Masters 2026: Mark Allen is too good for Mark Williams in the round of 16

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 the quarter-finals of the Masters this year.

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

But Zhao mercilessly punished Wilson’s loose safety shots to win four frames in a row, thanks to breaks of 50, 51, 54 and 72, while Wilson collected just 10 points in that time.

However, Wilson fought back to win the sixth frame to cut the deficit to 2-4, then let a 51-0 advantage slip away in the seventh frame.

Chow made his fifth match break in his half-century, a 67 in the eighth frame, to seal a 6-2 victory – the same bizarre score now seen in all four completed matches.

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

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

He added, “I hope that in the final we will have two Chinese players. Tonight I saw a lot of fans supporting me, so I feel very confident and I did not want to lose. This is my first win at Alexandra Palace.”

Chow will now play either four-time world champion Higgins or two-time world runner-up Barry Hawkins in the next round.