Righto, Aaron Bower’s match report is here…
…so that’s it from me. Thanks for all your company and comments; if anyone’s any ideas what we might do tomorrow, do share. But otherwise, peace out.
Not bad for 22, that, and we’re going to be watching Wu lift trophies for a very long time. His long-potting is just so good, it overrides other aspects of his game which are of lesser standard – and that’s not a criticism, it’s an excitation. He’s going to learn and improve quickly.
Wu takes a medal, is draped in the China flag, and lifts the trophy … to about shoulder-height. He kisses the silver lady, poses for photos with his parents, and he’s the champion of the world!
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And his plans tonight?
“I just want to have a good sleep. Since the second session of the match, I was feeling nerves all the time, so now I just want to go to bed.”
Good luck with dropping off, old mate.
“How much do you like the Wuuuus!” Haze asks next, “that the crowd love Wu Yize?”
“At the beginning, I had a misunderstanding, I thought people were booing me,” he says. “But then the staff told me they were cheering me up, so I can’t thank you enough, no matter who you support, the love for snooker is mutual.”
What a lovely boy, no wonder his parents are shepping naches.
Gosh, this is, erm super-emosh, the crowd cheering intensifying Wu’s mum’s situation.
“Since i made the decision to drop out of school,” he continues, “my dad has been by my side and my mum has gone through a lot over the years, they are the source of my strengths; I love them so much.”
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“Wuuuuuuuu!” chant the crowd; the man of the moment looks pretty chill. “I’ve been trying to go for the strength for ages,” he says. “For the past months, I’ve been living the same life, and I’m delighted I could pull it off.”
Hazel then lays it on the line, asking him about the sacrifice, doing his parents and so on. They’ve got some rare old smiles on, and his mum waves to the camera – it’s a great moment.
“My parents are the true champions,” he says very beautifully; “Aaaah!” respond the crowd, as his mum wipes her eye. 1-0!
Shaun tells Hazel he’s proud of his run and there’ve been a lot of good performances; he’s also had a lot of laughs, and was really close. He’s the first to congratulate Wu, his family and everyone around him on being a great champion. “I hate being right,” he says, telling us that after he’d snaffled a win against Wu earlier in the season, he said “He will be world champion one day. It’s just a real shame it was today!”
He couldn’t have given any more or tried any harder, he played the shots as well as he could play them, given where the balls landed – which suggests, perhaps, he thinks the run went against him – and didn’t get his chance, presumably in the final frame.
“Peter seems to think there’s more to come,” he says, “but I don’t think there’s much left now.” He then jokes that his fiance had said if it goes badly, we’ll sneak a couple of weeks’ holiday, he ought to have lost in the first round and ended up treating her to a fortnight in Sheffield.”
I fear he may struggle to sleep tonight, but what a final he’s helped to give us.
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Will Hazel be able to elicit any tears? Here we go….
This will not be the last time Wu Yize wins this trophy, I’m certain of that. What’s amazing about him is the scope he has to improve, technically and mentally – and yet, the first time you see him play, you know he’s special. He and Zhao Xintong could be sport’s next huge rivalry.
Wu, just 22, is the youngest to win the trophy since Shaun Murphy in 2005, and Shaun is generous in his embrace. He doesn’t know when he’ll be back here, but he knows genius when he sees it, and he’s seen it here, all right.
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WU YIZE BEATS SHAUN MURPHY 18-17 TO WIN THE 2026 WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP!
An amazing break, an amazing player, an amazing match.
Shaun Murphy 17-17 Wu Yize (8-54) Tidy stuff from Wu, a pink sent down, BUT IT RETURNS IN THE WAY OF HIS SELECTED RED! wu takes a moment, lays a hand on the table, bows his head, shakes it … and decides he’s taking on a thin cut with the rest. Again, he’s laying it all on the line, backing himself with an attacking option – another lesson to people much older than he – AND IT’S THERE! More pots, then PANIC! Is the pink going back on the black spot, or down the table? The match is here … and it’s the former! WU YIZE IS GOING TO BE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD! Shaun bows his head, he knows…
Shaun Murphy 17-17 Wu Yize (8-21) You’ve got to laugh. Shaun pikes his way out of trouble, and might this be the final dilemma? On the one hand, Wu won’t want to refuse a pot to middle but, on the other, if he misses, it’s curtains. This is the match, right here, and it’s disguzting! Wu walks about the table, looks, vomits internally. He’s going to take it on … of course he is … AND THAT IS THE GREATEST SHOT OF HIS LIFE! But can he put that life out of his mind while he picks through the chance of a lifetime, of his lifetime? A pink to middle keeps him going, he’s got plenty of loose balls, but he’s not yet in full control of the break.
Shaun Murphy 17-17 Wu Yize (8-0) Wu dangles a tempter … and Shaun clips a work of art into right corner, but an infelicitous kiss on the brown means it’s a snuggle up to the green. It’s not difficult to hit a red, of course, but without leaving a pot? Good luck, old mate. Sure enough, he hits well … but can’t prevent a pretty friendly starter to middle. This is Shaun’s second chance to win it, but just as he’s settling, he cannons black off red – his first sign of nerves, I think – so plays safe off the green. Naturally, Wu then takes on an improbable starter, even for him, and though he doesn’t get that near, he somehow keeps everything safe. Oh, and have an absolute look! A couple of shots later, the pack deliberately opened by Shaun, Wu measures a magnificent snooker, in behind the green which is behind the yellow … and the escape is terrific. Gosh, the young man is in trouble now, and looks to have left the white short … except it rolls in front of the yellow, which is in front of the green! This game! This game! I’ve not a clue how Shaun gets decent enough purchase on the cue-ball to be certain of not leaving something.
