spot in the 2024 UK Championship qualifiers, where he’ll compete alongside professionals for the first time in almost two years.
Andres Petrov and Dylan Emery, winners of Q Tour Events 1 and 2 respectively, have been invited by the WPBSA as well.
Among the others who have been offered potentially lucrative spots in the UK Championship qualifiers is world seniors champion Igor Figueiredo.
The popular Brazilian qualifies through his victory on the Americas Q Tour, while Moldovan teenager Vladislav Gradinari earns a ticket through his performances at the EBSA underage events.
WPBSA Qualifiers
This season’s field will include up to 16 players who have earned their places through
new pathway opportunities for elite performers through activities staged and
coordinated by the WPBSA Group.
The 16 initially invited players are listed below:
WPBSA Q Tour UK/Europe
Winners from the world’s premier secondary tour to the World Snooker Tour so far
this season:
– Andres Petrov – WPBSA Q Tour Europe – Event 1 winner
– Dylan Emery – WPBSA Q Tour Europe – Event 2 winner
– Zhao Xintong – WPBSA Q Tour Europe – Event 3 winner
– TBC – WPBSA Q Tour Europe – Event 4 winner
– TBC – WPBSA Q Tour Europe – Highest Ranked Player (not including the
above)
WSF Championships 2024
Eligible players from the world’s largest international amateur tournaments:
– Gao Yang* – 2024 WSF Championship finalist
– Iulian Boiko – 2024 WSF Championship semi-finalist
– Daniel Womersley – 2024 WSF Championship semi-finalist
– Hamza Ilyas – 2024 WSF Junior Championship semi-finalist
– Oliver Sykes – 2024 WSF Junior Championship semi-finalist
WPBSA Q Tour Global
– Vinnie Calabrese* – WPBSA Q Tour Asia-Pacific – Event winner
– Matthew Scarborough* – WPBSA Q Tour Asia-Pacific – Event winner
– Igor Figueiredo – WPBSA Q Tour Americas – Event winner
– Habib Sabah Hamood – WPBSA Q Tour Middle East – Event winner
– Ali Gharahgozlou* – WPBSA Q Tour Middle East – Event winner
– Vladislav Gradinari – EBSA Under-16 Champion / Under-18 Finalist
*These players have declined their invitation
Any players who do not accept their place will be replaced by reserve players from
the WPBSA Q Tour Europe Ranking List after Event 4.
The format for the 2024 UK Championship will follow a similar guise to the one that has been commonly adopted in recent seasons.
The top 16 players from the official world rankings list following this week’s International Championship will automatically qualify for the venue stages in York and the last 32.
A further 16 positions are up for grabs through the UK Championship qualifiers, which will be held at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.
Players will enter the preliminary phase in staggered rounds based on their seeding, with the WPBSA invitees beginning their quest for glory in round one.
The UK Championship qualifiers run from November 16th to 21st with the main event not long after, scheduled from November 23rd to December 1st.
Featured photo credit: WST
