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Wu Yize

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Chinese name, the family name is Wu (吴).

Wu Yize
Wu in 2026
Born (2003-10-14) 14 October 2003 (age 22)
Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Sport country China
Professional2021–present
Highest ranking4 (May 2026)
Current ranking 4 (as of 5 May 2026)
Maximum breaks1
Century breaks146 (as of 4 May 2026)
Tournament wins
Ranking2
World Champion2026
Wu Yize
Simplified Chinese吴宜泽
Traditional Chinese吳宜澤
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWú Yízé
IPA[ǔ ǐ.tsɤ̌]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationǸgh Yìh Jaahk
JyutpingNg⁴ Ji⁴ Zaak⁶

Wu Yize (Chinese: 吴宜泽; pinyin: Wú Yízé, approximately OO EE-TSUH; born 14 October 2003) is a Chinese professional snooker player who is the reigning World Snooker Champion.

Born in Lanzhou in the Gansu province of northwestern China, Wu began training at the Yushan International Billiards Academy at age 11. He moved to Sheffield, England, with his father at age 16 and turned professional in 2021, aged 17. He won his first ranking title at the 2025 International Championship by defeating John Higgins 10–6 in the final, which enabled him to enter the top 16 in the snooker world rankings. He reached the semi-finals of the 2026 Masters on his debut and made his first maximum break in professional competition during the 2026 Championship League.

At the 2026 World Snooker Championship, Wu made his third appearance at the main stage of the tournament, having lost in the first round in 2023 and 2025. He defeated Mark Allen 17–16 in the semi-finals and Shaun Murphy 18–17 in the final to win his second ranking title and first world title. He became the second World Champion from Asia, following his compatriot Zhao Xintong the previous year, and the second-youngest winner in professional snooker history, after Stephen Hendry in 1990. Following his World Championship victory, he reached a career high of fourth in the world rankings.

Early life

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From Lanzhou in the Gansu province of northwestern China, Wu showed aptitude for snooker from a young age, and was taken by his father to the Yushan International Billiards Academy to work with the Australian coach Roger Leighton at the age of 11.[1] He relocated to the UK with his father at the age of 16 to pursue a snooker career, and was based in Sheffield.[2] He stayed in a single windowless room with his father after they had moved, leaving his ill mother in China.[2]

Career

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Wu Yize won the IBSF U-21 World Championship in 2018 when he was just 14 years old, defeating Pongsakorn Chongjairak from Thailand 6–4 in the final.[3] He was given a wildcard entry to the professional 2019 International Championship, where he lost 5–6 to John Higgins. He made the last 32 of the 2019 Six-red World Championship, after progressing through the group stage. He again faced Higgins, this time losing 4–6. At the 2019 World Open, he faced Luca Brecel, losing 2–5 but making breaks of 85 and 130.[4]

2021–2024: Turning professional and 'rookie of the year'

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Due to the suspension of the regular CBSA China Tour during the COVID-19 pandemic, a special professional qualification selection tournament was held in April 2021 at the CBSA World Snooker Academy in Beijing. Wu competed in the first of two events and successfully secured his professional status by defeating Pa Ruke 4–1 in the final round of the selection process, gaining a tour card for the 2021–22 and 2022–23 snooker seasons.[5][6] In May 2022, at the end of his debut season, he was given the World Snooker Tour's 'Rookie of the Year' award following three last-32 ranking event appearances.[7]

At the 2022 European Masters in August 2022, he defeated Luca Brecel, Rory McLeod and Ryan Day to progress to the quarter-finals for the first time before being defeated by Ali Carter.[8] During qualifying for the 2023 World Snooker Championship, Wu defeated Allan Taylor and compatriot Tian Pengfei, before facing the 2023 Snooker Shoot-Out champion Chris Wakelin. He came back from 1–5 and 4–7 down to beat Wakelin 10–8 in the final qualifying round to reach the main stage of the World Snooker Championship for the first time.[9] Wu was defeated in the opening round 3–10 by Neil Robertson.[10] In October 2023, he reached the semi-final of the 2023 Wuhan Open.[11]

On 18 June 2024, he won his round robin group at the Championship League.[12] he reached the last-32 at the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters where he lost to Judd Trump on a deciding frame despite having a 4-0 lead.[13][14] At the 2024 English Open, he reached his first ranking final with wins over Judd Trump, Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter.[15][16] In the final, he faced Neil Robertson, recovering from 1–7 behind, to 7–8, but lost the final 7–9.[17] The following month he reached the last-16 of the Wuhan Open.[18] In December 2024, he reached the semi-finals of the 2024 Snooker Shoot Out losing 37–32 to Tom Ford.[19] The following week, he reached the final of the 2024 Scottish Open.[20][21] He concluded the 2024–25 season by qualifying for the 2025 World Snooker Championship with a 10–9 victory over Matthew Stevens in the final round of qualification.[22] In the first round at main stage, he was defeated 8–10 by Mark Williams.[23]

2025–2026: World Championship win

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Wu at the 2025 German Masters

