Impressive Wu Yize leads World Snooker Championship final after opening day at the Crucible

Chinese youngster Wu - who before this year had never won a match at the Crucible - is eight more frames away from collecting snooker’s ultimate prize and going back-to-back for his country after compatriot Zhao Xintong’s trailblazing success here twelve months ago.

It was a quick turnaround for both players who were back on the grand stage in Sheffield a day after their epic semi-final exploits; Murphy took the final four frames to oust four-time world champion John Higgins 17-15, while Wu pipped Mark Allen in a late night deciding frame after one of the most extraordinary contests that the near 100-year blue riband competition has seen.

It was Wu who got off to an ideal start on the biggest day of his fledgling snooker career as he opened up a 3-0 lead over an opponent twenty years his senior in the final’s first session on Sunday afternoon.

But a previously frustrated Murphy - appearing in his fifth world final and aiming to secure his second world crown after his heroics in 2005 as a young qualifier - got on the scoreboard before the mid-session interval, and then strung together three frames on resumption to flip the narrative for a 4-3 lead.

However, Wu managed to stop the rot by winning the last frame of the session to restore parity at 4-4. Afternoon session report here.

After an indifferent performance in the afternoon - perhaps exhausted after the previous night’s dramatic climax - Wu looked refreshed and purposeful in the evening, getting away quickly with a break of 82 to nudge back in front, before his first century of the final - a 103 - put him two clear at 6-4 up.

World number nine Murphy responded with an effort of 72 to half his deficit, but Wu re-established his buffer by taking frame 12.

Returning after the mid-session break, momentum stayed with Wu, who continued to grow stronger with a one-visit contribution of 89 for 8-5 - the first time he'd been three clear since 3-0.

Needing to stay in touch with his fearless rival, current British Open champion Murphy fully capitalised from an opening red fluke, crafting a 70 en route to depositing frame 14, but Wu guaranteed himself an overnight lead with a crucial 60 in the fifteenth.

Englishman Murphy won the next for 9-7 to set up a massive final frame of the day during which he got in first with a 39 before running out position and electing to play safe.

But a few shots later, with the cueball near the baulk cushion, Wu conjured up one of his signature long reds and went on to fashion an incredible clearance of 91 to re-open a three-frame gap heading into Monday afternoon’s third session (13:00BST start).

Victory for 22-year-old Wu would see him become the second youngest-ever winner of the world snooker title, only behind seven-time Crucible conqueror Stephen Hendry who claimed the first of his crowns as a 21-year-old in 1990.

Murphy has serious work to do if he wants to realise his ambition of joining a very exclusive club of multiple-time world champions; he would be only the 14th in the history of the Championship, and the 7th to have more than one Crucible accolade.

But ‘The Magician’ does have previous in this situation; he was 10-6 down to Matthew Stevens in the 2005 final before coming back to triumph 18-16.

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