Stephen Hendry rates ‘frightening’ Zhao Xintong’s chances of breaking Crucible curse

Stephen Hendry can see Zhao Xintong breaking the infamous Crucible curse this year, saying his scoring power is on another level to the other top players.

No player has ever won their first world title at the Crucible and then defended it the following year, dating all the way back to the World Championship arriving in Sheffield in 1977.

It is not the wildest statistical anomaly, but it is interesting that every modern great of the game, from Steve Davis to Hendry to Ronnie O’Sullivan to John Higgins has fallen to the curse.

Zhao arrives at the Crucible this year as the favourite with the bookmakers to defend his title and break the curse, having won the World Grand Prix, Players Championship and Tour Championship since the start of February.

Hendry picked out Mark Selby as his favourite for the world title last month, but would not be surprised to see Zhao lift the trophy for a second time.

‘I think he can. I think a lot depends on the draw, you can get a tricky draw,’ Hendry told Metro on whether Zhao can break the curse.

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‘It doesn’t matter how cool he is. When you walk down those stairs as defending champion, it’s a massive thing. But I don’t think it’ll be as big a thing for him.

‘I don’t think Chinese players have grown up in the culture of defending champions, Crucible curses and things like that.

‘So it might not mean as much to him, but still, if he gets a really tough draw in the first round and he’s a bit nervous, he can go out.

‘If he gets through that, I think he’s due to play Ding [Junhui] in the second round, which would be a tasty match. Get through the first two, all of a sudden you’re in the quarter-final.

‘I think he can. Whether I put him out as my absolute favourite, I don’t know, but I think he can.’

The 29-year-old took a while to get going in his first season as world champion, but now with three ranking titles to his name this campaign, many see him as the next dominant force in the game.

Hendry feels the Chinese superstar can take snooker to a new level, believing that his scoring power even greater than the other great break-builders in the game.

‘I just think it’s his sheer scoring power. I think it’s on another level, to even the likes of Judd [Trump] and Selby,’ said the seven-time world champion.

‘I mean, they’re obviously heavy scorers, these top players, but he’s winning almost one in every two frames in one visit. It’s just frightening scoring and I just think it’s not going to drop.’

Hendry feels there is a lack of iron-willed competitive spirit about Zhao, compared to greats of the sport, but even this could work in the world champion’s favour.

‘I think the way he plays, the attitude he has – maybe he’s not the competitor that the likes of O’Sullivan or Higgins are, in terms of being scraped off the table if he’s not playing well – but just the form he’s on, I think he’s awesome,’ said the 57-year-old.

‘I just think he doesn’t look like he hurts from a loss as much as I did, or Higgins, or O’Sullivan. Williams doesn’t show it, but he’s always gutted to lose.

‘That’s what I mean by that sort of competitor. Because when I lost, it was be-all and end-all. It felt like the end of the world when I lost in the UK or the World, these big ones. But it doesn’t seem to be like that for Zhao Xintong.

‘I think you either have that or you don’t, that’s what I mean. He’s maybe not the sort of hardened competitor that the big legends of the game down the years have been.

‘I don’t think it really bothers him. I think it makes him more dangerous.’

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