China’s Wu Yize became the second-youngest winner of snooker’s World Championship at the Crucible by beating Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a classic final in Sheffield.
The 22-year-old somehow maintained his composure with a high-pressure break of 85 in the 35th and final frame to edge out Murphy, a player 21 years his senior, on Monday night. It was just the fourth-ever final-frame decider at the Crucible and the first since 2002.
Wu punched the air in delight amid shouts of ‘Wuuuuu’ from an enraptured Crucible crowd at the end of a match which had lasted more than 10 hours.
“At the beginning I had a misunderstanding, I thought people were booing me!” the new champion said of his support. “Then they told me they were cheering me. I cannot thank you enough, our love of snooker is mutual.
“My parents are the true champions,” Wu added as he brought his parents, watching on in the Crucible, to tears. “They are the source of my strength, I love them so much.”
Wu had moved to Sheffield from China six years ago with the dream of becoming world champion.
It was the fourth time Murphy had finished runner-up at the Crucible since winning the title in 2005.
Murphy called Wu a wonderful world champion and added: “I hate being right; sometime earlier in the season I came out (after beating Wu) and said he will be world champion one day. It’s just a real shame it was today.”
Wu becomes the second Chinese snooker world champion, a year after Zhao Xintong became the first.
He had taken a 10-7 lead overnight into the second day’s play but the youngster, who had only reached the first round on two previous Crucible appearances, looked overawed by the occasion. Wu missed a number of chances in the afternoon and Murphy took full advantage, winning five frames in a row to lead 12-10, before Wu recovered to lead 13-12 going into the final evening session.
The pair traded frames to draw level at 16-16 and then again at 17-17, with Murphy producing an exceptional 131 break in the 32nd frame and Wu potting an incredible yellow off the top cushion while using the rest in the following frame.
Both had come through epic battles in their respective semi-finals. Murphy had beaten four-time world champion John Higgins 17-15, while Wu somehow overcame Mark Allen, with the Northern Irishman missing a regulation black at 16-15 to blow the match before Wu claimed the decider.
The tournament was one of the most wide open for years, with 15 of the 16 seeds advancing to the second round in a high quality field.
Last year’s winner Zhao lost to Murphy in the quarter-finals, while seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan missed out in a last-frame deciding frame to Higgins in the second round.
‘A wonderful final’
What a deserved champion and a wonderful final.
Murphy was arguably the better break-builder and had the edge on tactical battles, but Wu could and would pot a ball from anywhere, often to get himself out of trouble.
A case in point, in the deciding frame he lost position when 33-8 ahead and had to take on a difficult red with the rest, and duly dropped it in the middle of the pocket.
His fearless, explosive approach has been reminiscent of 2023 champion Luca Brecel but, unlike the Belgian, Wu looks to have the temperament and desire to stay at the top level for years to come.
The two attacking ball-strikers made for a generally high quality match to end one of the best tournaments in recent years.
A lack of shocks had made for a fairly dull opening round, but with almost all the seeds advancing the standard of matchplay was pretty high through and the two semis and the final were all bona fide classics.
