Snooker stars make plea for rule changes as Zhao Xintong clinches World Championship

 Zhao Xintong won the World Championship on his Crucible debut after a 20-month suspension, but several top stars have called for a shake-up of the tournament format

Zhao Xintong won the World Championship on Monday, yet some stars have now called for a major shake-up of the competition

Snooker stars Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Barry Hawkins are demanding an overhaul of the World Championship format after Zhao Xintong's groundbreaking victory.

The Chinese prodigy made a sensational comeback from a 20-month ban to become his country's maiden world champion, outclassing Mark Williams 18-12 in the final. Zhao shone in his first major long-format event since his return, notably dispatching Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semis.

Zhao came through four rounds of qualifying just to secure a place in the first round, playing 111 frames in total, but Murphy believes that the initial stage of the tournament should be scrapped completely.

He told Sporting Life: "I don't think it's ideal as it is. I think in any setup where everyone doesn't start in the same round is totally wrong. I think it's totally weird.

"A tournament where I start in the fourth or fifth round against players who have four or five rounds behind me, I think it's weird. I think it makes a bit of a mockery of the tour to be totally honest. We need events where players all start in the same round.

Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson have spoken in light of Zhao Xintong's victory

"There is no other way to shoehorn those matches into a two-table venue like the Crucible so I don't see it changing, but I think it's a really weird system now."

Fellow pro Robertson echoed Murphy's sentiments, suggesting shorter matches and expressing dissatisfaction with the three-day span of semi-finals, reports The Express.

He said: "The best out of 25 frames is a great match to play actually, I do like that, but I think first two rounds out of 19 and best out of 25 for the rest of the event. It's straightforward, it shortens things, you are going to see a better standard of play.

As snooker fans, we love the World Championship format but will it attract future generations to watch? Could it be shortened or, as always, shall we just keep things as they are?

Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby & Barry Hawkins have some interesting views... pic.twitter.com/lo2XVbbFgr

— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) May 5, 2025

 "You see a much better standard in the other events, like the Masters, in the World Championship it does drag on a bit. I would love to see it shortened. Playing a semi-final over three days is crazy, I am not engaged in that."

Selby, who thrives in the endurance test of longer matches, surprisingly supports a shake-up to keep fans on the edge of their seats.

"In a way, I hope that they don't change," he said. "But from a viewing point I get it as well. You could easily have first round, first to 10, last 16, first to 10, and then go quarters, 13, semis, 13, and have the final first to 15. You could easily do that.

Zhao Xintong won the title for the first time on Monday

"Because some of the rounds where it's the last 16 or even the semis, you are playing over three days, I mean that is a long slog."

By the time a player battles through to the semi-finals, they've only chalked up half the frames needed to clinch the title, despite having toppled three rivals to make it to the single-table showdown.

Hawkins chipped in, suggesting earlier rounds could wrap up quicker, yet he praised the World Championship for its unique challenge that sifts the wheat from the chaff over several gruelling sessions.

He said: "It's such a long, drawn out tournament. I suppose some of the matches don't need to be as long as they are, but at the same time that is what makes it so different. There is nothing else like it.