Murphy and Wu set up grandstand finish at World Snooker Championship final

Wu and Murphy will return on Monday evening (19:00BST) for the conclusion of the final, with 18 frames being the target.

After the opening session on Sunday afternoon was shared, Wu played beautifully in the evening act a few hours later to establish a 10-7 overnight lead heading into today’s penultimate session.

The Chinese youngster - aiming to go back-to-back for his country after Zhao Xintong’s historic success here last year - had a chance to extend his advantage in the opening frame but broke down after missing a blue into a corner pocket. Murphy got back into the frame and it was in the balance with just two reds left.

The crucial juncture was Murphy - who would have been desperate for a fast start - putting his rival into a difficult snooker on the final red which lead to him receiving a bucket load of penalty points before later going on to take the frame.

Aiming to claim his second world crown 21 years on from his first when he was a young qualifier, Murphy then made a 76 to reduce his deficit further before a 52 in frame 20 helped him square up the tie at 10-10.

World number 10 Wu - a Crucible seed for the first time this year - was struggling to get going, and Murphy was taking advantage, fashioning breaks of 59 and 55 to go ahead, before making it five-in-a-row following the interval with the aid of a 60 after his opponent missed a black off its spot when well-placed.

These were worrying times for Wu supporters with their man two frames adrift for the first time in the final, but the 22-year-old - who can become the second youngest-ever winner of the world title - flipped the contest again during the closing stages of the afternoon.

Having lost the first five frames of the session, he won the last three along with runs of 64 and 61 to nudge back in front at 13-12. During those final three frames, Murphy scored just a total of six points.

We are set for a grandstand finish at the Crucible on Monday; the last time the world championship final went to a deciding frame was 2002 when Peter Ebdon - who is in Murphy’s corner today - ousted Stephen Hendry by the barest of margins.

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 World Snooker Championship, visit our tournament information centre here.