On January 5, 2022, Beijing time, the snooker Champions League ended the third group competition. Zhao Xintong won six consecutive round robins in the group round robin and advanced to the single-elimination round as the first place. In the semi-finals of the group, Zhao Xintong beat world champion Bingham 3-1. In the group final that followed, Zhao Xintong defeated teammate Xiao Guodong 3-2 to win the third group championship. Zhao Xintong, who won all eight games, became the second Chinese player to advance to the winners' group after Liang Wenbo.
Zhao Xintong's confidence was boosted by winning the British Championship, and on the first matchday of 2022, he beat Selby and Bingham respectively, laying the foundation for the group qualification. On this match day, Zhao Xintong continued to feel good, and he first beat Joe Perry 3-0. Then against Ryan Day, Zhao Xintong scored 122 points, 98 points and 100 points, and he swept Ryan Day 3-0, and the opponent scored a total of 1 point.
In the final round of the round robin, Zhao Xintong shot two 50+ to beat Lu Ning 3-1. The victory allowed Zhao Xintong to enter the single-elimination round with a record of six consecutive wins, while the loser Lu Ning ranked fifth in the group and did not qualify from the group, but was given the opportunity to continue to play in the fourth group. In the end, Zhao Xintong, Mark Selby, Xiao Guodong and Bingham were in the top four of the third group, and the four of them competed for a direct promotion place.
In the semi-finals of the group, Zhao Xintong scored 52 points, 138 points and 92 points, and he completed the reversal with the first loss of one set, beating the world champion Bingham 3-1 to advance to the final of the group. In another semi-final, Xiao Guodong 3-1 Lec mark Selby, two Chinese players will meet in the final.
The competition in the final was fierce, and Zhao Xintong scored a single shot of 90 points as soon as he came up, successfully taking a 2-0 lead. Not to be outdone, Xiao Guodong scored consecutive single shots of 95 and 96 points to drag the game into a decider. In the last moment, Zhao Xintong withstood the pressure, he locked up the victory with a single shot of 66 points, defeated Xiao Guodong 3-2, and won all eight games to advance to the winner group. Zhao Xintong became the second Chinese player to advance to the winners' group after Liang Wenbo.
It can be said that Zhao Xintong, the group stage champion, has a lot of gold, he defeated Selby, twice defeated Bingham, twice defeated Xiao Guodong, in this process, Zhao Xintong completed the 100th career breaker, it can be said that confidence has increased greatly. Next, Zhao Xintong can rest for a few days, adjust well, and then play in the Masters, which is the highlight of 2022. No matter what, Zhao Xintong has indeed transformed, and the next is worth looking forward to!