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Shaun Murphy 17-17 Wu Yize Both men leave the arena, and which commentator will be the first to say “In a final-frame decider, you just want one chance?” It’s John Parrott, back come our players, they shake hands, and it’s eyes down for some of the greatest gear known to mankind.
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Shaun Murphy 17-17 Wu Yize That clearance, though. What was amazing wasn’t the array of shots or anything like that, more that Shaun took it off the set as though it were a fait accompli, which verily it was not. He must have the resting pulse-rate of a lamppost.
Shaun Murphy 17-17 Wu Yize And Shaun clears the table! After 17 days, it’s coming down to the final frame, and I can barely type; these lads have got to pot balls!
Shaun Murphy 16-17 Wu Yize (60-43) Brown to leave Wu needing a snooker…
Shaun Murphy 16-17 Wu Yize (55-43) The sense at the start was that these two are extremely well-matched, so it’s no surprise that we’re leaning forward, forehead jutting, trying to force ourselves inside our tellies. Shaun’s high on the black, a minging shot at the best of times, never mind with the world title on the line … and it’s there! more pots follows, and what a break this is, one that’ll go down in the annals of the game if he wins … along with Wu’s missed black off its spot.
Shaun Murphy 16-17 Wu Yize (38-43) Shaun negotiates the early stages of the run very nicely indeed, but there’s a red not far off the side and another, the one he’s on now, not far off black cush. This isn’t a gimme, but he slots it well,.
Shaun Murphy 16-17 Wu Yize (7-43) A decision to make on the black: does he play for a plant or go into the pac …. TWITCH! OH MY COMPLETE AND UTTER EVERLOVING DAYS! Wu misses the pot, Shaun sends his plant to left corner, and the dish is on … but any miss means curtains! Are we going all the way?
Shaun Murphy 16-17 Wu Yize (0-21) I said earlier that Wu is my favoruite player, but I didn’t think he was ready to win over the stretch – I’ve seen him tie up too many times when things get tight. But after a massive wobble this afternoon, he’s somehow righted himself tonight, and when Shaun dangles a tempter to left corner you know he’ll take it on … and he blazes is into the bag. He’s absolutely flying now, every hour of practise, mile flown, Yuan spent, comes down to this, reds open, black available to both corners. His parents look calm and so does their son; he knows how good he is, which is why he can play as he does. This is his moment, this is all our moment.
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Shaun Murphy 16-17 Wu Yize “Wuuuuuuuuuuuu!” cheer the crowd, the genius from Lanzhou is a frame away from winning the world title! The skill and stones he’s shown tonight are absolutely obscene.
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Shaun Murphy 16-16 Wu Yize (45-78) …and he plays it fairly well. He bounces off the rail a little more than he’d have have liked, is also pretty close to the object-ball, and needs the rest … will he take it on? If he misses, he loses the frame, if he doesn’t, it’s his. this is the most important shot of his life … AND IT’S THERE! WU YIZE IS SENSATIONAL! Pink and black for the frame…
Shaun Murphy 16-16 Wu Yize (45-59) Wu picks off reds, and if he can get on and off the yellow, just above the baulk cushion, he’ll surely go a frame away. It won’t, though be easy, a test of ludicrous skill under ridiculous pressure…
Shaun Murphy 16-16 Wu Yize (45-14) A long red to right corner … will Wu take it on? Only joking, of course he will, and he strokes it home, then sets about the rest of the table, quickly clearing a route for the black to both corners. He’ll have fantasised about these moments since he was a child, but not until this day did he know how they’d feel; can he keep himself level as they settle in as part of him?
Shaun Murphy 16-16 Wu Yize (45-0) Gosh, a disgusting pink to middle … is there then, after a blue, another mid-range red to left corner … is missed! So Wu returns to the table to take on a cut across it, one you expect him to sink … and he doesn’t. Suddenly, after a session of rare standard, emotion is intervening and, with a safety exchange unfolding, we’ve more from playing on instinct to playing on intellect.
Shaun Murphy 16-16 Wu Yize (32-0) At this stage, the contest is Wu’s long potting versus Shaun’s cue-ball control, with Shaun better at Wu’s strength than Wu is at his. And we see it right here, El Mago slipping a fine starter to right corner from way down in baulk, before dropping a pink into middle, dead weight. He’s absolutely loving this, the centre of attention and receiving due reward for his decades of endeavour, but all it takes is one moment of over-confidence to ruin everything, four red-blacks in…
Elsewhere, there’ve been some developments at Everton…
Shaun Murphy 16-16 Wu Yize You bet he can, a clearance of 131 with the final black potted off the side cushion, meaning we’ve a best-of-three to decide the champion of the world. This is so , so good.
Shaun Murphy 15-16 Wu Yize (64-1) The last time we got to 16-all in a world final was in 2005, when Matthew Stevens was beaten by … Shaun Murphy. This is amazing, amazing stuff, the performance of fine-motor skills with your life’s work on the line like wiring a plug with boxing gloves on. Can Shaun underline the point with a century?
