Zhao Xintong produced a devastating display to win the German Masters, trouncing compatriot Yan Bingtao 9-0 in Tonight’s final at the Tempodrom in Berlin.

Both players needed to come from behind and battle through their respective semi-finals a day earlier, but Zhao was flawless in the final as he picked apart his opponent to claim his second ranking title of the season following his UK Championship triumph in December. 

Yan might have ridden his luck to get past Ryan Day and Mark Allen earlier in the week, but he had nothing to smile about in a bruising opening session to the final that meant the evening’s fare would be little more than a formality, Zhao needing only a single frame and little over 20 minutes to finish the job. 

Frame seven probably best summed up Yan’s day, a break of 60 looking sure to get him on the board after losing the first six frames, only for Zhao to step in with a majestic break of 70 and inflict another damaging  blow on the 2021 Masters champion. 

In the blink of an eye, Zhao had raced into a 4-0 lead thanks to breaks of 74, 118 and 82, and though Yan had his chances in the second half of the session, Xhao kept his foot on the throttle and further contributions of 89 and 68 increased his lead to 6-0.

When Yan let slip his golden chance in the seventh frame, the game was almost up and Zhao dominated frame eight to end a session of complete dominance from start to finish.

The players returned a few hours later and were welcomed by a typically electric Tempodrom atmosphere, but any hopes of a memorable comeback were quickly put to bed as Zhao closed out the match in the manner of the great champion he will surely become.