He topped his round-robin group at the 2025 Championship League in July 2025, going unbeaten against Craig Steadman, Wang Yuchen and Kreishh Gurbaxani.[24] In September 2025, he reached the last-16 of the English Open before losing to Mark Selby.[25] In the last-16 of the 2025 International Championship in November 2025, he came from 0–4 down to defeat Judd Trump 6–4 before completing a whitewash over Barry Hawkins 6–0 and reached his third ranking final with a 9–6 win over reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong.[26][27][28] He won his first ranking title beating John Higgins 10–6 in the final. He made fourteen century breaks during the tournament.[29] This win moved him into the top 16 for the first time in his career.[30]

Wu reached 13th in the world snooker rankings, allowing him to play at the Masters in January 2026. He defeated defending champion Shaun Murphy 6–2 in the first round, before reaching the semi-finals with a whitewash victory over Xiao Guodong. Reaching the semi-final on his debut, he lost a deciding frame against Kyren Wilson.[31][32][33] In the 2026 Championship League, Wu scored the first maximum break of his career in a 3–1 win over Oliver Lines.[34] He went on to reach the final at the event, losing to Selby.[35] In February, he reached the semi-final at the 2026 Welsh Open, as he came back from 1–4 behind to win 5–4 against Jiang Jun.[36]

Playing as a seeded player for the first time, he secured his first win at the main stage of the World Championships with a 10–2 victory over compatriot Lei Peifan in the first round of the 2026 World Snooker Championship.[37] He then completed victories over Mark Selby and Hossein Vafaei to reach the semi-final.[38] During his semi-final against Mark Allen he was involved in the longest frame ever recorded at the main stage of the World Championships, more than one hour and forty minutes. He went on to win the match in a deciding frame, securing his position in the final against Shaun Murphy.[39] He triumphed in the final, winning 18–17 in a deciding frame to become the second-youngest World Champion in snooker history.[40]

Performance and rankings timeline

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Tournament 2017/
18 		2018/
19 		2019/
20 		2021/
22 		2022/
23 		2023/
24 		2024/
25 		2025/
26 		2026/
27
Ranking[nb 1] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 3] 69 49 39 20 4
Ranking tournaments
Championship League Non-Ranking Event A RR RR 2R 2R
China Open A LQ Tournament Not Held
Wuhan Open Tournament Not Held SF 3R LQ
English Open A A A 1R 2R 1R F 3R
British Open Not Held 2R LQ 1R 1R 1R
Xi'an Grand Prix Tournament Not Held LQ 2R
Northern Ireland Open A A A LQ LQ LQ 1R 2R
International Championship A A LQ Not Held LQ 2R W
UK Championship A A A 3R LQ LQ 2R 2R
Shoot Out A A A A 1R 1R SF 2R
Scottish Open A A A 1R LQ LQ F 3R
German Masters A A A LQ LQ LQ QF WD
World Grand Prix Did Not Qualify 1R 2R QF
Players Championship Did Not Qualify 1R 1R
Welsh Open A A A LQ 1R 1R 2R SF
World Open A A LQ Not Held 2R 2R SF
Tour Championship NH Did Not Qualify 1R 1R
World Championship A A LQ LQ 1R LQ 1R W
Non-ranking tournaments
Shanghai Masters R A 1R Not Held A A 1R
The Masters Did Not Qualify SF
Championship League Did Not Participate F
Former ranking tournaments
Saudi Arabia Masters Tournament Not Held 5R 5R NH
China Championship A A LQ Tournament Not Held
Turkish Masters Not Held 2R Tournament Not Held
Gibraltar Open A A A WD Tournament Not Held
WST Classic Tournament Not Held 2R Not Held
European Masters A A A 2R QF 2R Not Held
Former non-ranking tournaments
Six-red World Championship A A 2R NH LQ Not Held
Haining Open 3R 1R 2R A F Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) 		QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Held means an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Event means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event means an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Event means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
  1. ^ It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
  2. ^ a b c He was an amateur
  3. ^ New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking

Career finals

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Ranking finals: 4 (2 titles)

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Legend
World Championship (1–0)
Other (1–2)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref
Runner-up 1. 2024 English Open Australia Neil Robertson 7–9 [41]
Runner-up 2. 2024 Scottish Open China Lei Peifan 5–9 [42]
Winner 1. 2025 International Championship Scotland John Higgins 10–6 [43]
Winner 2. 2026 World Snooker Championship England Shaun Murphy 18–17 [44][45]

Non-ranking finals: 2

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Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref
Runner-up 1. 2023 Haining Open China Yuan Sijun 1–5 [46]
Runner-up 2. 2026 Championship League Invitational England Mark Selby 1–3 [47]

Amateur finals: 1 (1 title)

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Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref
Winner 1. 2018 IBSF World Under-21 Championship Thailand Pongsak Chongjairak 6–4 [48]