Shaun Murphy 15-16 Wu Yize (44-1) A long red just about disappears, then it’s into the pack of the black, the angle unfavourable … brilliant shot. The level these two are producing, under pressure of this ilk, is absolutely astounding, Shaun doing superbly to avoid choking on his own gizzard when a ball hits the far jaw of middle before, somehow and improbably, dropping.
Shaun Murphy 15-16 Wu Yize (21-1) Wu leaves the white in the D and we know that that means: Shaun will take on a starter, and he slides in nicely. Though, as a lover of snooker more than anything else, he’ll appreciate Wu’s long game, he won’t like the implicit insult that it’s better than his, and will fancy there’s no better stage to showcase it than this one. He’s in, the black passing to both corners, but the pack will soon demand his attention.
Shaun Murphy 15-16 Wu Yize (0-1) This game! Wu goes another longun, to left corner, misses, zips into the pack … and bangs one into right! We might say his bravery earned that, we might say his naiveté almost cost him, and, not on a colour, he plays safe by the black, Shaun sending the white back to baulk.
Shaun Murphy 15-16 Wu Yize A brave and brilliant frame from The Geezer, who refuses to compromise his attacking instinct – a lesson in life for us all – and he’s two away from paradise.
Shaun Murphy 15-15 Wu Yize (0-58) Running out of position, Wu plays safe, 67 points left on the table, and both men miss reds … then Wu clips another beauty into right corner, after which he knocks the black safe, the lead 58 with 59 left. We may be here a while longer, but this frame is over.
Shaun Murphy 15-15 Wu Yize (0-52) A mid-range red to corner … is there, Wu’s recovery-potting the best since Judd Trump. His action is so uncomplicated, the cue delivered straight and with force like it’s the simplest thing in the world which, to him it is; it’s no wonder he has so much confidence in it, sticking to the plan of sticking to his strength, even when it lets him down – as occasionally it does.
Shaun Murphy 15-15 Wu Yize (0-20) Shaun is a student of the game and we can be sure he knows exactly what a dish he just served, ratcheting up the pressure and intensity yet further. But when he misses to left corner, Wu strokes hime a starter … but, on nothing, he can only play safe. No matter: offered another to left corner, knowing that he’s careering into the pack, he unloads the suitcase … and that’s an amazing pot, especially in the circumstances, claret all over and the chance to regain the lead his. We might’ve assumed – and probably did - that losing a frame having registered a 70 break would affect him, but he just carried on doing what he’s been doing, and if he holds it down, he’s good to go back in front. That, though, is easier said that done, the greatest moment of his life winking at him with intention.
Shaun Murphy 15-15 Wu Yize Shaun Murphy exists for these moments! A nerveless clearance means first to three wins, and this is maturing int one of the great finals. How will Wu respond?
Shaun Murphy 14-15 Wu Yize (55-70) Blue, pink and black for 15 apiece, and a steal from 70 points behind; this is awful and wonderful to behold…
Shaun Murphy 14-15 Wu Yize (45-70) Shaun exists for moments like this, the arena silent and every eye focused on him. But he leaves himself a deeply unpleasant cut-back black, from which he needs position on the final red … and it’s there, a cannon on the blue working out perfectly; beautiful shot. He’ll need to find his way on to the green, which is near the side, in the knowledge that, at 43, he may never make another world final – that’s a lot to process, but so far, he’s doing it well.
Shaun Murphy 14-15 Wu Yize (23-70) A cut-back red to leave Shaun needing a snooker, from a way away … stays out, the white landing down in the D. And is he going to try the pot? He is you know, and the biggest compliment I can give him is that he drills it down, Wu-style. Then it’s into the pack and he’s not on anything easy, so out comes the spider, cueing over a red, the butt raised ridiculously high … to the extent he misses. So Wu takes on another longun, screwing back with safety in mind … and it pops back out again, with Shaun on a starter anyway. This frame is not yet over, and it might contain the key to the contest. If Wu takes it, he’ll be hard to catch, but if he doesn’t…
Shaun Murphy 14-15 Wu Yize (0-63) But he’s soon coming down the table for the blue then, when he needs to attack the pack, he finds himself too straight on the black, so forces it off two cushions, and that’ll just about do, a cut to right-middle – cueing away – the next tester … and it’s there. From here, the frame should soon be his, and it’s a long way back for Shaun from there.
Shaun Murphy 14-15 Wu Yize (0-17) A poor shot from Wu offers Shaun a free go at a cut to left corner … but though he gets close, it’s not close enough. Now, a red just off the side and not far from right corner … is creamed into the bag by the young man, yet another gorgeous strike, the cueing as beautiful as the Mona Lisa. And there are, I feel slightly silly relaying, a fair few red-blacks awaiting his treatment.
Righto, our players return from the final interval of the competition, Wu seeking his maiden world title and Shaun his second, 21 years after his first. The last player to win the trophy having trailed at this stage was Dennis Taylor in 1985.
“How lucky are we, to have this guy as our dad,” says Brooke Murrells, daughter of the wonderful, departed JV, to BBC; there can be no legacy greater than that for any parent. She explains that the Murphys are family to her and her brother – Shaun flew to Spain for the private funeral – so they had to be here today.
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Something to listen to – should you fancy and if you’ve not had enough of me, mainly sharing stories of silly stuff I’ve done.
