China’s Wu Yize on Monday won the World Snooker Championship for the first time with a dramatic 18-17 victory over Shaun Murphy in the final.
Wu held his nerve to seal his thrilling triumph in a tense last frame shoot-out at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.
The 22-year-old is the second Chinese player to win the world title after Zhao Xintong beat Mark Williams to make history as the first Asian to lift the trophy last year.
Photo: AFP
Wu is also the second-youngest player to be crowned world champion at the Crucible after Stephen Hendry, who was 21 when he won in 1990.
“I have been trying to go for this for ages. For the past few months, I have been living the same life. I’m so happy that I could play well today,” Wu said.
Wu’s father and mother wiped away tears of joy before joining him for the trophy presentation.
“My parents are the true champions. Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been by my side,” Wu said. “My mum has also been going through a lot over the years, they are the source of my strength, I love them so much.”
Asked how he would celebrate, Wu said: “I just want to have a good sleep. I have been feeling nerves all the time since before the match, so now I just want to go to bed.”
Murphy, who has lost four World Championship finals since winning in 2005, said: “I hate being right, but we had a great game in China earlier this season. I came out afterwards and said he would be world champion one day. It’s just a real shame that it was today, but I couldn’t have given it any more. I played the best shots I could. I just didn’t get my chance.”
Wu led 10-7 after Sunday’s play and was 13-12 up following the first session on Monday, but England’s Murphy pushed Wu all the way to the finish line, leveling at 16-16 with a gritty century break.
Wu recovered from 45-0 down to record a brilliant 91 clearance to go 17-16 ahead.
He moved 43-0 up with the title in his sights, but a missed black gave Murphy the chance to draw level again with a 75 break.
The balance of power in the final frame tipped Wu’s way when Murphy left a difficult red that the Chinese player stroked into the middle pocket, beginning a break of 85 that took him to the title.
It was the first World Championship final to go to the deciding frame since Peter Ebdon beat Hendry 18-17 in 2002.
Wu turned professional aged 17 and made a transformative move to England three years ago to join the growing stable of Chinese players based in Sheffield.
Initially living in a windowless flat and sleeping on the same bed as his father, Wu’s switch eventually paid dividends.
Runners-up finishes at the English Open and Scottish Open in 2024 laid the foundations for the emerging star’s march to the world title.
He beat John Higgins in the International Championship last year to clinch his first ranking title.
The youngest player in the world’s top 16, his run at this year’s World Championship included eye-catching wins against Mark Selby and Mark Allen.
Ronnie O’Sullivan once labeled Wu a “more dynamic” version of the legendary Steve Davis.
Like O’Sullivan and Davis, Wu can now call himself a world champion.
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