Summary

  • China's Zhao Xintong beats Luca Brecel 10-5 to win UK Championship

  • First ranking title at age of 24

  • Only the fourth non-British winner of the Triple Crown event

  • Moves up to ninth in world rankings and secures place at Masters

  • Zhao led 5-3 after opening session at York Barbican

Live Reporting

Steve Sutcliffe

  1. Frame 14: Brecel 5-8 Zhao

    Who would want to try and play safe from here?

    Brecel V ZhaoBBC Two

  2. Frame 14: Brecel 5-8 Zhao

    Tense, twitchy stuff now. Zhao Xintong smacks in a long red and then tries to lay a snooker behind the blue.

    Big shot coming up for Luca Brecel, he's got a glimpse of a red though and clips it to put the white up partially behind the yellow. This is a fascinating exchange.

  3. Frame 14: Brecel 5-8 Zhao

    That's ridiculous. Both players are making errors now.

    Luca Brecel is back at the table with a pretty decent chance to at least get his nose in front in the frame.

    He makes 19 before missing a cannon off the brown, into the three reds below the pink. Thankfully for the Belgian the white also evades the corner pocket.

  4. Frame 14: Brecel 5-8 Zhao

    Almost every journalist watching this match has pretty much started and probably nearly finished writing a piece about how this was a superb win for Zhao Xintong.

    But is there a way back for Luca Brecel? Not with shots like that!

    He's miles off there and Zhao has a simple red to the right middle. The only surprise is that he gets to 20 and breaks down. Are nerves creeping in at the business end of the match?

  5. 'Luca is ready to pounce now'

    Frame 13: Brecel 5-8 Zhao

    Steve Davis
    Six-time world champion on BBC Two

    Zhao has not completely bolted the door on his opponent. There's still some hope for Luca. He was asked the question whether he could clear up from a long way behind and he did the job.

    Luca is ready for action now. He was slumped in his chair a bit earlier but he's ready to pounce now

  6. Brecel takes a frame back

    Frame 13: Brecel 5-8 Zhao

    One frame back. Luca Brecel knocks in a lovely 81. Several more needed.

  7. Frame 13: Brecel 4-8 Zhao

    Stephen Hendry
    Seven-time world champion on BBC Two

    The run of the balls has definitely not favoured Luca in this final. That brown was beautifully played, it is the sort of shot he'll be hoping can create some momentum.

  8. Frame 13: Brecel 4-8 Zhao

    All was going swimmingly for Luca Brecel until he gets a nasty cannon on the green. A tricky brown to the top right bin incoming. Just a couple of balls needed to take the frame. In it goes.

  9. Frame 13: Brecel 4-8 Zhao

    Massive reprieve that for Luca Brecel, who adds another 16 before just about wafting a red into the right middle.

    Big chance to win the frame now.

  10. Frame 13: Brecel 4-8 Zhao

    Luca Brecel really isn't going to get many better chances than that.

    He fluffs his lines on 16, seeing a red to the right corner catch the jaw of the pocket and stay up.

    Zhao Xintong gets to the table and knocks in 13 before slipping up into the same pocket. Easy starter for Brecel.

  11. Frame 13: Brecel 4-8 Zhao

    The first big chance of the 13th frame falls to Luca Brecel. He really needs to run up a big number here to try to apply some pressure.

  12. Some loud cheers can mean only one thing. The players are back.

    Let's do this. Again.

  13. Where has he been?

    John Parrott
    1991 world champion on BBC Two

    I had a look at Zhao's biog the other day and he's won around £6,000 this season. Where has he been?

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    Watching that clip and that run of the ball, it appears a long shot.

  15. Get Involved

    #bbcsnooker

    Colin: Zhao should go put on the lottery after this match dear me!! Never seen so many flukes at crucial time.

    Kerrin: How unlucky has Brecel been with the right middle pocket alone this session?

  16. If I were Luca Brecel. I'd go and flick on a video of Steve Davis v Ronnie O'Sullivan in the 1997 Masters final during the mid-session interval.

    Davis was 8-4 down against a rampant O'Sullivan but came back win six successive frames and clinch the title.

    Fairy-tale stuff.

  17. 'Zhao in command again'

    Frame 12: Brecel 4-8 Zhao

    Steve Davis
    Six-time world champion on BBC Two

    Zhao looked in command again. Luca needs some encouragement but doesn't look like he'll get much from Zhao.

  18. 'Unbelievably bad run of the balls'

    Frame 12: Brecel 4-8 Zhao

    John Parrott
    1991 world champion on BBC Two

    I know he's not played as well as he can do but Luca is having an unbelievably bad run of the balls.

  19. Zhao goes four frames clear

    Frame 12: Brecel 4-8 Zhao

    Luca Brecel is having one. He cuts a great red into the bottom left corner and sees the white travel up the table and clip the green into the top right corner. Unbelievable.

    Did he smash a mirror or cross the path of a black cat on the way to the Barbican? Or both? Another frame disappears.

  20. Frame 12: Brecel 4-7 Zhao

    With three reds tied up Luca Brecel tries to clip one and get the pink back into play but that's gone astray.

    Zhao Xintong has a long red into the corner, which he slots home. The Belgian needs a couple of snookers and the way the table is set up is not going to help at all.