Zhao sweeps O'Sullivan to reach Snooker Worlds final

LONDON - China's Zhao Xintong became the second Asian player to reach the final of the World Snooker Championship as the 28-year-old smashed seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 17-7 on Friday.

The pair tied at 4-4 after Thursday's first session, but Zhao seized every opportunity to dominate the second session 8-0, capitalizing on the fact that 49-year-old O'Sullivan was clearly not in his best form.

After winning the semifinal, Zhao is now only one match away from becoming the first Asian player to claim the world champion title, with Chinese snooker pioneer Ding Junhui having previously lost to Mark Selby in the 2016 final.

"In the past, when I played Ronnie, I'd get nervous because I really wanted to win, but I didn't put too much pressure on myself this time," Zhao was quoted by the World Snooker Tour website. "Today I felt a lot more relaxed and enjoyed it, and I ended up playing pretty well. He gave me a few chances, and I took them."

Zhao returned to competition after serving a 20-month ban for breaching betting regulations last September and earned his spot at the World Championship by winning four qualifiers as an amateur.

In the other semifinal, Mark Williams fought back from a 7-3 deficit to tie with world No. 1 Judd Trump 8-8. They will resume their match on Saturday morning.