The winner will face Raypey fans who knocked out defending champion Wilson in the final 16 on Saturday.
Zhao, 28, competes as an amateur at the World Championships, but is one of his favourites to wind through qualifying and lift the trophy on May 5th.
Zhao was one of the 10 players banned in 2023 following a match amendment investigation.
He did not throw the match directly, but was initially suspended for two and a half years, reduced 20 months after his early entry and guilty pleas – he revised the two matches and accepted the accusations that he was a party of another player in pursuit of the match.
Zhao completed his suspension earlier this season, and his performance on the Q Tour made him a spot in the 2025-26 professional ranks.
Meanwhile, China’s Xiao Guodong defeated England’s Matthew Selt 10-4 to secure a second meeting with John Higgins or Joe O’Connor.
Leading 7-2 overnight, World No. 14 lost two opening frames of the final session, but won three consecutive wins to reach the final 16.
From 14:30 BST, Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen will begin bidding for the first world title against Fan Zhengyi as he aims to complete the full set of victory in the Triple Crown event, with Wales’ three-time champion Mark Williams taking a 5-4 lead and taking part in the final session of the first round match with Wu Yize.
