2026 Masters: Mark Allen too good for Mark Williams in last-16 tie

Zhao, who played four qualifying matches and then five more at the Crucible to become the first Asian player to win the world title in May, became the third Chinese player to reach this year’s Masters quarter-finals.

A break of 76 handed Wilson the opening frame as the Englishman looks to win a Masters match for the first time since losing to Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy in the opening round in 2021 and 2024 respectively.

But Zhao ruthlessly punished Wilson’s lax safety shots, winning four frames in a row thanks to breaks of 50, 51, 54 and 72, while Wilson mustered just 10 points in that time.

However, Wilson fought back to win the sixth frame, reducing the lead to 2–4, but then built a 51–0 advantage in the seventh frame.

Zhao made his fifth half-century of the match, scoring 67 in the eighth frame to seal a 6–2 win; oddly enough, the same scoreline that appeared in all four completed matches.

Zhao, who lost to John Higgins in the first round in his other Masters match in 2022, said: “I enjoyed the night. This is my second time at Alexandra Palace so I really enjoyed it.

“I know that [Wilson] He’s a very good player, so I just wanted to take big breaks and didn’t want him to come back, so I’m trying to get better.

“Hopefully we will have two Chinese players in the final. I saw a lot of fans supporting me tonight, so I was very confident and didn’t want to lose. This is my first win at Alexandra Palace.”

Zhao will now face four-time world champion Higgins or two-time world runner-up Barry Hawkins in the next round.