Zhang Anda beats Zhao Xintong 6-5 on respotted black at China Open

Zhang Anda beat world number three Zhao Xintong 6-5 at the China Open on 11 August 2026, clinching the match with a respotted black in the deciding frame of their round-one tie. The match was settled after the final frame required a respotted black to determine the winner.

Zhang Anda has one tournament win. The 19th-ranked Chinese player recovered from a 3-0 deficit to turn the match around and led 5-4 before Zhao forced a deciding frame. Zhao Xintong, seeded third, pushed the contest to a finale that finished in dramatic fashion.

In the deciding frame Zhang was 57-0 ahead before Zhao mounted a comeback that left both players on the black. Zhang potted the black to level the frame and force a respot, the tie-break procedure used when a frame ends with scores level, and the 34-year-old eventually prevailed.

"Today was just my day," Zhang said. "I hope that I can go far [in this tournament], I don't want them [two pots of the black] again. I was too nervous." Those words followed his match-winning success on the final ball.

"I made far too many mistakes today and I probably didn't deserve to win," Zhao added. "I had prepared well for coming to Shanxi this time, and I didn't expect to lose in the first round. I played too badly and there was nothing I could do about it." His comments reflected his reaction to the early exit.

World number five John Higgins also exited in the first round, losing 6-4 to Stuart Bingham, the 2015 world champion. That result joined Zhang's upset among the opening-round headlines at the tournament.

Zhang will now face England's Chris Wakelin in the next round.