Zhao Xintong has said he would rather become the first Chinese player to win the Triple Crown than successfully defend his World Snooker Championship title in Sheffield at the first attempt.
Zhao also said he believes winning his first British championship title in 2021 is a big step to win the Crucible title last year.
The world No. 3 will begin his title defense against Britain’s Liam Highfield in the first round on Saturday.
“For me, it has to be the Triple Crown,” said Zhao, who, having won the World and British championships, only has a non-graduation Masters invitational to win to complete the set.
“Yes, the World Championship and defending the title is very important. The more world titles, the better.
“But one world title is enough for me. No Chinese or Asian player has completed the Triple Crown before, so I am working hard to achieve this goal.”
