Yize earns overnight lead
Link copied to clipboard
The second session ends with Wu Yize 10-7 clear of Shaun Murphy, with play to restart on Monday at 1pm.
The 22-year-old has a long way to go tomorrow, but he is the more consistent, aggressive, and technically adept of the two on this showing.
Murphy, however, has shown occasional ruthlessness, and at times has exploited some tactical inexperience from his opponent here tonight.
A three-frame lead is enough to worry the former champion, but it is far from insurmountable. It sets up a potentially excellent conclusion for tomorrow.
Frame 17: Murphy 39 Yize 93
Link copied to clipboard
Murphy cleans up the easy reds to go 30-0 up. He breaks open the pack and rolls back onto the black. This is a serious chance to end just one frame behind tonight. He adds nine more, and then attempts a snooker with the brown, green, pink and yellow obscuring anything simple for Yize.
Yize almost rolls in a long red to position himself for a cut on the black, and starts a break of his own.
At 59-39 up, Yize needs the blue he sizes up, then the yellow obscured by the pink. His cue control is superb, and he pots them both.
Frame 16 (best of 35): Murphy 7 Yize 10
Frame 16: Murphy 66 Yize 1
Link copied to clipboard
A quite absurd plant from Murphy pulls him level, 1-1, with Yize, but there is not much on, and he rolls in behind the yellow. He somehow fails to get the snooker on, but Yize gets nowhere.
Murphy adds another 23 before a poor miss on a red to the middle. A miss, this time from Yize, allows the Englishman to squeeze a different red into the same middle, and he can start a new break. A break of 42 leads Yize to concede.
Frame 16 (best of 35): Murphy 7 Yize 9
Frame 15: Murphy 29 Yize 97
Link copied to clipboard
A round of applause at the start of the frame, with Murphy 1-0 up. The applause is not for the potting of Murphy, but because the referee has ejected a spectator.
After three or four warnings, phones are still going off, and he asks for the victim to be identified, before telling him to leave.
The former world champion has repeatedly shown his frustration with distraction from the crowd. This time he takes his seat and waits for the episode to subside. He makes a break of 29, but fails with an attempted plant with the rest.
A swift 66 from Yize ends when he cannot pot a tight red, and Murphy returns, 27 behind. With just one red left on the table, the two attempt to stick each other with a decisive snooker. Yize escapes with one shot that requires a huge amount of side, and Murphy presents his opponent with a long pot.
Yize takes it on to the bottom left, and succeeds in clearing up the rest of the balls. He is now guaranteed of an overnight lead.
Frame 15 (best of 35): Murphy 6 Yize 9
Who knew David Seaman was a snooker fan?
Frame 14: Murphy 83 Yize 0
Link copied to clipboard
A beautiful cut to pot the red brings a round of applause for Yize, but the cue ball then rolls into a pocket to let Murphy in. This is a crucial chance for Murphy.
Murphy moves onto 14-0 with an outstanding plant, or perhaps a fluke? A red, onto the black, onto another red into a corner pocket.
Murphy takes that chance, and slides in a tight red, before sinking the blue with the rest to move 75-0 clear.
He needs a red, just next to the cushion, to give himself a chance of another century, which he does well, but can’t land the black.
Murphy is now just two away from Yize. Any more than that overnight will feel a little iffy.
Frame 14 (best of 35): Murphy 6 Yize 8
Frame 13: Murphy 8 Yize 89
Link copied to clipboard
Murphy has Yize in trouble, with a tough chance early on. He needs to land deadweight behind a red down the bottom of the table, and finally lands it after a couple of fouls.
Murphy leaves a red on that cuts to the middle-left pocket, which presents little trouble for Yize, and he then beautifully cuts in a black that unexpectedly offered itself up to the bottom right.
Yize strains to pot an awkward red, and then a black, to go 61 ahead with 59 remaining. There should be enough on the table to sort this out in this visit for Yize, this time.