Shaun Murphy 14-15 Wu Yize That’s a tremendous clearance from The Geezer, every ball struck confidently, sound resounding and no hint of pressure apparent. He leads by a frame and needs three more for his maiden world title; Shaun requires four.
Shaun Murphy 14-14 Wu Yize (56-47) Both players have played pretty well this evening, better than this afternoon; pink and black for Wu to regain the lead…
Shaun Murphy 14-14 Wu Yize (56-31) Shaun opts against playing a cannon , a call he’ll be regretting when he runs out of position so play safe. Then, left with no option other than to play a pot, he hammers towards the green pocket … and does everything but sink it. But can Wu tidy? It’s a long diag to the yellow bag, he goes at it hard … and it’s into the leather! That’s a brilliant shot in the circumstances, so too the blue with which he redeems a loose effort, and it’s colours off their spots for the frame – and the lead at the final interval.
Shaun Murphy 14-14 Wu Yize (40-19) Eeeee, but he does play a cannon – I’m not sure he needed to – and how often to we see this, position perfect but the pot stopping out? Though there’s work to do, I don’t expect Shaun to pass up this gift, and he takes his time to compose, the enormity of the situation unignorable.
Shaun Murphy 14-14 Wu Yize (34-13) Cueing over reds, Shaun sends the pink towards middle … and it doesn’t roll off, hitting the far jaw and never even threatening to drop. So Wu opens the pack … which yields nothing, so he contemplates inventing a shot to the yellow bag before wisely opting to play safe. The frames are becoming more complex … and of course, no sooner have I noted that then Wu clips in a nails opener, off the top jaw of left corner, sticking to what he does well and, though there are reds blocking each other off, if he removes them in the correct order I think he can win the frame without needing to cannon the pack.
Shaun Murphy 14-14 Wu Yize (33-0) Oh! Shaun flukes a plant from the pack, then moves in behind the brown off the green … but doesn’t get it tight. So Wu escapes into the pack then, when he catches the jaw of middle, leaves nothing … or does he? Yup, there’s a cut in the pack, Shaun drains it, and he’s enjoying this; why wouldn’t he? A born showman, he’s endured down periods in which nights like tonight felt past tense for him, but here he is showing off his prodigious talent in front of the world, and he’s taking these nicely.
Shaun Murphy 14-14 Wu Yize A best-of-seven to decide the champion of the world? Don’t mind if we do, and this is on a rolling boil now, both men managing the opportunity of a lifetime.
Shaun Murphy 13-14 Wu Yize (67-26) Again, Wu goes at a long one and not only does he miss but he also promotes another red, and that might be enough to settle the frame. As Fouldsy notes, though, this is how he plays and what delivered him to this point, so it makes no sense for him to stop taking them on; he could just do with recapturing the form he’s shown over the last 17 days.
Shaun Murphy 13-14 Wu Yize (43-26) Shaun takes a breath, working out that he’ll need a couple of the three reds on rails. But a loose positional shot means all that hard thinking is wasted, don’t you hate it when that happens, and it’s back to the bottom rail, frame still in the balance and intensifying to a level of wonderful discomfort.
Shaun Murphy 13-14 Wu Yize (20-26) A red to right corner, fractionally off the diagonal straight … is undercut, taking care to avoid the pink next to the object-ball. Shaun fairly bounces out of his seat, but when he bumps the pack, it leaves him a taxing cut-back … caressed into the bag, and from here, he really ought to bring himself level. This is terrific stuff, our players feeling the occasion as both inspiration and enervation.
Shaun Murphy 13-14 Wu Yize (0-20) Shaun leaves the white near the baulk cushion, and a red not too far away from left corner; Wu snaps it down, then has a think before attempting a blue to the yellow bag, hampered by a red beneath his bridging arm … and it’s there! If he’s going to lose, he’ll lose his way, but for now, he’s winning, a route cleared for the black leaving him in great shape.
Shaun Murphy 13-14 Wu Yize Shaun’s rest-play has been poor in this match and a missed red means no century, but he stops the rot and closes to within one. he needed that, badly.
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Shaun Murphy 12-14 Wu Yize (47-0) Methodically, Shaun makes his way about the table, playing a little more slowly than usual and, when he cannons a stray red, he must cue over the pink to middle; has he given it enough? He stays down on the shot, but it drops dead weight, final roll, a cut-back black then keeping him going. He then hits the leather with a mid-range red, and this is a frame back.
Shaun Murphy 12-14 Wu Yize (16-0) Wu tries a long one and misses, but the balls save him, then again; next time, though, he leaves a cut to corner, and every visit is now an epic, the consequences of failure glistening under the lights.
Shaun Murphy 12-14 Wu Yize (0-0) Shaun, you feel, must take this next frame, and he goes at a long diag, just off the straight … but cues across it. So Wu tries an oblique cut to middle … and similarly, nothing doing, also so when he shies at a double knowing there’s no risk of leaving a chance.
Also going on:
We’ve seconds to go at Tynecastle, where Hearts have come form behind to lead Rangers….
Shaun Murphy 12-14 Wu Yize No century, rather a mere 88, and that’s four on the spin for Wu, who is four away from kissing the silver lady.
Shaun Murphy 12-13 Wu Yize (1-82) Frame secure – and a gap of two at this stage is huge – Wu chases the century, spanking a pink to middle with the white headed in the opposite direction; beautiful stuff.
