World Snooker Tour match-fixing investigation: China's Zhao Xintong suspended

2 years ago 67
Zhao XintongZhao Xintong claimed his archetypal ranking rubric by winning the UK Championship successful December 2021

The 2021 UK Championship victor Zhao Xintong and his compatriot Zhang Jianka are the latest Chinese players to beryllium suspended from the World Snooker Tour.

The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) person sanctioned the players arsenic portion of a match-fixing investigation.

Zhao, 25, was owed to play four-time satellite champion Mark Selby successful the archetypal circular of the Masters connected Sunday.

A full of 10 players from China person present been suspended.

Both Zhao and Zhang person the close to entreaty against the decision.

In a statement, the WPBSA, the sport's satellite governing body, said the wider probe "was astatine an precocious stage" and erstwhile completed, immoderate imaginable charges "will beryllium considered".

Zhao claimed his first ranking title by securing the 2021 UK Championship with a 10-5 triumph implicit Luca Brecel successful York.

He was competing successful his archetypal last and became lone the 4th non-British victor of the event.

In October, Liang Wenbo was banned pending the results of a misconduct investigation.

Five much players, Lu Ning, Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning and Chang Bingyu were suspended successful early December.

Yan Bingtao, who won the 2021 Masters, was the seventh Chinese subordinate to beryllium sanctioned, with Chen Zifan becoming the eighth.

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