World Snooker Championship 2026: Wu Yize holds off Shaun Murphy fightback to retain slender lead in final
Wu Yize held off the Shaun Murphy challenge to ensure he would take a narrow 13-12 lead heading into the final session of the World Championship final at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield.
Having watched Wu make a series of big breaks to lead at 10-7 overnight, Murphy returned decisively to contention in the best-of-35 final on Monday afternoon.
The Englishman, who became the champion in 2005 and aimed to break the record for the longest distance between first and second place, completed the first five frames with intervals of 76, 52, 59 and 60.
However, he was given a big helping hand by his 22-year-old rival, who initially appeared to be carrying the weight of the incident on his shoulders.
With his signature long basket ability conspicuous by his absence, Wu repeatedly left Murphy with opportunities to capitalize on the opportunity.
Wu stopped the rot in the 23rd frame of the match, creating a crucial 64-point break after Murphy left a red in the right-hand corner.
This shifted the momentum in Wu’s favor, allowing him to limit the damage.
Wu, who could become the second youngest world champion on snooker’s most famous court, tied the match after a contribution of 46 and then regained the lead with series of 60 and 61 in the last frame of the session.
This means there will only be one frame when the finalists return at 19:00 BST; This was the first time this had happened since 2014 when Mark Selby defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan 18-14.
