China’s Wu Yize on Sunday was on track to win the World Snooker Championship after building a 10-7 lead against Shaun Murphy in the final.
The 22-year-old’s superb long potting and composed break-building ensured he would go into the deciding sessions in pole position to lift the trophy for the first time.
Wu’s clearance of 91 in the final frame of Sunday’s action kept 2005 winner Murphy at bay after he threatened to close the gap to one frame.
Photo: Reuters
Wu is aiming to become the second Chinese player to win the title at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre after Zhao Xintong’s historic victory over Mark Williams in last year’s final.
He needs to win eight more frames to secure the silverware in his maiden World Championship final.
Wu stepped up a gear after appearing to show some ill-effects from his late-night semi-final win over Mark Allen when the final began on Sunday afternoon, letting a hard-earned 3-0 lead dissolve into a 4-4 tie after the first eight frames.
He was suddenly looking fragile, missing easy shots and reluctant to go for his trademark long pots, and the experienced Murphy sensed weakness, powering in the first century of the final to extend Wu’s frustration.
The Chinese player rallied in the afternoon’s final frame, firing nine reds and eight blacks before jawing a black to the middle pocket and riding his luck as Murphy’s protracted search for snookers came to nothing.
Wu, bidding to become the second-youngest player to win the tournament after Stephen Hendry, got back on track in the evening session.
Breaks of 82 and 103 saw him establish a 6-4 lead, and he retained his two-frame advantage at the interval after canceling out Murphy’s well-taken response of 75 in the 11th frame.
Murphy fashioned a strong chance to escape the evening just one adrift, but played a poor shot after taking a lead of 39, allowing Wu to ram in another long red as he established a potentially decisive lead in the final.
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