Zhao Xintong revealed that he made a “secret” purchase with the £500,000 prize money he won at the World Snooker Championship. He returned to the professional tour for the first time as world champion at the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday, where he was given a rousing reception from a sold-out crowd at the Luwan Gymnasium.
The Chinese potter became a household name overnight at the Crucible a few months ago, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan en route to a final demolition job over Mark Williams. He banked half a million in Sheffield and then retreated back to China for the summer.
He received a hero’s welcome upon landing back in his homeland and has enjoyed the fruits of his labour this summer, before getting back to work and beating Chris Wakelin in the first round of his opening ranking event of 2025/26.
The World Snooker Tour (WST) asked Zhao a series of quickfire questions before the match, one of which was about what he had spent his money on after his success at the Crucible.
But he remained coy, with a big smile on his face, and replied: “I have bought something. But what I bought is a secret.”
The 28-year-old may have already given away his plans, though, directly after the World Championship.
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Having been caught up in the whirlwind that was a media storm following his run to the title, Zhao said he was not sure what he would spend the money on, but: “I do like watches, different brands, too.”
The Xi’an-born star has raked in over £1.3million throughout his career, but has a strict manager in Victoria Shi, who won’t pull any punches when it comes to keeping Zhao’s feet firmly planted.
“Let him enjoy [the prize money],” she said. “But if he enjoys it too much, I will tell him off. He is the first Asian world champion and that is huge. But it is my job to make sure he stays grounded.”
That approach has played out in real-time, with Zhao keeping a relatively low profile despite his newfound fame.
The WST also asked Zhao who the most famous person was to congratulate him on the victory, to which he replied China’s double Olympic champion table tennis star Wang Chuqin.
He admitted that he does not have many famous friends, keeping to his core group of pals and Chinese snooker rivals.
A first season back on the professional tour, having been banned for 20 months following a match-fixing investigation, awaits. And many will be keeping a close eye to find out if Zhao’s £500k winnings end up perched on his wrist.