I still remember watching the news break in January 2023. Ten Chinese snooker players banned in one swoop. My group chat with fellow snooker fans exploded with messages. "This is insane," I texted at 2am. "Biggest scandal I've ever seen in the sport."

Now here we are, barely 28 months later, and Zhao Xintong – one of those banned players – is facing Mark Williams in the World Championship final. Life comes at you fast.

A Friendship That Nearly Destroyed Everything

Let's be clear about something. Zhao didn't fix matches himself. His fatal mistake? Being too loyal to his friend Yan Bingtao.

The two had been practically inseparable since their teenage years in Beijing. They lived together in Sheffield, trained at teh same academy, shared an agent... Zhao considered Yan a brother. And that's where things went sideways.

Back in March 2022, Yan was fixing matches at the Welsh and Turkish Opens. Zhao actually tried to talk him out of it. Twice. But when that failed, he made the catastrophic error of placing bets for Yan through another player, Li Hang.

That decision cost him 20 months of his career.

Wait... How's He Playing Again So Soon?

Good question. The original ban would've kept him out until July 2025. That's next summer!

But here's where Zhao did something smart. Unlike some of the other players caught in this mess, he immediately owned up to everything. Appeared in person at the disciplinary hearing in London. Showed what the commission called "genuine remorse."

Because of that early guilty plea, his 2.5-year suspension got knocked down to 20 months.

God. The difference between a 30-month ban and 20 months might not sound huge, but it literally made teh difference between watching this year's World Championship on TV and playing in the final.

The Punishment Still Stung

Don't think he got off easy. A £7,500 fine might not sound massive for a former UK Champion, but consider this – he couldn't earn anything during those 20 months. No tournaments, no exhibitions, nothing.

And Chinese authorities were even harsher than the WPBSA. They slapped an additional 10-month ban on him for domestic events. He still can't play in China until July 1st this year.

I spoke with a Chinese snooker journalist (who asked to remain anonymous) who told me: "The federation here wanted to make an example. They felt embarrassed by the whole scandal."

The Comeback Nobody Saw Coming

When Zhao returned in September, expectations were... modest? Most players struggle after even short breaks from competition. This guy had been away for nearly two years.

What happened next was ridiculous.

He won four Q Tour events. In a row. Then qualified for the Crucible through four tough matches.

Since returning, his match record is 46-2. That's not a typo. Forty-six wins, two losses.

One veteran coach I bumped into at the qualifiers shook his head and said, "He's playing like a man who's been given a second chance and knows it."

The Ronnie Factor

There's something poetic about Zhao beating Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals. As a kid, Zhao idolized Ronnie. There are photos of young Zhao meeting O'Sullivan, looking starstruck.

Now he's knocked his hero out of the World Championship.

When I asked him about this after the match, he smiled and said simply: "I will never do it again."

He wasn't talking about beating Ronnie. He was talking about his past mistakes.

Can He Actually Win This Thing?

Williams stands in his way. The 50-year-old Welshman seeking his 4th world title.

But Zhao has momentum. And hunger. And something to prove.

WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson put it perfectly: "That is a man prepared to the finest standard, he's prepared his mind and prepared to face the public again."

I've watched every frame Zhao has played at this year's Crucible. His focus is scary. Like someone who spent 20 months imagining this moment.

And now it's here.

If he wins, he'll be the first Chinese World Champion in history. After everything that's happened, wouldn't that be something?