Stephen Hendry at odds with Ronnie O’Sullivan as pair clash over the Rocket’s apprentice | Other | Sport

At 22 – half the age of numerous competitors – the Chinese sensation has youth on his side to accumulate many more major honours. O’Sullivan, who has been mentoring Wu, is convinced he can ultimately surpass both him and Hendry. Nevertheless, the Scot remains unconvinced and believes, at this point, 2025 world champion Zhao Xintong, 29, remains the stronger player. Responding to fans’ queries on his Cue Tips show, Hendry said: “Ronnie said that, he thinks Wu can take our seven world titles.

“That’s obviously going to be a huge ask for Wu to do because of all the talent he’s going to come up against. Xintong, I think, is going to be winning three, four world titles, so Wu’s got to be in amongst that. It’s not going to be easy.

“I’ve been asked who I think is the better player, Zhao Xintong or Wu Yize. I think Zhao’s got a bit more finesse, a bit better cue ball control, but Wu Yize backs himself to pot these incredible balls. It’s going to be incredible to see how their rivalry progresses over the next 15-20 years.”

Wu’s £500,000 Crucible victory propelled him to fourth in the world rankings, just one place behind Zhao. Judd Trump continues to lead the standings, with Neil Robertson occupying second spot.

O’Sullivan believes it is only a question of time before Wu ascends to the summit. Speaking prior to the World Championship, he said: “I think Wu Yize is going to be world number one in the next three years. Phenomenal snooker player.

“A lot of people liken him to Paul Hunter, but I think he’s more like a modern-day Steve Davis. He’s more dynamic, he has more cue power, more scoring power. But his positional play, for me, it’s on the level of Steve Davis. Everything goes in the middle of the hole.

“I practised with him for two or three days in Hong Kong not long ago, and it’s not until you practise with someone you can appreciate how good [they] are.

“After two days, I thought, ‘This kid’s really special.’ I’d love to see him go and fulfil his potential as a professional. He’s only 22. “I expect him to do a lot of great things in snooker. It’s important to have players you want to watch. I would watch him all day long.”

Having won the World Seniors title at the Crucible last weekend, O’Sullivan faces Luca Brecel in the final of the quickfire Snooker 900 Global Championship on Sunday.