Wu Yize landed his first victory since the World Championship with success at the 2026 Shenzhen Open on Sunday.
The reigning Crucible champion defeated Yuan Sijun 10-5 to capture a third career ranking title, all of which have come in the last 12-month period.
By taking home the £177,000 top prize and the equivalent in ranking points, Wu will rise to a career high of number two in the world behind compatriot Zhao Xintong.
It will mark the first time in the sport’s history that the top two ranked players in the world come from China.
It’s another sign of the country’s increasing dominance, with the Shenzhen Open final also representing the second all-Chinese finale of the season.
Favourite Wu started the title-deciding showdown strongly, compiling a break of 117 to take the opening frame in style.
When the 22 year-old won two of the following three frames to lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval, it seemed like the final was going to script.
But Yuan, competing in his maiden match on the main tour with silverware on the line, won a couple of scrappy frames to restore parity.
When the 26 year-old then compiled a 61 to lead for the first time, he was firmly in the ascendancy.
Yet when he failed to take the eighth frame despite opening with a break of 71, Wu managed to conclude the opening session with the 5-4 advantage.
That ultimately proved crucial with Yuan unable to keep pace with his opponent during the second bout of play.
Wu again won three out of the first four frames in the evening, this time to establish a three-frame cushion for the first time.
A break of 56 in the 14th frame subsequently took him to within the brink of glory, and he duly wrapped up the five-frame triumph in the next.
Yuan will undoubtedly be disappointed with how his challenge faded in the second half of the affair, but it was a strong week overall.
By reaching his first ranking final, he will reach a career-high ranking of number 26 in the world.
The week was all about Wu, though, who backed up his dramatic 5-4 victory over Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals with a 6-1 demolition of Judd Trump.
He was expected to have too much for Yuan and so it proved, with a far-from-perfect performance still proving ample enough.
Wu started his tenure as the world champion relatively slowly, but his glory here could set him up for another trophy-laden campaign.
An interesting subplot over the next few months could be his battle with Zhao for the world number one spot.
Either way, the pair seem destined to portray prominent characters among the highest echelons of the game for quite some time.
Featured photo credit: WST
