China's Wu, 22, beats Murphy in deciding frame to win world title

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The moment Wu Yize clinched the 2026 world title

Wu Yize became the second-youngest player to be crowned a Crucible champion, defeating Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a compelling World Championship final.

In a contest brimming with drama, Wu and Murphy served up the first final-frame decider since Peter Ebdon beat Stephen Hendry in 2002.

It is only the fourth time the showpiece match has reached a concluding frame since the tournament moved to what is now regarded as its spiritual home in 1977.

Like those that have gone before it was every bit as electrifying, with both players going for their shots in a wonderful finale.

And somehow Wu held himself together under the most extreme pressure despite failing to knock in a simple back off its spot when glory beckoned in the penultimate frame.

That had allowed Murphy a reprieve and he took full advantage to force a 35th frame with a run of 75.

However, Wu sealed a historic win with a nerveless break of 85 to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Zhao Xintong, who was China's first ever winner in 2025.

Recap: How Wu won thrilling world final against Murphy

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Published1 hour ago"I have been trying to go for this for ages," said Wu, who shared an embrace with Murphy after making his match-winning break. "For the past few months, I have been living the same life. I am so happy that I could play well today."

With his mother and father appearing emotional in the background, Wu added: "My parents are the true champions.

"Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been by my side. My mum has also been going through a lot over the years. They are the source of my strength, I love them so much."

Wu is three months younger than Murphy was at the time of his only world title to date in 2005 and he sits only behind Stephen Hendry, who was 21 when he triumphed for the first time in 1990.

Along with the £500,000 top prize, Wu's success propels him to fourth in the world rankings - having started the season outside the game's elite top 16 players.

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"We were very, very close," says Murphy after defeat in deciding frame

The players had traded blows for most of Monday evening, with Wu repeatedly edging in front only to be pegged back by the unshakeable Murphy.

Having resumed at 13-12 up, Wu opened with a break of 88 as echoes of his name reverberated around the auditorium.

He also enjoyed runs of 70, 56 and 91 after rolling in a sensational pot on the yellow with the rest.

But he could never quite get clear of Murphy, who has now endured the heartache of losing his past four finals in snooker's showpiece match.

Murphy, who had been aiming to fulfil a 21-year dream by setting a new record for the longest gap between a player's first and second world titles, produced some wonderful breaks of his own with an 82, 65, and a sublime 131.

While another half-century gave him a chance to take it to a one-frame shootout, he once again fell short at the final hurdle.

"I'd like to be the first to congratulate Wu Yize and his family, and everyone around him for being a wonderful world champion," Murphy said.

"I hate being right - I said sometime earlier in the season when we had a great game out in China somewhere, I won that one but I came out afterwards and said that he would be world champion one day. It's just a real shame that it was today, but I couldn't have given it any more, I couldn't have tried harder.

"I played the best shots I could have played and I didn't get my chance. I couldn't do any more than that."

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