Wu Yize won his first tournament since becoming World Champion as he beat Yuan Sijun 10-5 in an all-Chinese final at the inaugural Shenzhen Open.
Wearing the crown of the Crucible king inevitably adds expectation and Wu – who beat Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a classic Sheffield final in May – had made a quiet start to the current season, failing to go beyond the last 16 of a ranking event before this week. But in the Guangdong province the 22-year-old has reminded fans of his marvellous potting, as well as an improved tactical game. Wu knocked out the likes of Murphy and Judd Trump to reach the final before a comfortable victory today against underdog Yuan.
Playing in his first ranking final, world number 33 Yuan looked competitive in the early stages and led 4-3, but passed up too many opportunities as the day went on and his opponent was far stronger in the concluding session. Wu becomes the third player from mainland China, after Ding Junhui and Zhao Xintong, to win a third ranking title, having landed the International Championship last season as well as the World Championship.
The £177,000 top prize lifts him from fourth to second in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, and when he heads to the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open later this month he will be within striking distance of world number one Zhao. For the first time, Chinese players occupy the top two positions, and it seems likely that Wu and Zhao will compete for the biggest titles for many years to come. Right-hander Wu, who comes from Lanzhou in the Gansu province, also jumps from 31st to third on the one-year list.
This week is a huge breakthrough for 26-year-old Yuan, who turned pro in 2017 and had never previously reached a ranking final. The runner-up cheque of £76,000 easily surpasses his previous best payday of £21,000 and he climbs seven places up the rankings to 26th, and leaps to seventh on the one-year list.
In the seventh ranking final in snooker history between two players from mainland China, Wu led 5-4 after the first session, and soon doubled his lead as the evening session got underway with a break of 74. Yuan’s run of 50 helped win frame 11 and he had a scoring chance in the 12th but ran out of position on 24 and missed a tough red to a centre pocket. Wu’s delightful long red to a baulk corner set up a break of 62 for 7-5.
Again in the 13th, Yuan looked favourite when he was among the balls leading 37-0 but another red to centre hit the low jaw. The frame came down to the last red and yet another miss to a centre pocket from Yuan, sending the cue ball in-off, gifted his opponent the chance to extend his lead.
A loose positional shot from Yuan in frame 14, when he trailed 44-18, led to an undercut black to a top corner, and Wu punished him with a run of 56 to move to the brink of victory at 9-5. Trailing 35-33 in the next, Wu blasted a trademark long red into a top corner to set up a break of 41 which proved enough to secure the trophy.
“This time I was able to be a little more composed than I was in winning my previous two titles,” said Wu. “I’ve grown both physically and mentally compared with before. I just hope I can continue to get better from here and keep pushing myself to break through. Maybe the pressure at the World Championship had become so great that I forgot how to enjoy it, I was completely immersed in the competition. Perhaps the happiness was still there, but I had already buried it somewhere deep inside.
“I wanted to prove myself again. There have definitely been a lot of voices around me recently, and I felt that I needed to keep improving, win another title and keep pushing myself towards my peak. So this is another breakthrough for me.
“Today Yuan put me under a lot of pressure in the first session. The turning point was probably the eighth frame, I had already prepared myself for being 5-3 behind. In the second session, he was probably under a little bit of pressure as well.
“I believe Yuan will definitely win a title in the future. He just needs to go through a few more of these experiences. I’m really happy for him. I think every breakthrough in a player’s career brings a huge amount of happiness. That feeling is something nothing else can give you.
“I’m so happy to be in Shenzhen. I really enjoy playing in front of a big crowd. I love that feeling of being able to completely immerse myself in the atmosphere of the arena. That’s why I really like this city, and I hope there will be even more tournaments held here in the future.“
Yuan said: “Overall, I think it was a pretty good performance. I played quite well in the first half of the tournament, but over the final two days I didn’t perform at the level I know I’m capable of, so hopefully I can do better next time. I just didn’t play very well tonight and I wasn’t able to put him under enough pressure.
“I really wasn’t nervous at all today. I just felt like my whole body was completely out of sorts. I felt really uncomfortable, and no matter how I tried to aim or strike the ball, it just didn’t feel right. So the whole day was actually quite frustrating for me.
“Hopefully, this run will give me a little more confidence for my future matches going forward, so that I can play my own game better.”
It isn’t a rare feature for a first time World Champions to struggle to perform at their best during the next season, and in this tournament Wu wasn’t always on his best game, but his mentality was certainly excellent throughout the competition. Today he found something extra. I’m very happy for him. Yuan Sijun, I’m sure, will learn from the experience. This was his first ever ranking final and he acquitted himself quite well overall.
Both players deserve respect and praise for their performance today. I enjoyed watching their match.