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Shaun Murphy 12-13 Wu Yize (1-55) This is much better than the start of the last session, and Shaun will be raging inside at his role in making it possibel: Wu missed his first longun, but didn’t have to try for a second, pressure amping up, because a loose safety shot did that part of the work for him.
Shaun Murphy 12-13 Wu Yize (1-41) “Wu’s walk-on music really should be Song 2 by Blur,” advises Andrew Goudie, as The geezer marches about the table potting balls. This is exactly what he needs, and though, if he gets there, I’d expect a twitch nearer the line, a burst here and he’ll plenty of scope to overcome it.
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Shaun Murphy 12-13 Wu Yize (1-14) Immediately, Wu goes at a long one, a settler to launch him into the session … and it won’t drop. So Shaun tidies, then sticks him behind the green; he escapes into the pack. Oh, and when El Mago catches the jaw of middle en route back to baulk, he leaves a starter, along with plenty of pottable balls, black out of commission but pink nicely available. This is visit (to the table) of monstrous proportions; if Wu makes something definitive, he’ll feel at home in the session but if he can’t take as presentable an opportunity as he can have hoped for, the toll could be heavy.
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Our players are ready. I’d like to say Wu looks excited, but he doesn’t, he looks uncertain – at best. Shaun, on the other hand, would embrace every member of the crowd if he could, before dancing on the table in a pink singlet. He loves these moments, believes they’re designed specifically for his delectation, and it’s time to go!
I wonder if Wu has taken any steps to address the nerves which keep undermining him. In his first ranking final, he trailed 7-1 to Neil Robertson, eventually losing 9-7; in his second, as open a goal as you’re getting against the lowest-ranked player to win one in decades, lost the first four frames to Lei Peifan. But in his third, he saw off John Higgins, so knows he’s capable; other hand, he doesn’t know he can close out a match of this magnitude.
So, to answer the original question, my sense is not, because not much has changed – we saw his long-game forsake him this afternoon – with the hope, presumably, that by not making a big thing of it, he’ll eventually achieve the self-mastery that eludes many of us much older than he. It seems to me that he’s trying to practise his way out of it, when perhaps a little bit more work training his mental would be more helpful.
Also going on:
Evening all; it all comes down to this, and we know what’s going to happen, yet don’t know what’s going to happen.
Allow me to explain: the story of the match tells us that if Wu plays well, he has just a little bit too much for Shaun, but if the situation gets big on him, Shaun will exploit that. That’s the bit we do know.
The bit we don’t know is which of those two eventualities will eventuate – and of course, it’s also possible Shaun, owner of some of the hottest streaks we’ve ever seen, happens upon one to the extent it doesn’t matter what Wu does. But what we’ve seen suggests the match-up favours the younger man, his long-potting a complete outrage and the key weapon in this contest.
Generally speaking, sporting commentary extols the fearlessness of youth, players able to perform naturally because the enormity of the occasion doesn’t register in the same way, their expectation that big opportunities will present themselves forever. Wu, though, forces us to confront the fragility of youth, the emotional maturity we tend not to develop until we’re older undermining the exuberant creativity that defines him.
One day, he’ll get hold of it, but so far that day is not today … so far.
In the meantime, though, we’ve got plenty for you to enjoy…
… but do join me again at 7pm BST for the staggering denouement. No one has a clue what’s going to happen, but we can all relax into the absolute certainty that something will. See you soon!
End of session two: Shaun Murphy 12-13 Wu Yize
A brilliant afternoon’s entertainment; the evening session is going to be very, very special.
Shaun Murphy 12-12 Wu Yize (5-86) Wu has played lovelily these last three frames, the long-potting which is so good it feels like cheating, returning after a brief holiday. He is five frames away form a first world title, and supplanting Shaun as the second-youngest man to win this competition.
Shaun Murphy 12-12 Wu Yize (5-61) Not on the blue as desired, Wu thrums it home … and lands on nowt. So, with 56 the lead, he sits down, 67 points left on the table … but is soon up again, an infelicitous kiss offering him a simple starter, and he’s going back in front, his stones asserting themselves to provide a platform for his genius.
Shaun Murphy 12-12 Wu Yize (5-35) A cut-back red off the top rail … takes Wu on to the blue, just, and he’s nicely grooved now, the lead his for the taking. He’s done brilliantly after losing four frames in a row, then another after regrouping at the interval, the gamut of emotions assaulting him exhausting even to contemplate.
Shaun Murphy 12-12 Wu Yize (5-8) We love the snook – the pursuit of sticking balls into bags – but what makes is special is the way it examines character, its players’ fears laid out for all to see. Wu has a look at a long one to right corner, considers whether he can afford to take it on given what he’ll leave if he misses … and flows a work of art into right corner. oh, and he also lands the white on the pink with, had he missed, every red safe. Brilliant shot, and I wonder how it must’ve felt the day he realised he could play like that; play like no one has ever played before.
Shaun Murphy 12-12 Wu Yize What a session this has been. Wu is now playing better than Shaun did while winning its first five frames, and I’ve not a clue what’s going to happen next,
Shaun Murphy 12-11 Wu Yize (1-59) The human brain is such a funny thing; Wu wasn’t nervous playing the final frame last evening, but was at the start today; this afternoon, nothing happened to get him going, but somehow he found a way. We’re going back level with one to come in the session, but whoever takes it, tonight is going to be spectacular.
