Wu Yize’s first purchase after winning £500k World Snooker Championship | Other | Sport
Wu Yize became world snooker champion after beating Shaun Murphy in a final-frame decider. (Image: Getty Images)
Wu Yize is set to go property hunting after claiming the Crucible’s most coveted prize. The 22-year-old became the second-youngest world snooker champion after defeating Shaun Murphy in a thrilling contest. Just 12 months after Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to claim the sport’s greatest honour, Yize followed in his footsteps in the first 35th-frame decider since 2002.
Having never previously won a match at the iconic venue before this year’s tournament, the prodigious talent lifted the famous trophy and a cheque for £500,000 following his 18-17 victory in the 50th Crucible final. Yize already has firm plans for the windfall.
Having shared a tiny room and even a bed with his father as he struggled to forge his career after relocating to Sheffield six years ago in pursuit of this very dream, he intends to purchase property, having revealed during the tournament that he would be buying a house for his parents and taking them travelling with his winnings.
The Chinese star’s triumph cruelly denied the Magician the opportunity to join an exclusive club with a second world title.
Murphy had been aiming to go one better 21 years after his first Crucible triumph and join an elite group of legends — Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Steve Davis, John Higgins, Mark Selby and Mark Williams — who have tasted multiple victories at the iconic Sheffield venue.
However, despite a blistering start to Monday’s session in which he reeled off five consecutive frames to briefly seize control of the final, his opponent ultimately proved too strong when it mattered most.
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Yize, who frequently ventured outside the Crucible for cigarette breaks during the final, grasped control of the showpiece from the beginning and never found himself behind at the conclusion of any session before the finish.
He was only 18 months old when Murphy claimed the title in 2005, but, having overcome Lei Peifan, Selby, Hossein Vafaei and Mark Allen to reach the showpiece, he demonstrated youthful fearlessness to explode from the blocks on Sunday afternoon and establish a 3-0 lead.
Wu Yize celebrating with his parents. (Image: Getty Images)
Murphy managed to drag himself level by the close of the opening session at 4-4, but the Asian star reclaimed control to construct his 10-7 advantage by Sunday evening.
The English player required a rapid Monday opening and received precisely that as he stormed through the first five frames to move into the lead.
However, once more, Yize was able to regain composure and rattled off the closing three frames of the Monday afternoon to complete session three at 13-12 ahead.
The pendulum continued to swing towards the agonising conclusion. Yize captured the opening frame of the evening to reach 14-12, Murphy responded to draw level at 14-14.
It progressed to 16-16 when he compiled a century to make it best-of-three and then into a nerve-shedding decider after Yize missed a black off the spot when poised to clinch it 18-16. But, in the final frame, Yize composedly brushed aside that disappointment and delivered.
Craig Swan has been reporting live from Sheffield for the Daily Record.