He cannons into the remaining two reds as he attempts to reach a century. He lands the first, and then screws off the green for what should be a relatively straightforward shot. Instead, he finds the jaws and the last red wobbles away. A fine 89 break, and the frame.
Frame 13 (best of 35): Murphy 5 Yize 8
Frame 12: Murphy 8 Yize 72
Link copied to clipboard
Yize tries to force in a red to free up the pink and misses, forcing him off at 23-0 clear.
Murphy allows his opponent back in straight away, and the black is tight on the cushion, the pink on the right-hand side too. Yize builds the break with the blue, the reds spread out enough to give a relatively easy path to a serious score.
He plays for the tricky black, and drops it in with four reds remaining, 63 ahead and 59 on the table. Yize lands the ball high up the table and lets Murphy back in.
Murphy cannot escape and so Yize pots a long red before a miss of his own on the blue. Murphy decides that he will come back and attempt to find some snookers from here. An attempted pot on the red with the rest ends with the ball hovering over the pocket, and Yize has this frame won, the break ending on a double.
At the mid-session interval, Murphy is two behind.
Frame 12 (best of 35): Murphy 5 Yize 7
Frame 11: Murphy 80 Yize 32
Link copied to clipboard
Murphy’s excellent break moves him 72-0 clear of Yize, who comes to the table and looks to claw his way back.
He reaches 72-32 behind and takes the opportunity to land Murphy behind the black, with the red blocked off. Murphy is able to escape, leaving Yize still in need of a snooker, and he attempts another trap for his opponent. Again, he’s equal to it, and ultimately claims the final red to force the concession.
Frame 11 (best of 35): Murphy 5 Yize 6
Frame 10: Murphy 16 Yize 106
Link copied to clipboard
Yize moves 30-16 clear by potting the pink, which is repotted on the brown spot. The black still goes to the bottom left, so after potting one blue, Yize moves onto the black as he tries to pull away from Murphy.
Yize has the frame won, but he glides from the black to the yellow with a wonderful shot. He now has to pot the blue before the unusual task of sinking the pink on the brown spot, and he flukes it into the middle pocket after rattling two jaws.
Two frames, two visits.
Frame 10 (best of 35): Murphy 4 Yize 6
Frame 9: Murphy 1 Yize 82
Link copied to clipboard
Yize has started well tonight. As part he glances in an absolutely superb red to the middle as part of a frame-winning break. He had struggled to kill off frames, always tempting Murphy back for an attempt to snooker his way back into contention, but this time he reaches 82, and takes the lead.
Frame 9 (best of 35): Murphy 4 Yize 5
Players return to the table
Link copied to clipboard
After the introductions, we have Shaun “The Magician” Murphy and Wu “Currently No Established Nickname” Yize back with us.
The next two frames
Link copied to clipboard
Really, commentators will say, “the next couple of frames here are crucial,” and, well, it’s a final. Of course they are.
However, aside from the trite observation that the next two frames here crucial, they could have an outsize affect on the evening.
If Murphy or Yize can assert their authority and find their best stuff, then they will have the chance to build a platform for a meaningful overnight lead. That is not always decisive in best-of-35 matches, but it will not hurt to leave the trailing player stewing until Monday.
Murphy’s 11th Crucible century this season
Link copied to clipboard
Ahead of the second session, take a look at some of the final’s best snooker so far.
All square at the restart
Link copied to clipboard
Wu Yize and Shaun Murphy showed early nerves as the first session of their World Snooker Championship final match ended at four frames apiece.
Wu chiselled out an early 3-0 lead against the out-of-sorts Murphy, but the 2005 champion belatedly recovered his poise to finish a poor quality session all square.
After the restart, Wu was suddenly looking fragile, and the experienced Murphy sensed weakness. Wu rallied in the afternoon’s final frame, firing nine reds and eight blacks before jawing a black to the middle pocket.
Play was interrupted during the third frame when a woman vaulted the front row to protest against the BBC licence fee before Rob Spencer, the match referee, wrestled her away.