Shaun Murphy 12-11 Wu Yize (1-44) At the start of this match, my sense was that it’d go deep, and that remains the case now … though Wu doesn’t quite sink a skinny one to left corner. So Shaun tidies, but he can’t land on a colour then, a few shots later, Wu decides he’s going at a long one … landing a banger. That’s why he’s the world’s best from distance, something that won’t be lost on El Mago, and The Geezer is back in business. “Wuuuuuuuuuuuuu!” as crowds will surely soon be chanting.
Shaun Murphy 12-11 Wu Yize (0-23) A delicious cut from middle to left corner gets Wu away again – finally, he’s relaxing into the session, his second red also excellent, the ball moving from right side to the same bag. His body language is much better now, his face no longer eating itself with anxiety, but he soon falls millimetres short of position, not quite bouncing enough off the top cushion, so again, it’s back to baulk.
Shaun Murphy 12-11 Wu Yize (0-12) Wu essays a longun; is he back in business? He is not, unable to force it down … but nor can Shaun, missing to corner before a kiss off the brown almost pots it into the yellow bag. Safety follows, the Wu goes at a long diag … clunking home a jazzer into the pocket, gorgeous shot. Has he found himself in the nick of time? Er no: he misjudges a stun run-through, cannoning a red he hoped to come around the back of, but the safety he finds next is pretty decent.
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Shaun Murphy 12-11 Wu Yize Finally, Wu is into the sesh and, whatever happens from here, he’ll be in the match come the evening dig. But he’ll want more…
Shaun Murphy 12-10 Wu Yize (0-79) Frame secure, Wu sets about clearing the table. Generally speaking, that doesn’t affect much, but here, my sense is he needs to sit down having potted everything, reminding himself of his own genius. He’s hitting his shots with much greater authority here, is The Geezer, and it’s beautiful to behold.
Shaun Murphy 12-10 Wu Yize (0-71) Leading by 64 with 67 left, Wu leaves himself a cut to left corner … which he caresses home nicely. It’s morning in Sheffield!
Shaun Murphy 12-10 Wu Yize (0-58) A dreadful misjudgment from Shaun hands Wu a chance, he gets away and a nice nudge off the pink opens everything. This really should be his first frame of the day – if it isn’t, you’ll really fear for him – but he knows that any miss and he leaves the world. This is the biggest visit of the tournament so far, and my heart is doing grime x jungle.
Shaun Murphy 12-10 Wu Yize (0-29) Needing to attack the pack, a prod with the rest leaves Wu the wrong side of the blue, so he takes the yellow, but without applying the power necessary to take him even to the cushion, never mind the cluster. So it’s a safety and back to baulk, sitting down having not missed an easy ball progress of sorts, with his lead worth having but a long way away from definitive.
Shaun Murphy 12-10 Wu Yize (0-26) All it’ll take to get Wu back going is one decent visit and, when Shaun misses the second of two long pots, he has a chance. So he goes hard at a diag to right corner, sinking it nicely, and even one frame won this afternoon will have him in contention tonight. But that’s a long way away, the stock of loose reds soon to run out.
Shaun Murphy 12-10 Wu Yize Shaun almost went out in round one, but he’s now a mere six frames from kissing the Silver Lady.
Shaun Murphy 11-10 Wu Yize (41-29) When Shaun came to the table, every ball went, but he’s clearing them away with zest and precision … then, as I type, a black wobbles on the edge of right corner … and drops. Wu will be feeling extremely nauseous and with good reason; this is going to be five out of five for The Magician.
Shaun Murphy 11-10 Wu Yize (22-37) A black off its spot … is missed. Oh my days, Wu is quietly imploding in front of our eyes here, and it’s not easy to watch. If Shaun were to win all four remaining frames this afternoon, the contest would feel over, but 3-1 would leave us at 14-11, just about retrievable with some of the pressure off.
Shaun Murphy 11-10 Wu Yize (7-29) Wu looks to cut one ball off another and into corner, but he doesn’t get close, allowing Shaun in; with pink and black tied up, he’ll need to use the blue … and he misses the first one! So, how is Wu feeling? Well, with that blue now on the side, he must get on to the black, stuck on its own cushion, because he can’t compile meaningfully with baulk colours. And he works his way on to it, a fortuitous kiss off a red bringing him into prime position, making this is now the most important visit of the match; can he handle knowing that?
“The Geezer will have been ‘desperate for the mid-session interval’,” says Simon McMahon. “God, I love that phrase.”
There’s something so conforming and reassuring about the sounds and rhythms of televised snook. I guess part of it is that they’ve not changed since my childhood, the refuge from boredom offered by wall-to-wall coverage – especially in the 80s when we only had four channels and I was an only child –which converted into the refuge they offered from exam": “Come on, one more frame then we’ll revise…”
Shaun Murphy 11-10 Wu Yize (6-0) Oh dear: another long pot, another long pot missed, and Wu just can’t do without the otherworldly skill that gets him in among the balls. He leaves a starter to middle, too, but Shaun – who, though he won four frames of four before the break, isn’t playing at close to his best – can’t take much advantage, soon running out of position so playing safe.
Our gladiators are back, and off we go again. Wu will have looked deep into his soul during the interval; what did he find there?
