Wu Yize pips Shaun Murphy in last-frame decider to become world snooker champion

Wu Yize held his nerve to sink Shaun Murphy in a deciding-frame shoot-out and be crowned world snooker champion after a final for the ages at the Crucible.

The 22-year-old produced a match-winning break of 85 to win 18-17 to become the second youngest champion of the modern era and the second in succession from China after last year’s triumph by Zhao Xintong.

In a pulsating final session, Wu was repeatedly pegged back by Murphy, looking to seal his second crown 21 years after his first, and missed a black off its spot that would surely have got him over the line in the previous frame.

LIFE-CHANGING MOMENT!#WorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/MpcxJv7vlB

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Murphy duly cleared and had the first chance in the decider, but Wu stepped up to the plate yet again, polishing off the title-winning break in a manner that suggests the sport has heralded the birth of a new superstar.

Wu’s victory completed a remarkable story that started when he arrived the UK six years ago with his father, sharing a bed in a windowless flat in Sheffield as he tried to carve out a career as a professional player.

Wu, who said he would celebrate with “a good sleep”, added: “My parents are the true champions.

“Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been by my side. My mum has not been in very good health. Since we have been in Sheffield she has been staying a long time in hospital. She has sacrificed everything for me.”

Sweeping to the final with victories over the likes of Mark Selby and Mark Allen, Wu picked up an army of fans for his free-scoring style, repeatedly digging deep to repel a succession of much more experienced opponents.

A decider had seemed almost inevitable as a nerve-jangling final