Murphy recovers as Yize wobbles
Link copied to clipboard
Murphy looked out of sorts for the first three frames but clung on to end the first half of the session 3-1 behind.
He then put the pressure on his less experienced opponent once the pair returned, and his four frames in a row put him ahead of Yize for the first time in the match.
The Chinese player then recovered himself, scrapping once more to 4-4 after he let an easy frame win go begging before battling back.
It’s poised for another exacting session later this evening, ahead of Monday’s conclusion. Thanks for reading so far, and we will be back around 6pm for the restart.
Frame 8: Murphy 32 Yize 74
Link copied to clipboard
At 64-0 up, Yize faces a hugely tough red to the top right, and he fires in the pot brilliantly. He moves onto 65, and then misses a black to the middle, and leaves a red on for Murphy.
After a red and a yellow, Murphy has 67 on, and needs 62. He does well to pot the black, and is just on the red to the bottom-left pocket after it looked like he had left it hidden behind the blue. Murphy leaves the cue ball at the top end of the table, 65-19 behind, with little on for Yize.
Murphy pots a red left on by Yize, and he fails to bring a red on the left cushion into play. He then pots an easy green, but the task is to revisit that red, which he does so, so accurately. He glances the black towards the pocket, but misses. Murphy now needs two snookers.
An error from Yize gives his opponent the chance to hide the cue ball behind the red, and he gives up control of the table. Murphy pots the last red and takes the black hovering over a pocket, but still needs two snookers, and he fails to snooker Yize.
The youngster glances in the yellow but Murphy refuses to concede with the rest of the balls in play but Yize recovers to put the frame out of its misery with the green and brown. A huge frame for Yize.
Frame 8 (best of 35): Murphy 4 Yize 4
Frame 7: Murphy 118 Yize 1
Link copied to clipboard
Yize pots a long red but then, in the next shot on the blue, pots the cue ball. A morale boost followed by a blow, and Murphy turns the screw.
The former champion finally makes a century break and smiles at the crowd. He sinks the pot for 109, and with a difficult black to to glance in, he attempts a double that misses. Murphy ahead for the first time today. Just one last frame to go.
Frame 7 (best of 35): Murphy 4 Yize 3
Frame 6: Murphy 90 Yize 24
Link copied to clipboard
An early break of 23 sees Yize start to lose control of the cue ball. He risks, and misses, a double.
A long pot gives Murphy a chance here, but another phone rings and the referee loses his patience with the crowd as he issues an admonishment. This time, Murphy keeps his concentration and continues the break.
Murphy nails the red towards the pocket as he looks to develop the reds, but he rattles the jaws and ends 23-13 behind. Yize glances in a red to the middle to start his own break, and then also misses a black.
Murphy returns for another half-century break, and levels the frames at 3-3. The momentum has palpably changed hands.
Frame 6 (best of 35): Murphy 3 Yize 3
Frame 5: Murphy 98 Yize 0
Link copied to clipboard
Murphy looks refreshed after the interval.
A break of 71 continues as he develops three reds after rolling into the pack. He glances in a red with some aplomb, and is back on the blue, with a century coming into view. At 98, he needs to double a red, but fails to land it. Nevertheless, this will give Murphy some encouragement.
Frame 5 (best of 35): Murphy 2 Yize 3
Frame 5: Murphy 0 Yize 0
Link copied to clipboard
Both players are back, and Yize breaks.
Frame 5 (best of 35): Murphy 1 Yize 3
Frame 4: Murphy 95 Yize 0
Link copied to clipboard
Murphy needs to make the most of his chance in this frame. At 10-0 up, he has the chance to build another break, with the black blocked off by two reds, so he focuses on the pink.
His break of 28 looks threatened when he lacks the pace to get back onto the pink. He sizes up the blue to the top-left pocket, but does well to pot it.
He opens up the reds a little and his half-century moves him 64-0 up. He needs a couple more reds, which looks doable as he develops an awkward red as he pots the pink once more.
