Wu Yize has advanced to the World Snooker Championship semi-finals for the first time in his career, and he has expressed gratitude to Ronnie O'Sullivan for the guidance and support he has received along the way. The 22-year-old Chinese star continues his meteoric rise in the sport, now preparing for his debut on the one-table setup at the iconic Crucible Theatre.
As a top-16 seed for the first time in Sheffield, Wu has overcome Lei Peifan, Mark Selby, and Hossein Vafaei to secure his place in the final four, where he will face Mark Allen. Although the Northern Irishman boasts far more experience, both players are striving to reach their maiden World Championship final, meaning the pressure will be immense.
Wu turned professional at the age of 17 and has already climbed to number 10 in the world rankings. This season, he captured his first ranking title at the International Championship in Nanjing. O'Sullivan took notice of the young talent's progress and worked with Wu on the practice table before that triumphant run.
“We met a few times during the practice,” Wu said of O'Sullivan. “We messaged each other occasionally to talk about matches. I really appreciate his support.” O'Sullivan has remained a mentor to Wu, offering advice and encouragement that the semi-finalist deeply values.
Speaking in November, O'Sullivan elaborated on his coaching role: “I was practising quite a bit with Wu Yize in Hong Kong before the tournament that he won. I was just telling him certain areas of his game that I think he needs to improve on if he wants to be a winner. If he wants to rely on playing brilliant and winning, then carry on doing what you’re doing, but if you want to be able to play OK and win, there’s certain things that are just non-negotiable. I explained to him from my observations what I thought they were. He understood it. So it was good watching him play in China; we were chatting pretty much during and after every game. Just watching him understand and kind of go, ‘OK, I get it.’ And I was like, ‘Listen, it’s up to you now. You’ve seen the difference. You can go back to playing the way you were or carry on how you were winning that tournament. But you’ve got to make that choice at the end of the day.’ That was the same when I worked with Ray Reardon; he taught me a side of the game which I never really thought was that important. But having taken it on, I started to appreciate the benefits that come of it.”
O'Sullivan has also labeled Wu a “modern-day Steve Davis,” and the youngster appears to have evolved beyond an all-out attacking style. In his last-16 match against Mark Selby, Wu impressed the four-time world champion with his safety play. “His long game was good and his safety was good,” Selby said after a 13-11 defeat. Wu himself felt he competed well tactically against one of the best ever in that department. “I’m very happy with my safety play,” Wu said after beating Selby. “That definitely shows my growth.”
Despite his improved safety, potting and break-building remain Wu's strengths. Vafaei remarked that playing against Wu felt like “playing against a PlayStation” during their quarter-final clash. Wu's semi-final against Allen will be played over four sessions, starting at 7pm on Thursday.
