While 2025 had its share of uncomfortable moments that we touched on last time, this year in snooker also delivered plenty to celebrate.
From landmark achievements and emotional breakthroughs to veteran brilliance and unforgettable drama, the year produced story lines that will be remembered long after the final balls were potted.
As we continue our annual end-of-year review, here are the major highs from 2025 that reminded us why snooker remains so compelling.
The Cyclone delivers for China
The moment snooker has been waiting two decades for finally arrived in 2025 with a first-ever Chinese world champion being crowned at the Crucible Theatre.
It wasn’t, as many would have reasonably expected for the majority of that period since 2005, the country’s favourite cue artist Ding Junhui.
However, Zhao Xintong will have become just as big of a household name with his incredible run to victory at the World Championship this year.
Zhao’s story arc is a complicated one and not without its controversy following his involvement in the Chinese match-fixing ring that sent shockwaves through the sport a few years ago.
Making his comeback from that ban as an amateur, the 28 year-old dominated Q Tour to earn a spot as one of the top-up names in the 2025 World Championship qualifying draw.
Zhao duly emerged from all four rounds of the preliminary competition before coasting to the semi-finals, where he wiped the floor of seven-time Crucible king Ronnie O’Sullivan.
An 18-12 triumph over Mark Williams followed in the final to spark jubilant scenes and the Chinese flag being draped over his shoulders, all the while fuelling a new era for snooker in general.
- CLICK HERE: 2025 snooker review: this year’s lows
Fifty, not out
Speaking of Williams, the Welshman may have missed out on a fourth world crown, but this year he again proved that he can mix it with the best in the world.
In fact, all three players from the fabled Class of 1992 had moments of magic in the calendar year during which they each turned 50.
Reaching the world final as a quinquagenarian could be regarded as good enough, but Williams was back in another ranking event final just a few months later.
In beating Shaun Murphy 10-3 at the Xi’an Grand Prix final, Williams duly became the oldest ranking event winner in the history of the game.
Earlier in the year, John Higgins returned to the champion’s circle at a ranking event for the first time in four years with his glory at the World Open.
The Scot followed it up just a short time after with an even better success, beating Mark Selby in a close final in Manchester to claim the prestigious Tour Championship title.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, meanwhile, wasn’t quite able to add to his record tally of 41 ranking titles – his best display coming at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters where he was pipped in the final in a deciding-frame thriller by Neil Robertson.
In the semi-finals of that tournament, however, the Rocket produced possibly one of the performances of his entire career in making two maximum breaks in the same session against Chris Wakelin.
Jackson Page shouldn’t be forgotten for becoming the first player to do the double in the same match in the World Championship qualifiers, but O’Sullivan’s contributions – with stakes high at the latter stages of a lucrative event – were mermerising.
All three Class of ’92 members continue to rank inside the world’s top eight and motivation, rather than Father Time, appears to be the biggest obstacle standing in their way of sustaining their stay among the highest echelons.
Hitting the Jackpot
There were 14 different ranking event winners in 2025, and among them three were maiden champions – each getting crowned in the last quarter of the year.
Most recently was Alfie Burden, who just shy of his 49th birthday became the oldest first-time ranking champion with his win at the unpredictable Snooker Shoot Out.
A month earlier, a talented rising star at the opposite end of his career prevailed at the International Championship with Wu Yize defeating Higgins to land the £175,000 top prize.
Both of those victories were memorable and poignant in their own way, but few triumphs will match the emotion sparked from Jack Lisowski’s overdue moment in the sun at the Northern Ireland Open.
For the best part of 15 years, there has been expectation following Lisowski and the apparent waste of his undeniable wealth of natural talent.
Six finals and six defeats had come and gone, and if anything he appeared to be struggling even more for form over the course of the last couple of seasons.
But inspired by a partnership with renowned coach Chris Henry, everything finally fell into place in Belfast.
Lisowski recorded victories over the likes of Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson en route to the final, where he fittingly overcame friend and rival Judd Trump – three times the bane of his suffering in previous finals – in a nerve-wracking 9-8 climax.
The emotional scenes in the immediate aftermath reflected the joy, and indeed relief, that one of the game’s most popular figures had finally fulfilled some of his potential.
A masterclass from the Magician
It was all the way back in January, but Shaun Murphy’s stomp to success at the Masters in London was one of the best of the Magician’s career.
There were other great displays at the biggest events throughout the year, including Robertson’s in Saudi and Selby’s at the UK Championship.
Murphy, though, was a dominant force at the Alexandra Palace where he picked up a fourth career Triple Crown title a full ten years after his last from the series.
Having recently teamed up with fellow former world champion Peter Ebdon, the Englishman again possessed the self-belief required to win one of the majors.
Initial triumphs over Gary Wilson and Robertson helped Murphy through to the semi-finals, where he produced a magical 147 break during a 6-3 besting of Mark Allen.
Reigning world champion Kyren Wilson – arguably the best player in the world at the time generally – was standing in Murphy’s way of lifting the Paul Hunter Trophy for the second time.
But the 43 year-old’s confidence was sky high and a four-ton performance helped him on his way to a deserving 10-7 triumph.
- CLICK HERE: 2025 snooker review: this year’s lows
Decided on the final count
Not counting the single-frame Snooker Shoot Out, there was just one ranking event final in each of the 2023 and 2024 calendar years that required a deciding frame.
The situation was markedly different in 2025, with six amazingly going the distance before a champion was ultimately crowned.
Some have already been referenced, including Robertson’s downing of O’Sullivan in Jeddah that sparked three in a row on the calendar.
Soon after, Xiao Guodong defended his Wuhan Open title with a tense 10-9 defeat of Gary Wilson while Mark Allen subsequently held off Zhou Yuelong by the odd frame to win the English Open.
Lisowski’s 9-8 victory over Trump in Northern Ireland was probably the pick of the bunch, the latter having also lost 10-9 to Kyren Wilson at the Players Championship in March.
A month before that, Wilson got the ball rolling with another 10-9 win – this time over Barry Hawkins to claim the German Masters silverware for the second time in his career.
The 2025 snooker review will continue this weekend with the SnookerHQ.com Player of the Year.
Featured photo credit: WST
