On April 3, 2005, the then-18-year-old snooker player Ding Junhui won the inaugural China Open, a glorious moment witnessed by Zhao Xintong, a budding snooker enthusiast who had only recently picked up a cue for the first time.

He was celebrating his 8th birthday that night. "I kept imagining back then — what would it feel like to stand on that champion's podium one day?" Zhao later recalled.

Ding, who would go on to be celebrated as China's first snooker superstar, added three UK Championship wins and the 2011 Masters to his legacy. "Growing up, my dream was to become someone like Ding," a 17-year-old Zhao confessed in the documentary Becoming Ding Junhui, where he was featured as a promising young snooker talent.

However, in Beijing's early hours on Tuesday, the 28-year-old southpaw didn't just follow in Ding's footsteps — he carved his own name into history. With an 18-12 victory over three-time world champion Mark Williams of Wales at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, Zhao became the first Asian player ever to win the World Snooker Championship.

Zhao's unexpected triumph fulfilled a dream that had eluded his trailblazing compatriot Ding, who narrowly missed the title in 2016.That year, Ding became the first Asian player to reach the World Championship final, but fell short against England's Mark Selby.

On Chinese social media platform Weibo, Ding hailed Zhao's victory as "the best reward for Chinese snooker fans who have long supported the sport".

The hashtag "Zhao Xintong Wins World Championship" amassed over 130 million views by Tuesday afternoon, trending among the platform's hot topics.

After the final session, the vanquished Welshman praised Zhao: "What a potter he is though. I've got nothing but admiration for what he's done, coming through the qualifiers. He hasn't played for two years, and he bashed everybody up. There's a new superstar of the game."