Wu Yize wins 2026 World Snooker Championship as he beats Shaun Murphy in final-frame epic at Crucible
Wu Yize, 22, is the second-youngest world champion in snooker's history; Stephen Hendry was 21 when he won the first of his seven world titles in 1990; he also follows in the footsteps of Zhao Xintong to become the second-successive winner from China
Last Updated: 04/05/26 11:40pm
Wu Yize beat Shaun Murphy 18-17 to win the World Snooker Championship after an epic finale at the Crucible that came down to a final-frame decider.
In a pulsating final, Wu was repeatedly pegged back by Murphy, including in the 34th frame when he missed a black off its spot that could have won him the title a frame sooner.
Murphy duly cleared and had the first chance in the decider, but Wu stepped up with a match-winning break of 85 to offically herald the birth of a new superstar in snooker.
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Wu's unlikely victory - he'd never won a match at the Crucible before this year - came in the fourth world snooker final to go the distance, and the first since 2002.
The 22-year-old becomes the second-youngest world champion in snooker's history. Stephen Hendry was 21 when he won the first of his seven world titles in 1990.
Wu also follows in the footsteps of Zhao Xintong to become the world championship's second-successive winner from China.
Roars of "Wuuuuu" rang out around the Crucible as the hugely popular champion clinched victory courtesy of a slew of attacking shots that have been his trademark over the past two weeks.
"At the beginning, I had a misunderstanding - I thought people were booing me," Wu said of the crowd through a translator. "But then the staff told me they were cheering me on."
Wu had begun Monday 10-7 ahead, after getting the better of Sunday's opening two sessions, but the proceeded to lose the first five frames of the afternoon session as Murphy ruthlessly exploited his mistakes with breaks of 76, 52, 59 and 60 to suddenly storm into a 12-10 lead.
Wu refused to crumble though and took the final three frames of the session - allowing Murphy just six points over that period, scoring 287 points himself and compiling breaks of 64 and 61 along the way.
Wu also claimed the first frame of the evening to make it four on the bounce and move 14-12 in front, only for Murphy to level again, which he'd also do at 15-15, 16-16 and 17-17 as the final went right down to the wire.
Ultimately, it was Wu who held his nerve in a deciding-frame shoot-out to sink Murphy - who was also 22, three months older than his opponent, when claiming his solitary world snooker crown 21 years ago.
"I hate being right," Murphy said after defeat. "Some time earlier in the season we had a great game out in China, which somehow I managed to win, and I came out afterwards and said he will be world champion one day.
"It's just a real shame it was today.
"I couldn't have given it any more. I couldn't have tried any harder. I can't do any more than that."
