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.

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.

Zhao bounced back from a 20-month ban over a match-fixing scandal to become China's first snooker world champion.