Wu Yize will not quite become the youngest ever winner of the World Snooker Championship if he beats Shaun Murphy on Monday, but he will not be far away. The 22-year-old has been superb on his way to his first Crucible final, downing Lei Peifan, Mark Selby, Hossein Vafaei and Mark Allen in Sheffield. He made a brilliant start to the final against Murphy and started the last day of the tournament 10-7 ahead of the Englishman in a race to 18.
Second Youngest Champion
If the Chinese star can complete the victory then he will become the second youngest world champion on the baize. Stephen Hendry holds the record for the youngest ever winner of the World Snooker Championship, doing so in 1990 at 21 years and 106 days. The Scot beat Jimmy White 18-12 in that 1990 final, setting a record that looks unlikely to be broken any time soon.
It will not be broken this year, with Wu aged 22 years and 202 days as he tries to conquer the Crucible for the first time. Murphy is the second youngest player to win this tournament, doing so in 2005 at 22 years and 265 days when he beat Matthew Stevens in the final as a qualifier. The Magician was only a little younger than John Higgins was when he beat Ken Doherty to win the final in Sheffield in 1998 at 22 years and 351 days.
Youngest Runners-Up
Only two players have finished runner-up at the Crucible at a younger age than Wu is now, with Judd Trump and Jimmy White reaching a final and falling short at tender ages. Trump lost to Higgins in 2011 at just 21 years and 254 days, while White was beaten by Davis in the 1984 final at 22 years and 5 days. White nearly reached the final two years earlier, but lost 16-15 to Alex Higgins in an iconic semi-final.
White has since said he has seen the bright side of defeat to the Northern Irishman, worrying that glory at such a young age could have killed him. 'I would have died if I had beaten Higgins and won the World Championship in 1982 because I had just found cocaine and I liked to drink,' White told The Guardian in 2019. 'I always liked cocaine – whether drunk or sober. It was no one's fault but my own. I had just become famous, because we only had four channels in them days and, instead of queuing round the block to get into a West End nightclub, I was getting the treatment. I had such fun, even though I cannot remember much.'
Youngest World Snooker Championship Winners
- 1990 Stephen Hendry 21 years 106 days
- 2005 Shaun Murphy 22 years 265 days
- 1998 John Higgins 22 years 351 days
- 1981 Steve Davis 23 years 241 days
- 2000 Mark Williams 25 years 41 days
Wu Yize's remarkable run to the final has captivated snooker fans worldwide. His journey from humble beginnings to the Crucible stage is a testament to his talent and determination. As the final resumes, all eyes will be on whether he can join the elite list of youngest champions.
