China's Zhao Xintong became the second Asian player to reach the final at the World Snooker Championship, as the 28-year-old smashed England's seven-time event winner Ronnie O'Sullivan 17-7 on Friday.

The pair were knotted 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 triumphing in the last four, Zhao is now just one victory away from becoming the first Asian player to win the World Championship, with his Chinese compatriot Ding Junhui having previously come up short against Mark Selby in the 2016 final.

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

In the other semifinal contest, Mark Williams of Wales fought back from a 7-3 deficit to pull even with World No. 1 Judd Trump of England at 8-8. Their match was set to resume on Saturday.