Ronnie O'Sullivan sent warning as Ken Doherty spots flaw in 'naive' Zhao Xintong's game

 Snooker icon Ken Doherty has issued a warning to Ronnie O'Sullivan and others after Zhao Xintong was crowned world champion at the Crucible on Monday.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has been issued a stark warning about Zhao Xintong

Zhao Xintong's stunning 2025 World Snooker Championship triumph at the Crucible has well and truly cemented his status as snooker's latest superstar. The 28-year-old's aggressive, free-flowing style has drawn comparisons to Ronnie O'Sullivan, and former world champion Ken Doherty has warned The Rocket that defeats like the one he suffered against Zhao in the semi-final could become a regular occurrence given Zhao's trajectory.

That said, the Irishman pintpointed a critical flaw in the Chinese sensation's game that could hinder his dominance. Speaking exclusively to Gambling.com, Doherty praised the new world champion's potential, insisting: "He's the real deal. He could do anything he wants, as Stephen Hendry said, he can dominate the game." However, Doherty cautioned that Zhao's "naive" approach, particularly his tendency to play risky shots, could come back to bite him.

"He was sort of pushing the boat out and playing a lot of strange shots [during the World Snooker Championship]," Doherty said. "He was desperate to get over the line, but he wanted to keep to his own philosophy of trying to go for the pots, no matter how difficult they were."

While Zhao's all-out attacking style powered him past O'Sullivan and secured the world title, Doherty believes this approach may falter in shorter-format matches where high risks become more costly. "It worked well for him, but in the shorter matches, he might struggle to find consistency," he said.

Doherty urged Zhao to develop more "ring-craft," drawing parallels with Judd Trump, who has refined his game while retaining his scoring prowess. "Just adding new little dimensions or facets to his game," Doherty explained, could see Zhao "win a lot of tournaments and possibly another couple of world titles."

Doherty thinks Zhao could dominate snooker, but needs to cut the naivety out of his game

For O'Sullivan, Zhao's emergence poses a fresh challenge to his long-standing supremacy. But Doherty is confident the Englishman will continue to fight for - and win - big titles, despite being well-beaten by Zhao in Sheffield.

"Ronnie has a lot more to give in the game, there's no doubt about that," he said. "He's an amazing, talented player who's been dominant for 30 years basically, at the top of the game. He's won everything. He's created and broke his own records. But he has a new star [Zhao] to deal with now. There's no doubt about that."

Doherty also acknowledged the resilience of snooker's old guard, including John Higgins and beaten finalist Mark Williams, who, alongside O'Sullivan, "will still have something to say over the next two to three years." However, Zhao's fearless style and O'Sullivan-inspired flair suggest, according to Crafty Ken, that he's ready to "carry the baton", and do so "very, very well."

Ken Doherty won the world title in 1997

As Zhao basks in his Crucible glory, Doherty's observation serves as a reminder that raw talent alone may not sustain his ascent. If he can temper his naivety with tactical nous, Zhao could not only challenge O'Sullivan's legacy but redefine snooker's future.

For now, The Rocket still has plenty of firepower left, but the torch is beginning to pass.