The family sacrifices that helped Wu become world champion

A new superstar of snooker. Another Chinese world champion.

A year earlier, it had been Zhao Xintong lifting the trophy and creating history for his country. On Monday, it was Wu Yize - who had defeated Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a compelling final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

And it was a particularly poignant moment for the 22-year-old, who relocated to the UK from his home city of Lanzhou aged 16, with his father, and attempted to pursue his dream amid concerns over the health of his mother. likesport.biz

"My mum wasn't in very good health condition for a long time," he said. "During that time we were in Sheffield, she has been in hospital a lot. She is forever a source of strength to me.

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"She is feeling much better now. This is the second time she has visited me in the UK. I think in the future I will take her more to be by my side.

"She sacrificed everything for me. At that time she told me 'don't come back home, I can manage everything'. It was the second year I was playing in the UK.

"At that time my ranking was very low so it was a crucial time for me to achieve some good results and keep my professional status. She means everything to me."

• Wu beats Murphy in decider to win world title
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Wu, who uses a translator in his news conferences, shared a bed with his father in a windowless flat in the Steel City as he tried to carve out a career in professional snooker.

But his attacking style and individuality, in a sport known for its formal attire and disciplined approach, marked him out for greatness.

Seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan and Murphy, who won the title in 2005, both tipped him as a future world champion earlier in the campaign.

Jason Ferguson - chairman of the sport's governing body - says he and others have the ability to transform the sport and deliver "a changing of the tide".

He told BBC Sport: "This boy is just outstanding. I've known Wu for a number of years, known his father for many years and seen the struggles and the tough battles to get to this stage.

"You cannot believe what it means to that family to actually be in that arena holding that trophy. It's quite an incredible moment. We are seeing a changing of the tide and it has to happen.

"Wu is really now entering that era of becoming a great where he can go on and win and win and win."

Wu is seen as one of the new breed that is helping to shape the future of the game.

"This will not be seen simply as another sporting victory but as part of a broader generational storyline, following Zhao Xintong's breakthrough," said May Zhao, who has been in Sheffield to report for the International Sport Press Association.

"It confirms a new era for Chinese snooker at the very top level.

"The reaction in China will be enormous. During the peak moments, the number of viewers may have exceeded 100 million people."

Is Wu changing the face of snooker?

Zhao's victory 12 months ago was regarded as a seismic moment for Chinese snooker.

With Wu following in his footsteps, it suggests that a golden period has arrived for players from the Asian country and possibly a new chapter for the sport as a whole.

Wu's triumph at the International Championship in Nanjing last November was a breakthrough moment, lifting him to a then career-high 13th in the world rankings.

"After that win, he was received by the vice governor of the Gansu province and this will be much bigger than that," said Chinese snooker reporter Joe Liu, who works for World Snooker.

"Lanzhou is the capital of Gansu and is not a place where they have huge sports traditions or achievement, so this will be huge for his home city.

"During my time associating with him, at all the tournaments I've been to, I can sense his confidence. He's very confident and I think he knows he can do a lot more in the future."

Wu's world title win has propelled him to fourth in the rankings and only added fuel to the belief that Chinese players could dominate the sport for years to come, playing a new brand of snooker.

"The game is changing, shot selection is changing and the likes of Wu Yize are changing the face of snooker to make it much more aggressive," said six-time world champion Steve Davis during the BBC's TV coverage of the final.

"The modern-day players coming through have got to copy this. You can't win playing safe."

Seven-time winner Stephen Hendry added: "He's just brilliant. He plays the game properly and goes for the shots.

"He's obviously at a stage of his career when he's not had many scars and he's not thinking about the consequences of missing. He just gets on with it and he's having fun."

A changing of the guard?

Chinese players won three times on the professional circuit during 2024-25. That figure increased to seven from 23 events this season, albeit courtesy of only three players - Zhao, Xiao Guodong and Wu.

And they are not the only numbers that are trending positively.

The number of players from China appearing for the televised stage of the World Championship rose from a record 10 in 2025 to 11 this year.

Prior to the start of the tournament last year, only four - Ding Junhui, Zhang Anda, Xiao and Si Jiahui - sat inside the top 16.

This time there have been five, with Zhao and Wu added to the list and Zhang dropping out. Furthermore, 10 will start next term inside the top 32.

The top five players in the world were all British 12 months ago, but that is now no longer the case.

While John Higgins reached the last four in Sheffield and the final of the Masters this term, O'Sullivan's win at Alexandra Palace in January 2024 was the most recent occasion that a member of the sport's fabled 'Class of 92' won a Triple Crown event.

"There is a finite amount of time that a player can perform at the optimum level," said Ferguson.

"There is now a lot more talent chasing them and a lot more talent that's capable of winning. We've seen a big shift in the younger players. What we're seeing now is multiple players that can actually beat the 'Class of 92' and go all the way."

Liu echoed those comments, adding: "He's almost 30 years younger than those guys so I think we're definitely witnessing a change of era.

"A lot of players have already predicted Zhao will be the one who is in the dominant position in the next 10 years or so, but if Wu continues to grow in the next two or three years, he can up there together with Zhao."

However, it should be noted that English duo Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson, between them, hold five world titles and have won five tournaments this season, including the two other Triple Crown events - the UK Championship and the Masters.

