Shaun Murphy has made feelings crystal clear on Zhao Xintong after 20-month ban

position on has been clear ever since the finalist returned to professional play. The Chinese cueman has , playing in the tournament for the first time since his 20-month ban.

Zhao was suspended for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal that rocket the sport. He was not accused of actively participating in fixing matches but was one of ten Chinese players banned for related offences. He admitted to knowing about another player's involvement in fixing and placing bets on matches.

The 28-year-old faced a 30-month ban, later reduced to 20 due to an early admission of guilt. Since his return to the circuit, Zhao demonstrated impressive form, winning Q Tour events in Stockholm and Manchester and scoring maximum 147 breaks at both before heading to Sheffield.

He also qualified for the , a title he claimed in 2021, where he met Murphy in the first round and was defeated by the champion.

Before the match in November, Murphy explained that he was ready to welcome Zhao back to the tour after serving his sentence: "I think it has to be said Zhao Xintong was at the very lower end of those (10) bans. He did know about it without reporting it and of course that's against the rules. He's served his time.

"The problem with Zhao Xintong is he's really bloody good. It might be fair to say he's done nothing in these 18 months but practice. He looks very, very sharp to me.

"There's been quite a lot of fanfare about his return, which I've not been 100 per cent sure about, but he was caught, he took his punishment on the chin and since then has done everything right. There's an element of rehabilitation, he's done the crime and served his time and he's back."

Mark King, a former Northern Ireland Open champion, .

And Murphy was of the opinion that the sport deserves recognition for its dedication to eliminating cheating.

"I think one of the things that the World Professional Billiards and Association are to be praised for is that they do these things in full public view," the former world champion remarked. "Of course the hearings are private but the findings are always made public.

"They never shy away from dealing with these incredibly difficult issues, because often you're dealing with people that you've got a 10, 20, 30-year relationship with.

"The most important thing here is the sport's integrity. The public, when they watch sport, they have to believe what they're watching is genuine and if there's a sniff that it isn't real, we have to stamp them out."