Three reds are at a narrow angle, and Murphy’s break ends at 85.
That is a potentially crucial frame, psychologically. A whitewash in the first half-session would give Yize a real boost, but now Murphy is only a couple behind. The remainder after the interval promises much more.
Frame 4 (best of 35): Murphy 1 Yize 3
Frame 3: Murphy 53 Yize 86
Link copied to clipboard
Yize adds six more to leave Murphy needing two snookers. There’s one red left in play.
Both players look to hide the red as best they can, and it’s Yize who makes the first error in this passage of play, allowing Murphy the chance to get right up into the yellow. Yize misses, and Murphy gets one snooker back.
The action is interrupted by a spectator, but really it was hard to tell what they said and why, and they are quickly ushered away.
Neither player looks sharp after that interruption, and a double touch on the green gives Murphy a chance at 67-41 behind to land a decent snooker, but he cannot take advantage.
A poor shot from Murphy almost sees him pot the cue ball and set up the green to be potted into the corner pocket, but Yize continues to struggle to pot the colour, though he eventually manages it.
The frame grinds into its 34th minute, with no end in sight, until a double kiss gives Murphy the chance to pot the blue, and he moves 14 behind with 13 remaining. It feels very unlikely that he will manage to pull off the necessary snooker from here. Indeed, it is Yize who puts Murphy into trouble, and then takes a touch to pot both the pink and black. Murphy is in trouble.
Frame 3 (best of 35): Murphy 0 Yize 3
Protestor evades security
Link copied to clipboard
There’s a cry from the crowd and several staff members from the arena rush to remove someone from the crowd. She seemed to mention something about the TV licence. It seems an extraordinary amount of effort to put in for 0.00003 seconds of protest.
According to the commentary, someone got past security momentarily, but play resumes promptly.
Frame 3: Murphy 27 Yize 61
Link copied to clipboard
Murphy adds just 14. A poor shot sees him ruefully glance at the cushion, with the Englishman looking fairly frustrated.
Frame 3 (best of 35): Murphy 0 Yize 2
Frame 3: Murphy 13 Yize 61
Link copied to clipboard
Murphy makes the early inroads as he goes 13-0 up, but Yize comes back with a fluid half-century break. At 52-13, he glides in a potentially awkward red to the middle pocket, with the match’s first century looking possible, if not probable.
After potting another superb red, he misses the black, giving Murphy a tough red to get back in here.
Frame 3 (best of 35): Murphy 0 Yize 2
Frame 2: Murphy 50 Yize 62
Link copied to clipboard
An early 36 from Yize ends when he rattles the bottom-right jaw with a red. Murphy comes to the table with a decent long red of his own. He takes the blue, and then an awkward red. But he glances that in, and frees up the black to give him an excellent chance of the frame.
Murphy moves 50-36 clear, and he now needs the rest to take on the green. He may well have been put off by an earlier beep from a phone, and he betrays some annoyance as he slams the rest down after a miss. Yize takes an easy final red.
The 22-year-old struggles on the pink on the first attempt, but pots when he is given another chance sooner after. Yize stretches his lead.
Frame 2 (best of 35): Murphy 0 Yize 2
Frame 1: Murphy 50 Yize 72
Link copied to clipboard
An expert burst of potting from Murphy starts with a long red and is followed by three blacks and two more reds. The final red rattles the corner and Murphy is covered with the white at the other end of the table. He adds 26 to his total.
Murphy returns after Yize escapes, and pots an outstanding red, the best yet. He sinks the black, but then misses an easy yellow. Yize takes the yellow to leave Murphy needing snookers.
Murphy snipes at each of the colours until it is the last three remaining, and he has little to work with to create a trap for Yize.
Murphy pots the blue, and misses the chance to create a snooker with the rest on the pink. Yize nails a long pink, and takes the first frame 50-72 after half an hour’s play.
