Quick Facts
| Champion | Mark Allen |
| Runner-up | Zhao Xintong |
| Venue | York Barbican, York, England |
The 2022 UK Championship was one of snooker’s marquee ranking events, played at the York Barbican in late November and early December 2022. Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen lifted the title, ending a final that saw him defeat defending champion Zhao Xintong. The tournament served up its usual share of high-quality snooker from a packed 128-player draw, with big names falling along the way and a few genuine surprises keeping fans locked in from first round to final.
Tournament Recap
The UK Championship sits second only to the World Championship in terms of prestige on the snooker calendar, and the 2022 edition more than lived up to that billing. York Barbican provided its familiar intimate atmosphere, where every missed pot and every century break feels amplified. The draw was stacked, as it always is at this event, with Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, and a clutch of elite Chinese players all entering with realistic ambitions. Zhao Xintong came in as the defending title holder, having stunned the tour with his victory in 2021, and there was genuine excitement about whether the young Chinese star could back it up on the biggest stage.
The early rounds produced the kind of drama that makes this tournament so compelling. Stephen Hendry, who had come out of retirement, drew attention simply by being in the draw, though his campaign ended without a deep run. The main-draw phase saw several top seeds navigate their sections with reasonable comfort, but the format, best-of-11 frames through most of the early rounds, always gives lower-ranked players enough of a foothold to cause real damage. As the tournament moved into the quarter-final stage, the field had thinned to its strongest, and the matches became tighter, longer, and more absorbing.
Mark Allen was excellent throughout the week. The Belfast potter has long been one of the most watchable players on tour, combining a punishing long-game with an aggressive safety approach that wears opponents down. He had never won the UK Championship before 2022, and that narrative of a world-class player searching for a major title gave his run extra weight. Allen came through each round with conviction, and by the time he reached the final, he looked the most settled man in the building. Zhao Xintong, for his part, showed the quality that had made him champion twelve months earlier, but Allen was simply too consistent across the deciding session. Allen took the title and the top prize of £250,000, a richly deserved reward for a performance that stamped his name firmly into the event’s history.
The 2022 UK Championship also highlighted the growing strength of snooker’s Chinese contingent. Multiple Chinese players reached the later rounds, and Zhao’s runner-up finish underlined that his 2021 win was no fluke. For the broader health of the sport, that kind of competition at the top level is exactly what the game needs, and the York crowd gave every match the reception it deserved. The BBC and Eurosport covered proceedings extensively, keeping fans across the country and around the world up to date as the drama unfolded frame by frame.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2022 UK Championship in snooker?
Mark Allen of Northern Ireland won the 2022 UK Championship, claiming his first title at this event and earning £250,000 in prize money.
Who did Mark Allen beat in the final?
Mark Allen defeated Zhao Xintong in the final. Zhao was the defending champion, having won the 2021 edition of the tournament.
Where was the 2022 UK Championship held?
The 2022 UK Championship was held at the York Barbican in York, England, the long-established home of this event on the snooker calendar.
Was Zhao Xintong the defending champion going into the 2022 UK Championship?
Yes, Zhao Xintong entered the 2022 UK Championship as defending champion after his breakthrough victory at the same event in 2021, which had announced him as a genuine elite-level talent.
How much prize money was on offer at the 2022 UK Championship?
The total prize fund for the 2022 UK Championship was reported at over £1 million, with the champion’s share set at £250,000, making it one of the richest paydays in snooker outside of the World Championship.