Zhao Xintong was crowned China’s first world snooker champion on a defining night for the sport in Sheffield and his vanquished opponent Mark Williams believes the sky is the limit for the new Crucible king.

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.

Zhao Xintong has become China’s first winner of the World Snooker Championship, beating Mark Williams 18-12 in the Crucible final. The 28-year-old was playing in his first final and, remarkably, as an amateur after he dropped off the professional circuit due to a 20-month ban from the sport.