World Snooker Championship 2026: Shaun Murphy & Wu Yize level after first session of world final
Shaun Murphy recovered from 3-0 to 4-4 against Wu Yize in the first session of the World Championship final at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield.
The exhibition match was briefly interrupted in the third frame when a front row spectator jumped over the barrier.
The woman was stopped from advancing towards the table by referee Rob Spencer before security escorted her out of the venue.
This is not the first time there has been a disruption in this year’s tournament. During Wu’s semi-final match against Mark Allen, there was shouting on several occasions, and fans were repeatedly warned about phone use.
By this stage Wu was in charge, looking to replace Murphy as the second-youngest Crucible champion.
The 22-year-old picked up where he left off against Allen on Saturday evening, with breaks of 51 and 61 helping him build a healthy early advantage.
However, Murphy took the final frame with an 85-point run before the mid-session interval and then began to establish himself in the contest.
The Englishman is aiming to set a new record for the longest gap between first and second titles, 21 years on from his victory on snooker’s biggest stage.
He restricted Wu to just 25 points in four frames and responded in style with big attacks – runs of 98, 77 and a superb score of 109 gave him a 4-3 lead.
Wu, who became the third Chinese player to reach the world final after 2016 runner-up Ding Junhui and last year’s champion Zhao Xintong, appeared to be heading for a maximum break of 147 in the eighth frame before falling short on 65, but it came at no cost as he regained parity.
