The current world number 10 has advanced to the final at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield, where he will play Shaun Murphy.
Wu has already knocked out four-time world champion Mark Selby in this tournament, and the “Jester from Leicester” called him a “future world champion” after a 13:11 defeat in the second round.
Two more sessions will be played today (from 2 pm and 8 pm), and the first to reach 18 points will win the main prize of 500,000 pounds (580,000 euros) and become the world champion. The loser will collect 230,000 euros.
Selby is not alone in praising the 22-year-old – and Ronnie O’Sullivan believes Wu can become world number one and a future world champion, after training with him in Hong Kong.
After Zhao Xintong made history last year as the first Chinese to win the World Cup, Wu Yize is looking to add his name to that short list.
Who is Wu Yize?
Wu Yize is a 22-year-old snooker player from Lanzhou, China.
He started playing snooker at a very young age, and his father devoted himself to taking him to tournaments and developing his talent, while his mother ran the family’s antiques business.
At just 11 years old, he started working with Australian coach Roger Leighton at the Billiards Academy in Yushan.
Leighton told The Independent that Wu had a maximum break of 49 upon arrival, but that after two weeks he had reached 86.
Wu wasn’t satisfied though, saying: “Ronnie O’Sullivan would clean it all the way up.”
Working with Leighton accelerated his development, and at just 14 he won the Under-21 World Championship, defeating Pongsakorn Chongjairak 6:4 in the final.
This earned him invitations to professional tournaments, where already in 2019 in the World League, he tormented four-time champion John Higgins, who defeated him only in the decisive frame.
Two years later, Wu turned pro at just 17, and qualified for the World Championships for the first time at 19, losing to former champion Neil Robertson.
Three years ago he moved from China to Sheffield, where he trains alongside a new generation of Chinese players who want to become snooker’s new stars – and Wu has already made a big leap.
He won his first ranking title in 2025, when he avenged Higgins at the same tournament six years later, with victories against world number one Judd Trump, Barry Hawkins and Zhao Xintong.
That victory earned him a prize of £175,000 and his first entry into the world’s top 16 players.
Higgins stated after the tournament that Wu “reminds him of the late great Paul Hunter, the way he plays. He’s the new superstar.”
To which Wu replied, “Paul Hunter was a really handsome guy.”
He also reached the semifinals of the Masters in January, narrowly losing 6:5 to eventual winner Kyren Wilson.
(Vijesti.ba)
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