References

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  1. ^ Ostlere, Lawrence (29 April 2026). "Who is Wu Yize? China's 'new superstar' tipped by Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the World Snooker Championship". The Independent. Archived from the original on 30 April 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  2. ^ a b Sutcliffe, Steve (5 May 2026). "The family sacrifices that helped Wu become world champion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  3. ^ Pathak, Vivek (11 July 2018). "Wu Yize wins World Under-21 Snooker Championship". ibsf.info. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Ones To Watch – Wu Yize". World Snooker. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  5. ^ "斯诺克职业资格选拔赛第一站张健康吴宜泽获胜" [Zhang Jiankang and Wu Yize win the first stop of the Snooker Professional Qualification Selection Tournament]. Sina Sports (in Chinese). 15 April 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  6. ^ "CBSA Qualifiers 2021: Event One Results". WPBSA. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Robertson Named Player Of The Year". wst.tv. 16 May 2022. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  8. ^ "China's players eliminated before Final Four at European Masters". china.org.cn. Xinhua News Agency. 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022.
  9. ^ "End Of An Era For Hawkins And Maguire". wst.tv. 11 April 2023. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Record breaking Robertson thrashes Wu". World Snooker Tour. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Wuhan Open 2023: Judd Trump thrashes Wu Yize to reach final and set up all-English clash with Ali Carter". Eurosport. 14 October 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  12. ^ "O'Donnell edges Walden with strong finish". wst.tv. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Wu tops Trump for first time". wst.tv. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Trump looking for flights home before remarkable comeback". BBC SPORT. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  15. ^ "BetVictor English Open Monday evening roundup". wst.tv. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  16. ^ Southby, Ben (20 September 2024). "English Open 2024: Judd Trump stunned in Brentwood as Wu Yize reaches second career ranking semi-final". Eurosport. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Robertson survives Wu comeback to win English Open". BBC Sport. 22 September 2024. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Wuhan Open day three evening roundup". wst.tv. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Snooker Shoot Out 2024: Tom Ford beats Liam Graham to win maiden title in Leicester - 'I've won two games all season'". Eurosport. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Scottish Open 2024: Wu Yize wins four frames in a row to beat Xiao Guodong and reach final". Eurosport. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  21. ^ "Scottish Open 2024: Wu Yize edges past Chris Wakelin in decider, Xiao Guodong sends Luca Brecel out in bizarre clash". Eurosport. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  22. ^ "Wu beats Stevens in thriller to reach Crucible". wst.tv. 16 April 2025. Archived from the original on 17 April 2025. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  23. ^ "Mark Williams outlasts Wu Yize to make World Snooker Championship last 16". The Guardian. 20 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  24. ^ Caulfield, David (3 July 2025). "Wu Yize and Ricky Walden advance in first ranking event". Snookerhq.com. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  25. ^ "English Open recap - Mark Allen comes from behind to eliminate Ding Junhui after Elliot Slessor shocks Judd Trump in last 16". TNT Sport. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  26. ^ "Superb Wu fightback sends Trump out in Nanjing". BBC Sport. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  27. ^ "Zhao beats Selby, Wu dazzles, and Scots into semi-final". BBC Sport. 6 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  28. ^ "Wu reaches third ranking final". wst.tv. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  29. ^ Day, Michael (9 November 2025). "Wu Yize wins maiden ranking event title at the International Championship". Totally Snookered. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  30. ^ "Johnstone's Paint World Rankings update: Wu earns place in York". wst.tv. 10 November 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  31. ^ "Murphy & Selby lose on thrilling Masters first day". BBC Sport. 11 January 2026. Archived from the original on 12 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  32. ^ "Wu wipes the floor with Xiao and books place in Masters semi with 6-0 rout". The Guardian. 16 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  33. ^ "Masters Snooker: Wilson beats Wu 6-5 to reach final". BBC Sport. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  34. ^ "Wu and Xiao make Championship League maximums". wst.tv. 21 January 2026. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  35. ^ "Mark Selby wins Championship League for record third straight year as Ali Carter ends Jimmy White's World Open snooker hopes". TNT Sports. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  36. ^ "Wu fights back to beat Jiang and reach semis". 28 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  37. ^ "Wonderful Wu scores first Crucible win". wst.tv. 21 April 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  38. ^ "Sensation Wu into semi-finals". wst. 29 April 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  39. ^ Ostler, Lawrence (1 May 2026). "'An embarrassment to snooker': Pundits fume as Mark Allen and Wu Yize play out longest frame in Crucible history". The Independent. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  40. ^ Sutcliffe, Steve (4 May 2026). "Wu beats Murphy in decider to win world title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  41. ^ "Robertson holds off Wu in thrilling final". World Snooker Tour. 22 September 2024. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  42. ^ "Underdog Lei lands maiden crown". World Snooker Tour. 15 December 2024. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  43. ^ "'Total star' Wu beats Higgins for first title". BBC Sport. 9 November 2025. Archived from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  44. ^ Spiers, Tim (4 May 2026). "Wu Yize becomes second-youngest snooker world champion after 10-hour match". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  45. ^ Sutcliffe, Steve (3 May 2026). "World Snooker Championship 2026: Wu Yize wins final - who is snooker's new superstar?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  46. ^ "Haining Open". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023.
  47. ^ "Home of World Snooker".
  48. ^ "Past Champions". International Billiards and Snooker Federation. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
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