Zhao Xintong has launched the defence of his world snooker title with a 10-7 victory over qualifier Liam Highfield at the Crucible, but the champion's patchy performance did little to dispel concerns about whether he can break the sport's most famous curse.
The Chinese star became the first player through to the second round of the 2026 World Snooker Championship, but the manner of the win — featuring long stretches of uncertainty and missed opportunities — raised questions about his form heading into a potentially brutal bottom half of the draw.
Zhao led 5-4 after the morning session but looked off the pace in bursts, handing Highfield unexpected chances that the Englishman occasionally seized. The evening session opened with the world No. 143 taking the first frame to level matters, only for Zhao to find another gear with four frames in succession to move 9-5 clear.
Highfield refused to fold. A classy 101 pulled him back to 9-6 and, for a brief period, the Crucible's famously tight pockets seemed to be toying with the champion's nerve. But Zhao steadied, and an audacious plant early in the 17th frame set the tone for a third century of the match that killed the contest.
Commentator Alan McManus, watching the shaky morning session unfold, questioned whether the defending champion had arrived in Sheffield in the right frame of mind.
"Is his work ethic right?" McManus asked on air during Zhao's more listless passages, pressing on a concern shared by those who follow the Chinese star closely.
The answer, for one round at least, was good enough.
Zhao is the youngest world champion since Stephen Hendry's historic run in 1990 and the first Asian player to lift the trophy. But history is stacked against him. No first-time winner has ever successfully defended the crown at the Crucible — the fabled Crucible curse that has tripped everyone from Terry Griffiths to Shaun Murphy and Luca Brecel.
Arriving in Sheffield, Zhao had the form to believe. A trophy haul this season including the Tour Championship, World Grand Prix and Players Championship marked him out as the clear form pick. But curses thrive on doubt, and the opening two days have delivered exactly that.
Zhao will face either three-time runner-up Ding Junhui or Englishman David Gilbert on Friday in the second round, a potential all-Chinese showdown that would add a new layer of pressure to his title defence.
Highfield, whose career has been punctuated by near misses at the top level, can leave Sheffield with his head high. The century break and refusal to be bullied by the reigning champion were the marks of a qualifier who belonged on the sport's biggest stage.
For Zhao, the bigger test is now whether he can find his best snooker — and fast. The Crucible curse is not patient.