Wu Yize opened up a 10-7 lead over Shaun Murphy in the World Championship final, positioning himself to become the second-youngest player to be crowned a Crucible champion. The 22-year-old is three months younger than Murphy was when he won his only world title in 2005, and would only trail Stephen Hendry, who was 21 when he first triumphed in 1990. Should Wu maintain his lead against the Englishman on Monday, he would also follow in Zhao Xintong’s footsteps to become the second successive winner from China. Based on Sunday’s second session, this is becoming a realistic prospect for a player who moved to Sheffield from his home city of Lanzhou with his father at 16 years old to pursue his dream. Wu made a scintillating start to the evening, resuming at 4-4 after an afternoon session that was briefly interrupted by a female spectator jumping over the front-row barrier before referee Rob Spencer and security intervened to remove her. Breaks of 82 and 103 gave him a two-frame advantage. While Murphy, who had earlier recovered from 3-0 down, hit back with a 72, it appeared he was struggling to stem the flow of his opponent. Murphy, 43, who aims to set a new record for the longest gap between first and second titles, openly admitted that Wu had dominated him at the Masters in January, albeit in a best-of-11 contest. Having never won a match in his two previous visits to the Crucible before this year, Wu has so far answered every question posed of him in the longer format. His ability to execute a barrage of long pots helped him achieve runs of 89 and 66 as he won three of the next four frames. During that period, a spectator was asked to leave the arena after their phone alarm went off while Murphy was about to play a shot just after the start of the 15th frame. Murphy refused to buckle, responding again after an outrageous plant helped him take the 16th frame to get back to 9-7. However, with Murphy seemingly in control of the day’s concluding frame, Wu executed a trademark long red, fraught with danger, to kick-start a wonderful contribution of 91, giving him a healthy overnight advantage. Their best-of-35 final resumes on Monday at 13:00 BST, live on BBC Two.
Analysis: Wu ‘Scaring Life Out of Everyone He Plays’
Stephen Hendry, seven-time world champion, speaking on BBC Two, commented: “It’s harder [trailing overnight] but Shaun has got that kind of game that can win bunches of frames in no time at all. He’s got that in him. Wu has just got to be careful that he doesn’t think he’s won it already. The people who are with him – keep his feet on the ground tonight.” Steve Davis, six-time world champion, also on BBC Two, added: “There is a long, long way to go but he is in front overnight and you can’t ask for more than that. From Shaun’s perspective, he has to hope Wu Yize gives him more chances. He is scaring the life out of everyone he plays. I think it’s going to be a tough day for Shaun Murphy.”
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