Watching Wu, it’s hard not to think back to being 22 and how little I knew then – without the aggravating factors of talent and pressure. I’m not surprised he’s struggling to manage his emotions, but I know he has the minerals to get hold of them; you don’t get to where he is, from where he started, without serious mental strength. The question is whether he’s quite learned how to tap into it.
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Goodness me, what a session we’ve got coming up. If Wu doesn’t improve, he might be nearly out of things at the end of it but, if he does, we could be set for one of the great evening digs.
We’ll be back in 15, Shaun having swept the mini-sesh; the worry for Wu is that he’s may well play even better now he has the lead.
Shaun Murphy 11-10 Wu Yize A tremendous final red allows Shaun to clear the table, an emphatic statement of superiority. You feel for Wu, who looks lonely sat at the side with just his thoughts and failings to company; in comms, they think he needs the practice table, but if i was him, I’d go for a shower and a change of clothes; he needs to make things feel different.
Shaun Murphy 10-10 Wu Yize (87-2) With one snooker required, Shaun runs out of position, but he’s soon back at the table potting, the frame – and lead – his. He’ll have known of Wu’s perviousness to pressure and, though he might’ve expected it to take effect a little later in the contest, he’ll be primed to exploit the situation.
Shaun Murphy 10-10 Wu Yize (59-2) When Shaun got in, it looked likely he’d secure the frame at this visit and he’s making very sure to do everything possible – there’s a calm authority in the way he’s pacing about the table, a little slower than usual. I hope Wu has someone in his corner with whom he can converse frankly, because there are few better front-runners than El Mago, who has several levels still to find.
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Shaun Murphy 10-10 Wu Yize (13-2) Another long ball, another miss from Wu, and when Shaun cuts into the same green bag, he has at his mercy a table with ready points available. This mini-session could not have gone worse for Wu, who’s had an absolute shocker; how does he get himself going for the second half of the afternoon, knowing a choke is in progress?
Shaun Murphy 10-10 Wu Yize (6-1) Wu clunks home starter but doesn’t do anything worthwhile with the white, forced to go off the side to hit the pink and needing two attempts to do it. Shaun hasn’t played great in this session, but he’s winning frames because his opponent just can’t get anything going.
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Shaun Murphy 10-10 Wu Yize Shaun levels the match and it’s now a race to eight.
Shaun Murphy 9-10 Wu Yize (62-13) Shaun secures the frame and with it, parity.
Shaun Murphy 9-10 Wu Yize (32-13) Shaun continues building, opening the pack nicely, off the brown, his confidence presumably rising in inverse proportion to Wu’s. OIsaid at the start of this match that I’m not sure the younger man is quite ready to win this tournament, and what we’ve seen so far this afternoon supports that.
Shaun Murphy 9-10 Wu Yize (20-13) Yup, Wu misses yet again – a much easier ball this time – playing like he’s not slept all night worrying about today, and Shaun will be able to smell it. He sinks a starter, tidies some loose balls, and if his spit works well, he’ll surely level us up.
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Shaun Murphy 9-10 Wu Yize (10-13) There we go! Wu crunches a jazzer to corner, adds the blue, then, a few shots later, tickles in a pressure-cut with the rest. All that does, though, is bring him on to a nasty black not dissimilar to the one Shaun missed in today’s opening frame, but a bit harder … and he too fails to see it away. He’ll be relieved that there aren’t many reds available but of course, that state of affairs won’t necessarily sustain … oh, and an undercut ball to left corner ends the break almost before it’s started … but Wu can’t get away to middle, both men struggling for their best form,
Shaun Murphy 9-10 Wu Yize (2-0) I mentioned yesterday that Wu has joined Mark J Williams as my favourite player, but I can’t help but be pleased he’s lost a couple of frames, because more than anything I want to enjoy a classic. I am, though, concerned when he botches another longun; Shaun punches into the pack, potting a red into right corner and right-middle but, on nowt, we’re immediately back playing safety.
Shaun Murphy 9-10 Wu Yize A run of 76 and this is getting serious.
Shaun Murphy 8-10 Wu Yize (66-9) Shaun secures the frame to go within one, but he’ll be eyeing a mini-session sweep; he can’t be wining two, then losing two.
Shaun Murphy 8-10 Wu Yize (51-9) Shaun quickly turns a chance into a chance to win the frame, and this is the start he wanted. He’ll soon be within a frame, upping the pressure on Wu yet further.
Shaun Murphy 8-10 Wu Yize (13-9) Two more long pots missed when, last evening, Wu was so good it was hard to process and, eventually, he leaves a plant for Shaun, who has the bit between his teeth now, setting about accumulating. But, more importantly, I’ve just realised who he looks like: Abobo from Double Dragon II on the Game Boy.
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Shaun Murphy 8-10 Wu Yize (0-5) How’re your nerves? Wu’s dangled another longun and this time … he spanks it home. But he soon loses the white, hanging in the break for one more shot before sneaking back to baulk, disappointed.
Shaun Murphy 8-10 Wu Yize Shaun looked by far the more relaxed man in that frame, and I’d expect him to put Wu under further pressure at the first available opportunity.
Shaun Murphy 7-10 Wu Yize (96-37) I wonder if, in that last exchange, Shaun saw a route to victory: as we saw yesterday, Wu isn’t great as escaping snookers, so I’d expect him to be put in more. Meantime, Il Mago sinks the final read, clears the table, and that’s a frame back.
