The winner will face Lei Peifan, who knocked out defending champion Wilson on Saturday, in the last 16.

Zhao, 28, is competing as an amateur at the World Championship but breezed through qualifying and is among the favourites to lift the trophy on 5 May.

Zhao was one of 10 players banned in 2023 following an investigation into match-fixing.

He did not directly throw a match but was initially suspended for two and a half years, reduced to 20 months after his early admissions and guilty plea – he accepted charges of being a party to another player fixing two matches and betting on matches himself.

Zhao completed his suspension earlier this season and his performances on the Q Tour have earned him a spot back among the professional ranks for 2025-26.

Meanwhile, China’s Xiao Guodong beat England’s Matthew Selt 10-4 to secure a second-round meeting with either John Higgins or Joe O’Connor.

Leading 7-2 overnight, the world number 14 lost the opening two frames of the concluding session but then won three in a row to reach the last 16.

From 14:30 BST, Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen begins his bid for a first world title against Fan Zhengyi as he aims to complete a full set of Triple Crown event victories, while Wales’ three-time champion Mark Williams takes a 5-4 lead into the final session of his first-round match against Wu Yize.