Wu Yize beat Shaun Murphy 18-17 to win the World Snooker Championship and his historic victory has caused a huge stir

09:34, 05 May 2026

Chinese media have warned that Wu Yize’s World Snooker Championship final win over Shaun Murphy is a sign of the country’s new era of dominance in the sport.

Wu, 22, defeated 2005 world champion Murphy 18-17 in Monday’s thrilling final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The epic showdown was the tournament’s first 35th-frame decider since 2002, making Wu the second youngest champion ever while earning him a substantial £500,000 prize alongside the sport’s most prestigious trophy.

Wu also became the second Chinese player in succession to claim the world title, following compatriot Zhao Xintong’s historic success in 2025, when he became the first Chinese star to achieve the feat. China’s recent rise to the top has unsurprisingly triggered a surge in snooker’s popularity across the nation, as demonstrated by the reaction to Wu’s achievement following the Sheffield showpiece.

No one encapsulated that feeling more than Chinese trailblazer Ding Junhui, who reached the final himself back in 2016. Ding fired a warning to the rest of the snooker world on Chinese social media app Weibo, writing: “This is not just a breakthrough, rather our era is approaching now! Happy for you and proud that Chinese snooker can make it to this day.”

Another Weibo user agreed, commenting: “Now we’re welcoming the golden age of Chinese snooker.”

Support online also came in the form of congratulations from another Chinese star, last year’s winner Zhao. Zhao, who crashed out of this year’s tournament to Murphy, wrote on social media: “This is Chinese snooker, congratulations Wu Yize.”

The hashtag “Wu Yize wins the World Championship” had gathered more than 40million views on Weibo by Tuesday morning, briefly leading the site’s list of trending topics. A photograph from 2012 of an eight-year-old Wu with Stephen Hendry in Lanzhou also resurfaced online, with a related hashtag attracting 2.9million views.

A separate hashtag referencing Wu’s father selling the family home in Lanzhou, in north-west China, to fund his son’s snooker ambitions had amassed 18million views by midday on Tuesday. Wu’s dad had also closed his antique shop so he could accompany his son as they travelled the country and later moved to Sheffield together.

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Wu’s parents were moved to tears during Monday’s trophy ceremony as snooker’s newest star described them as the “true champions”. He said: “Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been at my side. My mum has also gone through a lot over the years. They are the source of my strength. I love them so much.”

The Dongguan Billiards Association, where Wu trained in 2019 and which has helped develop elite Chinese players, including Ding, also offered its congratulations. A statement read: “Your growth from a young dreamer to a world champion is… a testament to the vigorous rise of a new generation of Chinese snooker strength.”

Wu, who draped himself in the Chinese flag following his victory, also received congratulations from the official Communist Party newspaper, People’s Daily.