In a thrilling final that went down to the wire, 22-year-old Chinese snooker player Wu Yize defeated Shaun Murphy 18-17 to win the 2026 World Snooker Championship early on May 5 Beijing time. With this victory, Wu became the second Chinese player to lift the prestigious trophy, following Zhao Xintong’s triumph last year, and the first player born in the 2000s to claim the world title.
“I’ve been working hard for a long time. I’m really happy to have played so well today,” Wu said after the match. When asked about his celebration plans, the young man from Lanzhou, Gansu province, laughed: “I’ve been nervous since before the tournament started. I just want to get a good night’s sleep.”
The final was a classic, going to a deciding frame for the first time since 2002. Wu’s win makes him the second-youngest champion in the event’s history, behind only Stephen Hendry, who was 21 when he won in 1990.
“We played a great match earlier this season in China, and I said then that Wu would become world champion one day,” Murphy said after the match. “I don’t like it, but I was right.”
Wu’s parents were in the audience to witness their son’s triumph. Since he turned professional at 17, they have fully supported his dream. Now, the young man who arrived in Sheffield three years ago and lived in a windowless apartment with his father has reached the top of the sport. His parents wept tears of joy.
“My parents are the real champions! Dad has been by my side ever since I decided to pursue snooker, and Mom has been through so much over the years,” Wu said, thanking his family. “They are my source of strength, and I love them very much.”
### A Journey from Lanzhou to Glory
Wu Yize was born on October 14, 2003, in Lanzhou. He started playing snooker at age 7 and quickly showed remarkable talent. When he outgrew junior competition at 13, his father Wu Jiepin made a life-changing decision in 2016: he sold their only home in Lanzhou and used all the money to fund his son’s professional training. The family moved south to Dongguan, a city with a strong snooker tradition.
In Dongguan, Wu trained at the Ding Junhui Snooker Academy. His father worked odd jobs to cover the annual training costs of over 100,000 yuan, never complaining about the hardship. This period laid the foundation for Wu’s professional career.
In 2019, Wu underwent an intensive three-month training camp at the Guangfu Snooker Club in Changping, Dongguan. He lived and trained at the club, honing his skills against world-class players. His coach recalled that the young man was “gifted, quick to learn, hardworking, and extremely focused.”
After the camp, Wu left for England to pursue his professional dream. His early days in Sheffield were tough: he shared a windowless apartment with his father and slept on the same bed. The annual training and living expenses exceeded 200,000 yuan, and his father worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. Asked about those days years later, Wu said calmly: “I didn’t think it was hard, because I knew what I wanted.”
The answer came in 2026. Earlier in the season, Wu stunned the snooker world by winning his first ranking title at the International Championship, coming back from 0-4 down against world number one Judd Trump in the last 16 and defeating Zhao Xintong in the semifinals before beating John Higgins in the final. His world ranking soared into the top 16.
At this year’s World Championship, Wu’s performance was even more spectacular. He defeated four-time world champion Mark Selby, Iranian “dark horse” Hossein Vafaei, and came back from 14-16 down in the semifinals against Mark Allen, saving two match points to win 17-16. In the 35-frame final, he sealed the victory with a break of 85 in the deciding frame. From a small table in Changping to the spotlight of the Crucible, Wu Yize wrote his own legend with ten years of determination.
### Dongguan: The Cradle of Chinese Snooker Champions
Dongguan, a manufacturing hub in Guangdong, has become an undeniable cradle for Chinese snooker talent. Both of China’s two world champions – Zhao Xintong and now Wu Yize – have deep ties to the city. According to Huang Zhufeng, president of the Dongguan Billiards Association, more than 70% of China’s professional snooker players have trained in Dongguan, with the figure rising to 90% among top young players under 21.
Wu’s victory not only adds another chapter to Chinese snooker history but also shines a spotlight on Dongguan’s role in developing the sport. With top-tier tournaments, training platforms, and a complete youth development system, the city is solidifying its reputation as the “cradle of snooker champions,” contributing to the high-quality development of sports in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.