Steven Adams on his reputation as the strongest in the NBA: “I don't know who's voting...It didn't help me because the referees believed this too, so then I get cracked a lot and they're just like "Oh you're strong bro, you can get through it bro" and I'm just like call the foul! come on please!”

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America bounced back from trailing by a 3-1 score to grab a 3-3 tie in the first leg of their Quarterfinal series against Pumas. It was an exciting match with controversial moments which still leaves Pumas as going thru as America will need to win next week in Estadio Olimpico to be able to go thru to the Semifinals of the Clausura 2026.

The 1st half started with the news that Brian Rodriguez would not play because of injury. The America player had been named as a starter and had come out the team to the warm ups but he was injured. For Pumas, they had Uriel Antuna as well as Robert Morales and Juninho up top. After a mistake from America with a pass, the ball would get to Jordan Carrillo, who found Juninho just outside the area, and he would get off a right footed shot past America’s goalkeeper, Rodolfo Cota, for an early goal that gave Pumas the shock 1-0 lead. Off a counter, Carrillo got off a right footed shot from outside the area that went wide. A cross into the area ended with a great combination play in which Patricio Salas would find Isaias Violante, who got off a left footed shot in the area past Pumas’ goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, to score and tie the match at 1-1. A cross into the area was headed wide by Alejandro Zendejas. From outside the area, Kevin Alvarez got off a right footed shot straight to Navas. From outside the area, Zendejas got off a great right footed shot that hit the post. A cross into the area was headed just wide by Alexis Gutierrez. From outside the area, Adalberto Carrasquilla got off a right footed shot that Cota saved. Alvarez would once again have a right footed shot from outside the area that Navas would easily save. A great chance for America came about when a bad clearance left the ball there for Cristian Borja, but he whiffed on his left footed shot. From outside the area, Carrillo got off a good right footed shot that Cota did a terrible shot in blocking, leaving the ball for Uriel Antuna to get to the rebound and get off a shot into the net that gave Pumas the 2-1 lead. Prior to the start of the counter, Rodrigo Lopez had been fouled by Rodrigo Dourado, which sent him flying into the leg of Borja, who was severely injured. He would have to be carted out of the match. Ramon Juarez would be subbed in to replace him. Off a corner kick that was failed to be cleared, the ball would fall to Miguel Vasquez, who was on the line and volleyed the ball wide, in a terrible miss. The halftime whistle blew as Pumas took their lead to the break.

The 2nd half started with neither team making a change during it. After getting past a defender, Jordan Carrillo would get off an incredible right footed shot from outside the area that went past Cota and into the net to score and give Pumas the 3-1 lead. It was a great goal although once again, Cota could have done better on the play. Zendejas got off another terrible left footed shot that went well wide. Pumas subbed out Juninho for Pablo Bennevendo. After a head clash between Alvaro Angulo and Sebastian Caceres, the America defender looked to have a head injury and needed medical attention. America subbed out Sebastian Caceres, Patricio Salas and Alexis Gutierrez for Thiago Espinosa, Henry Martin and Raphael Veiga. It was a controversial move as it already looked like Vasquez had gone out for Espinosa before an assistant from America realized that Caceres had to come out and pushed him to get back in. A cross into the area was headed wide by Juarez. Off a corner kick, there was a play where it looked like Dourado was brought down by Carrasquilla. After going to VAR, the referee gave America a Penalty Kick. Henry Martin took the PK and got off a right footed shot past Navas to score and place the match at 3-2. America subbed out Rodrigo Dourado and Erick Sanchez for Jonathan Dos Santos and Vinicius de Lima. Off a free kick, Pedro Vite got off a left footed that tried to surprise Cota but he did well. Off a free kick in the area, Martin would fall after the ball was failed to be clear and the referee gave another PK to America after he ruled that Nathan kicked him. Alejandro Zendejas took the PK and got off a left footed shot past Navas to score and tie the match at 3-3. Espinoza got off a great left footed shot but Navas made a great save. Pumas subbed out Rodrigo Lopez, Uriel Antuna and Jordan Carrillo for Jesus Rivas, Antonio Leone and Cesar Garza. A long ball that reached Morales would turn into a great chance when Cota tried to get to the ball and missed but Morales shot into the empty net went wide. A great pass from Carrasquilla allowed Angulo to get a wide open chance in the area but he got off a terrible left footed shot that went wide. From way outside the area, Lima got off a right footed shot that went well wide.The whistle blew and America bounced back to get a tie but Pumas still had the advantage with the result in the Quarterfinal series.

In an exiting match, Pumas gave up a great opportunity to kill their series against America after taking a 3-1 lead that looked to be terminal for the home sides. But two Penalty Kicks gave America the tie but it’s a result that still has Pumas going thru. There was more controversy when a substitution by America looked to have been done incorrectly. Pumas would later ask for a ruling to overturn the result and get a 3-0 victory but the league decided not to and only fined America. America will still have a tough task as they need to get a victory in the 2nd leg while Pumas only need to win. Pumas will have to improve on defense and show a better management as they were the superior side in the 1st half and up to the 3-1 lead but started to falter and when America tied, they had regained possession. The controversial effort from Pumas to get the victory thru the strange events during the 2nd half substitution will add to the animosity for Sunday’s match. While Pumas is the favorite, it will be tough and it will not be surprising at all if America pulls off the upset.