Shaun Murphy 7-10 Wu Yize (72-37) Shaun leaves a snick to left corner but wu’s radar isn’t booted up yet; it’s the fourth such shot he’s missed in the frame, all of them by a way – though he gets second prize of a fluked snooker. The escape, though, is straightforward and, on his next visit, Shaun can go at a long one … which he drains nicely, before tucking in behind the brown. And, with the final red defended by blue and black, if Wu misses he’s almost certain to leave a free ball … but he hits the big dog, so it’s seven away and back in … to sneak through a tiny gap, great work. This frame is on a rolling boil now, the youngster botching yet another long pot – one you really expect him to take – punished with a snooker behind the pink, close to the side, with the red down the rail. Wu will need to deploy the swerve here, but he doesn’t get anywhere near with his first two goes, seeking to come off the bottom cushion, so he tries the side and hits the blue. The penalty points are piling up here, another miss takes Wu to within a foul of needing all the balls to tie … and it duly arrives, leaving a free ball. Shaun, though, refuses it, Wu finally hits, and the frame is almost over, the lead 35 with 35 left.
Shaun Murphy 7-10 Wu Yize (39-37) Shaun gets a red off the side then goes to remove another off the blue, but misses it by a way; end of break. So he sends a ball down the table, using the black to block off the white, and Wu’ll have to go some to hit either target, never mind get it safe; he plays it well, and this frame is maturing into a crucial battle of wits and skill.
Shaun Murphy 7-10 Wu Yize (10-37) That second chance Shaun spurned looked a goodun at the time and, as Wu works his way through the loose balls, he’ll be feeling extremely peaky. All the more so when a split looks to go badly, but in fact offers a jab, bridging awkwardly, to middle … and it’s there. The blue, though, needing cut to the green bag, isn’t easy, and you can see from contact that he’s overcut it, so Shaun returns to what is now a taxing table, well aware that he must find a way of winning this frame.
Shaun Murphy 7-10 Wu Yize (2-14) Tantalised with a longun, Wu refuses it – not words often typed – and I doubt they’ll be typed again anytime soon, given a poor safety that allows Shaun in for a starter … and no mo. But another error offers him further opportunity … and he overcuts his first black, catching the top rail before the pocket and stopping out accordingly. That could be a very big miss given the match-state, because there are plenty of points available and with them a four-frame lead.
“No idea about nicknames,” says Simon McMahon – yesterday, we were trying to find one for Wu – “but Shaun ‘The Magician’ Murphy must be thinking ‘Oh Mr Wu, what shall I do..?’”
I was musing on this this morning – do I prefer Wu “The Surgeon” Yize or Wu “The Scalpel” Yize? – and then it hit me: it can surely only be Wu “The Geezer” Yize.
A handshake, Shaun to break, and off he goes.
Here comes Wu, the applause no doubt for Rob Walker as much as for him. And now it’s Shaun’s go; he waves and rotates at the top of his mark, then goes again on the plinth. He absolutely loves it.
Rob Walker is talking to himself; I’m certain we’ve noticed him, but he’s still going.
So what’s going to happen today? Well, the power is with Wu, whose long-potting might just be the best we’ve ever seen. Zhao Xintong mid-rangers wowed us last year, brilliant once you’re in, but the deadliness from range makes him a brutal proposition because almost nothing can ever be safe.
And that is what’s foxing Shaun, who usually has the advantage in that area; so far, he’s not found an antidote that enables him to do his thing while keeping his opponent out. I’m sure Peter Ebdon will have shared some thoughts on the matter but, more or less he needs to play lights-out to win from here – though there’s a strong chance that, if he nears the finish line, Wu gets nervous, because he’s got form.
During Wu’s marathon frame with Mark Allen, my pal Jaron came up with a solution: if there’s that kind of stalemate, you re-rack, but only the balls remaining, keeping the scores as the are. To me, that’s foolproof, but if we’re missing something, let us know.
Preamble
Human beings are born with hope – we all have ambitions and desires when we’re young, then life and reality coach them out of us. So on the odd occasion we come across someone with the talent and drive, ego and discipline to withstand the onslaught, it’s moving: they’re not just fulfilling themselves but us, our pain and desperation converted into tranquility and joy.
In that sense, sport is one of the more worthy activities we can pursue, teaching us to celebrate others with full hearts – to see our species as one – which, in these divided times, means a lot. The snooker won’t heal us, but goodness me, it’s up there with the best we have to offer ourselves by way of comfort.
Wu Yize is a 22-year-old from Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu province in China’s north west. He is not someone you’d expect to read about in the pages of a British newspaper – however outward looking – except he’s also a genius of preternatural precision and unique flair through whom we understand more of a world that would otherwise be hidden from us. He begins today with the dream that animates his life a mere eight frames away … and the knowledge that consequently, things may become too much for him, leading to its brutal confiscation.
Which brings us on to Shaun Murphy, a potter of rare aesthetic perfection, who claimed his one world title when Wu was a baby. Since then, he’s lost three finals, dealing with myriad form losses and confidence crises, fearing he’d never again reach the pinnacle of the game without ever losing the courage to give it everything he has. That is not easily done, trading the ambiguity of easy refuge for the certainty of not being good enough and, at 10-7 down, he is once again daring himself to attack his own failure.
Or, in other words, whatever happens next, the enduring beauty of humanity is right here, waiting to absorb us in its embrace. The least we can do is reciprocate.
Play: 1pm BST
