World Snooker Championship 2026: Wu Yize & Mark Allen set up thrilling finale to semi-final
Wu Yize and Mark Allen produced a fascinating snooker session and locked in at 11-11 to perfectly set up the final session of the World Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre.
The third session of the match, which ended at 7-7 on Saturday, was a stark contrast to Friday’s epic clash, which marked the longest frame ever played at the famous venue.
China’s Wu opened with a stunning 142 and also made breaks of 76 and 121 to take a 10-8 lead at the mid-session interval.
But Allen, who is trying to become the first player from Northern Ireland to reach the final since Dennis Taylor in 1985, also showed that he has shed the shackles of negativity.
The 40-year-old enjoyed a run of 56 points and well-conceived breaks of 85 and 99 saw him take 10-10.
The 22-year-old Wu responded with 140, his third century of the day, after defeating Lei Peifan, Mark Selby and Hossein Vafaei to reach the last four.
However, as tensions increased in what appeared to be an important closing frame of the session, Wu failed to seize the first opportunity after seizing it.
This allowed Allen, who could become the oldest Crucible debutant, to make a few useful contributions and ensure there was nothing to divide the duo.
They return to play the final session of the best-of-33 match at 19:00 BST on Saturday and still have 11 frames to go as they look to book a title shot against John Higgins or Shaun Murphy.