Frame 1 (best of 35): Murphy 0 Yize 1
Frame 1: Murphy 6 Yize 64
Link copied to clipboard
Some cagey opening play from the two early on, and Murphy looks like he will be in for a decent break after potting a long red. However, he overcuts a blue and Yize has the chance to make the running.
However, the youngster plays it safe and rolls the cue ball close to the top cushion. Murphy cannot recover, and Yize is back in.
A break of 51 looks like it has won it for Yize, but he misses a routine shot and Murphy now needs every point on the table.
Frame 1 (best of 35): Murphy 0 Yize 0
Frame 1: Murphy 0 Yize 0
Link copied to clipboard
Murphy wins the toss and puts Yize in.
Frame 1 (best of 35): Murphy 0 Yize 0
Murphy guilty of treating final as ‘just another game’
Link copied to clipboard
In an interview on TNT Sports just now, Murphy said he had kidded himself that these finals were, “just another game.”
Now, he says, he will not be pretending otherwise. This is one of the biggest matches in the sport, so has to be treated as such.
Shaun Murphy’s snooker hero
Link copied to clipboard
Is, it turns out, Steve Davis.
Murphy is perhaps a little more effervescent than Davis. He has, after all, claimed to have made a nine-darter in darts and recorded a hole in one in golf, as well as making a 147 numerous times in snooker. Nevertheless, it’s striking that the younger Chinese players plump for Ronnie O’Sullivan, which may explain why so many of them are aggressive at the table, whereas Murphy is a touch more staid.
‘It’s a club that I’m desperate to join’
Link copied to clipboard
Shaun Murphy won the World Championship for the first time in 2005.
21 years later, he has his fourth chance to make it a second time.
In a post-match victory interview after beating John Higgins, he did not hide his ambition.
Yize may hold upper hand
Link copied to clipboard
Yize played Murphy at the Masters in January this year.
The 22-year-old was the winner, claiming a 6-2 victory at the Triple Crown event.
That was a best-of-11 tie, but it may be give Yize some confidence coming into the match.
— WST (@WeAreWST) May 3, 2026Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize last met at Ally Pally in January! 👀
The young star overcame the 2005 World Champ 6-2 on their first Triple Crown meeting.
Who will come out on top this time round in the World Championship Final? 👇 pic.twitter.com/X2Um7rVujH
Allen’s heartbreak
Link copied to clipboard
Mark Allen missed a crucial black in his semi-final against Yize.
In any other match, or any other frame you imagine, it would have been a routine pot.
Instead, this happened.
Murphy bids for second World Championship
Link copied to clipboard
Welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live coverage of the World Snooker Championship, as Shaun Murphy takes on Wu Yize.
Yize battled past Mark Allen in his semi-final, with the Englishman missing a match-winning black before Yize claimed a 17-16 victory.
The match-up will be best remembered for a 14th frame that lasted for more than 100 minutes, so we can be sure that at the very least, Yize possesses the necessary stamina for this best-of-35 tie.
For Murphy, Yize is his fourth Chinese opponent in the tournament, having already beaten Fan Zhengyi, Xiao Guodong and Zhao Xintong. His semi-final tie was against John Higgins, as Murphy won 17-15.
Murphy is in decent form this season. He is the 2025 Masters champion, and won the British Open earlier this year. He also was the losing finalist at the Xi’an Grand Prix and the German Masters.
Yize, just 22, also has a 2026 title to his name after lifting the International Championship title, and was beaten in the final of the Championship League earlier in the year.
The youngster is ranked No. 10 in the world, while Murphy is the No. 8 in the standings. At 43, Murphy boasts two decades of experience on his opponent, and rarely appears short of confidence when it comes to his own abilities.
That single-mindedness will be examined under pressure in the Crucible Theatre over the coming two days,
In 2005, Murphy became just the third qualifier to win the World Championship, and he has since lost three finals in the tournament, in 2009, 2015 and 2021. He is the favourite to claim his second win on this Bank Holiday weekend, but Yize’s own undeniable quality makes him a strong contender too.
There are two sessions scheduled for today, and two more for Monday.