Zhao Xintong routs Higgins 10-1 to reach Tour Championship final

Zhao Xintong delivered a stunning performance to crush John Higgins 10-1 in the semifinals of the Snooker Tour Championship in Manchester on Saturday, storming into Sunday's final against world No. 1 Judd Trump.

Facing four-time world champion Higgins, Zhao took control from the beginning, racing into a 4-0 lead with three breaks of 50 or more to seize early momentum.

The match quickly turned one-sided. Higgins, known as the "Wizard of Wishaw," managed just 33 points across the next four frames, while Zhao continued to pile on the pressure. The 29-year-old extended his lead to 8-0 with a clinical 104 break in the eighth frame.

Higgins avoided a whitewash by taking the 10th frame, but it proved only a brief reprieve. Zhao swiftly closed out the match to complete one of the most emphatic wins of his career at Manchester Central.

The defeat marked the heaviest loss of Higgins' career in a best-of-19 match. The Scot had previously suffered nine-frame defeats at the World Championship – against Stephen Hendry in 2012 and Judd Trump in the 2019 final – but never by such a margin in this format.

"I played well and I'm very happy to reach the final," Zhao said. "My cueing was very good. I didn't think too much – I just enjoyed the table and focused on the balls. I've reached four finals this season and I'm enjoying every moment."

Zhao will now face Trump in his sixth ranking final after winning all five of the previous finals.

"To play Judd in a final for the first time will be a big moment for me," he added. "It will be very tough."