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.

In one of the most remarkable career turnarounds in sports, Zhao Xintong left behind the ghosts of match-fixing ban and became the world snooker champion after beating Mark Williams 18-12 in the final on Monday.