Chinese snooker player Wu Yize poses with the trophy wearing the Chinese national flag, after winning the World Snooker Championship defeating England's Shaun Murphy in Sheffield, England, on May 4, 2026. Photo: VCG

China's prize snooker player Wu Yize claimed his first world title in dramatic fashion on Monday, defeating veteran Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a deciding-frame thriller at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, the UK.

The 22-year-old became the second-youngest champion in Crucible history and only the second player from China to win the sport's most prestigious title, following Zhao Xintong's breakthrough triumph in 2025.

The contest between Wu and Murphy swung repeatedly, with the score tied at 14-14, 15-15 and 16-16 before both players forced a deciding frame, the first Crucible final to be decided in a final frame since 2002. 

Speaking after the match, Wu, who turned professional in 2021, said that the title was the product of relentless determination and a long-held dream of becoming world champion.

"It was belief that kept me going," Wu said. "I have always wanted to win the World Championship. During this tournament, nobody wanted it more than I did. Day after day, for more than a month, I lived the same life. I was willing to give everything to achieve it."

Wu also became emotional when reflecting on the sacrifices made by his parents throughout his career.

"My sincere thanks to my parents," he said. "They are the real champions. From the moment I left school as a child, my father has been with me all the way. My mother has also gone through so much over the years. They will always be my spiritual strength."

Murphy, the 2005 world champion, was gracious in defeat.

"I'd like to be the first to congratulate Wu," Murphy said after the final. "I hate being right, I said sometime earlier in the season... that he will be the world champion one day. It's just a real shame that it was today." 

China's top snooker governing body, the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association, praised Wu's victory as both a personal breakthrough and a defining moment for the sport in the country.

In a congratulatory letter, the association praised Wu's performance in the final, noting that his "precise long potting, scoring consistency and control in key moments" enabled him to overcome Murphy and "write a new chapter in Chinese snooker history."

Beyond the result, the association emphasized the broader significance of the win, describing Wu's resilience in long-format, high-intensity matches as a reflection of the strength and spirit of China's new generation of players.

Wu's triumph, it said, would "enhance China's competitiveness and influence in international snooker, inspire national pride, and encourage more young people to take up the sport."

Chinese snooker trailblazer Ding Junhui also hailed Wu's win.

"Congratulations to Wu on winning the 2026 World Snooker Championship! I'm happy for you, and proud of how far Chinese snooker has come," Ding wrote on Sina ­Weibo after Wu's win.

"From Zhao to Wu, Chinese players have stood on the top of the podium at the World Championship for two consecutive years. This is not just a breakthrough, it signals that our era is arriving," Ding said.

To further hone his snooker skills, Wu's father Jiepin led then 16-year-old Wu to the UK. Initially the duo lived in Sheffield in a windowless apartment, which was so small that they had to share a bed, according to the World Snooker Tour. 

Wu had never won a match at the Crucible before this year, losing in the first round in his previous appearances in 2023 and 2025.

Victories over Lei Peifan, Mark Selby and Hossein Vafaei at the 2026 world championship put him into the semifinals, where he won a thrilling battle against Mark Allen 17-16, before the final against Murphy.

"I will always love you [snooker] sincerely, truly and completely," Wu posted after his win on Sina Weibo with photos of him holding the World Snooker Championship trophy on Tuesday. 

Seven-time snooker world champion Stephen Hendry, who is tied with Ronnie O'Sullivan for the record of most titles, posted a throw-back picture on Instagram that drew applause on Chinese social media as well. 

The picture showed Hendry, who is dubbed The King of the Crucible, in 2012 visiting Lanzhou, Northwest China's Gansu Province, where Wu is from, to participate in a Chinese eight-ball competition. Wu, who was just 8 years old at the time, was brought to the competition as his parents wanted to ask Hendry for advice. 

Chinese sports commentators highlighted Wu's control in key moments and composure under pressure, seeing it as evidence that China's young players are now equipped for long-format elite competition.

"Wu showed composure beyond his age throughout the final," Zhang Bin, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times. 

"He withstood the most suffocating pressure of a final-frame decider ever seen at the Crucible. I believe it will inspire a new rise of China's new generation of snooker players."