Wu Yize 10-7 Murphy: Back the Chinese Star to Complete a Historic Crucible Coronation

The Pick

Wu Yize to win the 2026 World Championship. With a three-frame overnight cushion and the momentum firmly in his favour, back Wu at available odds before the final session gets under way on Monday. This one looks to be heading in one direction.

The Analysis

Sunday evening at the Crucible was a masterclass in controlled aggression from a 22-year-old who, quite frankly, looks like he was born to play on this stage. Wu Yize leads Shaun Murphy 10-7 after the second session of the final, and if the evidence of the past two days is anything to go by, the world title is heading to China for a second consecutive year.

Cast your mind back to January and the Masters at Alexandra Palace. Murphy himself has openly admitted that Wu blew him off the table in that best-of-11 encounter. The difference now is that this is a best-of-35, the format that is supposed to expose youth and reward experience. Yet Wu — who only turned 22 last year and made his first-ever Crucible wins this very tournament — has answered every question the longer format has thrown at him.

Sunday's evening session told the whole story. Wu resumed at 4-4 after an afternoon that was briefly disrupted by a spectator vaulting the front-row barrier — hardly the ideal preparation for either player — and he came out firing. Breaks of 82 and 103 put him two frames clear almost immediately, and while Murphy clawed one back with a 72, the Englishman looked like a man trying to hold back a tide. Runs of 89 and 66 helped Wu reel off three of the next four frames, and even when Murphy produced an outrageous plant to win frame 16 and pull back to 9-7, it proved nothing more than a temporary reprieve.

The final frame of the session summed up Wu's temperament perfectly. Murphy appeared to be in control, the frame seemingly his for the taking, when Wu spotted a long red that carried enormous risk and dispatched it without a flicker of hesitation. What followed was a contribution of 91 that closed out the session in style and left Murphy staring down the barrel of a three-frame deficit heading into the final day.

The historical context here adds an extra layer of intrigue. Wu is three months younger than Murphy was when the Englishman claimed his only world title back in 2005. Should Wu complete the job on Monday, he would become the second-youngest world champion in Crucible history, sitting behind only Stephen Hendry, who was 21 when he lifted the trophy for the first time in 1990. That is the kind of company that tells you everything you need to know about what we are potentially witnessing.

For Murphy, this is his fifth Crucible final, and at 43, he remains a formidable competitor. He recovered from 3-0 down in an earlier session to level at 4-4, which demonstrates his fighting qualities are fully intact. If anyone can mount a comeback from 7-10, it is a player of his calibre and experience. The record for the longest gap between a first and second world title would be his if he wins — and he will not simply roll over. Do not rule out a nervy finish if Wu allows him a foothold early in the final session.

But here is the thing: Wu has looked entirely untroubled by the Crucible atmosphere. He moved to Sheffield from Lanzhou at the age of 16 with his father, dedicating himself entirely to this sport, and everything about his performance across this final suggests a player who has been building towards exactly this moment. His long-pot ability is breathtaking — it is a weapon that Murphy simply cannot neutralise — and his safety game has been disciplined enough to ensure he is not gifting the Englishman cheap opportunities.

The Odds

The straight win odds on Wu are short, and understandably so. If you want better value, consider the winning margin markets — backing Wu to win but Murphy to take it past frame 30 offers a more generous return and reflects the realistic possibility that the Englishman makes the final session competitive before ultimately falling short.

The Pick: Wu Yize to win the 2026 World Championship — back at best available odds. For value, combine with Murphy to win more than 10 frames in the final session via the frame handicap markets.

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