UK Championship 2025 snooker LIVE – Zhao Xintong kicks off title bid, Mark Allen later, Ronnie O’Sullivan tomorrow
Zhao 2-0 Long (44-25)
Oooh, out of nowhere, Zhao botches green to middle; you get the sense he’s lost a bit of concentration, unable to fathom a way he can lose this match
Zhao 2-0 Long (38-25)
Zhao lays a snooker behind the black, the escape leaves a snick to the green bag, and this looks like the frame.
Zhao 2-0 Long (37-25)
Zhao gets in again, then creams black into the green bag – his mid-to-long-range potting is almost a cheat code – but with the final red on the side rail, the frame remains in the balance.
Zhao 2-0 Long (27-25)
It’s Long in next, but he makes a mess of a blue, overcutting to middle, and when he misses a red, soon after, you fear for him, his pot success now down to 76%. Not because the table is open, it isn’t, but because you can’t get close to the world champ playing like this.
Zhao 2-0 Long (14-12)
A wild safety from Zhao opens balls and leaves a starter, but Long soon misses a black to corner. And against a player this good, you just can’t do that; another glorious starter, rammed into left corner, sees the world champ away again … but he soon runs out of position, tries a plant, doesn’t get close, and this frame is getting messy.
‘Absolutely tremendous’ – Zhao sinks stunning long red
Video credit: TNT Sports
Zhao 2-0 Long (6-4)
I’m hate to say it, but this match has got big on Long. A nondescript safety leaves a cut to middle, Zhao gets away … and then, looking to tuck in behind the yellow a few shots later, doesn’t hit the white quite hard enough to reach it. We’ve all done it!
On table two
Ding Junghui 1-1 Xu Si
Zhao 2-0 Long
Long knocks the blue in off the green and leaves a free ball; he doesn’t concede immediately, but he does shortly afterwards, and I’m afraid he’s not turned up. He has time, but not much – it’s hard to see him coming from three down to win a race to six.
Zhao 1-0 Long (70-42)
Frame gone, Zhao slams red to right corner … to see the white go into left-middle. You get the sense Long doesn’t really want to come back to the table really, but a 14-point swing means he only needs one snooker, so he has to, pink and green still there to help him.
‘Poetry in motion’ – Zhao opens UK challenge with century break
Video credit: TNT Sports
Zhao 1-0 Long (61-33)
Zhao is so definitive around the table; when he’s in the balls, it never feels like he’s going to miss, and his potting so far today has been much better than his syoot, a very strange shade of brown.
Zhao 1-0 Long (21-33)
It won’t be easy for Zhao to get everything safe and he can’t, but can Long clip to right corner? He misses by a fortnight, an oversight brought into sharper focus when, a few shots later, the world champ smokes an awesome opener into right corner. The way the balls are, that could prove costly.
Zhao 1-0 Long (2-33)
Zhao manages a red and no more then, bridging awkwardly, prods home another. Again, he doesn’t have a straightforward colour available, but plays a telling safety using the pink and green to block off much of the table; Long’s riposte isn’t especially well executed, but it works out well, leaving nothing but a problem for the world champ.
Zhao 1-0 Long (0-33)
It soon breaks down, pink running down to green and sticking to it no help at all … but this game being this game, Long soon lands the white behind them. And when Zhao misses with his escape, he opts to take on a pot to middle … only to hit the jaw. The lead is useful, but not definitive.
Zhao 1-0 Long (0-21)
Long’s break offers a thin cut to middle, but Zhao misses the object ball entirely, leaving a chance. This feels like a big visit if we’re to see a proper contest here.
Zhao 1-0 Long
A 107 and Zhao hits the front.
Zhao 0-0 Long (86-0)
Long played one shot, it wasn’t a bad one, and the frame has still been confiscated from him. There’s a ton in the offing here, and Zhao is in the mood. Pre-match, readmitted to feeling nervous, but you’d never know; “What a delightful break,” rhapsodises Fouldsy.
Zhao 0-0 Long (48-0)
Just when it looks a really good chance, Zhao lands on almost the only place on the table that prevents him getting from red to black, but the frame is disappearing fast.
Zhao 0-0 Long (32-0)
Long ran Zhao close in World Championship qualifying, losing 10-8 and getting closer than anyone did in Sheffield. But the favourite gets away immediately with a nice starter to left corner, adds the black, opens the pack, and am I wondering if it’s on? It might be you know, because the balls are open and nicely spread.
Off we go…
And out they come
It’s a Monday afternoon and look at us.
Our players are ready
So Rob Walker is on the mic; this is the first time we’ve had four Chinese players playing a session of a triple crown event.
Afternoon all
We begin today with our world champion, Zhao Xintong, who of course sprung to fame winning this title in 2021. Was it really that long ago? He doesn’t look a day older – despite all the subsequent stress – and Long will have to play brilliantly to beat him.
Today’s order of play
13:00
- Ding Junhui v Xu Si
- Zhao Xintong v Long Zehuang
19:00
- Gary Wilson v Zhang Anda
- Mark Allen v Scott Donaldson
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Stream the snooker season, including on the UK Championship, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
