Reigning world champion Zhao Xintong made a superb start to his UK Championship campaign with a dominant first-round victory over compatriot Long Zehuang.
Zhao, 28, made snooker history in May when he became the first Chinese player to win the World Championship, beating Mark Williams 18-12 in the final at the Crucible in Sheffield.
On day three at the York Barbican, Zhao impressed throughout his 6-1 triumph over 28-year-old UK debutant Long, making breaks of 107, 68, 51, 59, 52 and 72.
Long, 54th in the world rankings, had to battle through three qualifying rounds to get to York and avoided a 6-0 defeat with a fortunate pot on the pink in the sixth frame, but could not fight back against Zhao.
Twelve of the 32 players in the draw are from China, the highest number in a Triple Crown (UK Championship, World Championship and Masters) event, and Zhao could meet another Chinese player in the last 16 if Zhang Anda beats England’s Gary Wilson on Monday evening (19:00 GMT).
More to follow.
