China's Wu Yize wins World Snooker Championship in Crucible thriller

LONDON, 5 May (BelTA - Xinhua) - Wu Yize became the second Chinese to win World Snooker Championship following Zhao Xintong's triumph last year, defeating England's Shaun Murphy 18-17 at the Crucible Theatre here on Monday.

Wu, 22, also became the second-youngest Crucible winner after Stephen Hendry who was 21 in 1990. He lifted the trophy after the final, with his parents standing by his side.

"They are the true champion, since the moment I devoted myself to snooker, my father has always been my company, my mother also went through ups and downs in these years. They are and always will be my motivation," said Wu, who moved to Sheffield at 16 years old and lived in a tiny room with his father for a long time.

Wu took an early 3-0 lead before Murphy fought back to tie the first session 4-4. Breaks of 103, 89 and 91 helped Wu established a 10-7 lead after session two, before Murphy won five straight frames. Wu then dominated the next three frames to take a slender 13-12 lead into the last session.

Murphy contributed the highest break of the final in the 32nd frame with 131 points to tie 16-16, turning the 35-frame final into a best-of-three match. Each player won one frame, before Wu successfully potted a tricky red in the middle pocket to finish the decider with a winning break of 85.

"I'd like to congratulate Wu Yize. I hate being right - earlier this season I said he would be world champion one day. It's just a shame it is today!" joked Murphy, who won his solitary title in 2005 before finishing runner-up in his next four final appearances in 2009, 2015, 2021 and today.

Wu was among a record 11 Chinese players at the Crucible this year, including snooker pioneer Ding Junhui, the first Asian finalist in 2016, and defending champion Zhao Xintong, the first Asian title winner.

Wu defeated Lei Peifan, Mark Selby and Hossein Vafaei in the first three rounds, and reached the final in dramatic fashion by edging Mark Allen 17-16 in the semifinal after Allen missed the match-ball black in the 32nd frame.