Zhao Xintong, looking to become the first amateur and only third qualifier to win World Snooker Championship at The Crucible, will take 11-6 lead into the second day of final against Mark Williams; Zhao needs seven more frames to become first Chinese world champion

Zhao Xintong leads Mark Williams 11-6 after the first day of the World Snooker Championship final at The Crucible

Crucible qualifier Zhao Xintong will take a commanding 11-6 lead over Mark Williams into day two of the World Snooker Championship final but the latter’s spirited comeback in Sunday’s second session has kept the match alive.

Zhao, looking to become the first Chinese player to win the World Championship, picked up where he left off while thrashing Ronnie O’Sullivan 17-7 in the semi-finals as he opened up a 7-1 lead over Welsh veteran Williams in the afternoon.

However, Williams – who defeated world No 1 Judd Trump in the last four and is now aiming to become the oldest snooker world champion at the age of 50 – edged the evening’s play 5-4, winning the final frame of the night on the last red.

Still, Zhao needs only seven more frames to scoop the £500,000 top prize, a result that would move him up to 11th in the rankings when he returns to the professional circuit next season after losing his spot following a 20-month ban for breaching betting rules.

The 28-year-old would be the first amateur to win in Sheffield and just the third qualifier after Shaun Murphy in 2005 and the late Terry Griffiths in 1977.

Williams, meanwhile, must become the first player to overcome a five-frame deficit overnight in a world final if he is to add a fourth Crucible crown to those he achieved in 2000, 2003 and 2018.

Mark Williams needs a huge comeback to win a fourth world title

Zhao moved 3-0 up in the afternoon session, aided by a break of 77 in the opening frame and a century in the next, before Williams stopped the rot before the mid-session interval.

Zhao, though, swept the second half of the session, registering another century and two further breaks in excess of 50, with Williams’ sole break of note at that point a knock of 61 in a frame he went on to lose.

Williams began the evening with a frame-securing break of 86 and took the next as well, before Zhao bounced back with successive frames of his own, sinking breaks of 71 and 56 in the process.

The pattern continued with Williams taking the 13th and 14th frames and Zhao the two after that – the Chinese snatching frame 16 with a 71 break after Williams had scored 63 before stalling.

But the Welshman ensured the deficit would be only five frames heading into Monday, retaining hopes of a comeback for the ages.

Play will resume at 1pm in Sheffield, with the final session to then start at 7pm.