Right now, Wu Yize isn’t China’s best snooker player. This year, Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese world champion. Zhao has arrived, but it is Wu who has the potential to be the next king of snooker.
In 2021, Wu Yize turned professional, earning a tour card for snooker’s 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. The then 17-year-old had already shown flashes of brilliance. Two years previously, as a wildcard entrant, he took John Higgins to a deciding frame in the 2019 International Championship.
His performance was a sign of things to come. Wu won “Rookie of the Year” in his debut season as a professional. Previous winners of the award include world champion Luca Brecel, master’s champion Yan Bingtao and ranking event winner Jack Lisowski.
Over the past few years, Chinese snooker players haven’t always hit the headlines for the right reasons. 10 of Wu’s fellow countrymen were banned in 2023 after being involved in a match-fixing scandal. Three of them had played at the very top of the game.
But Wu Yize has been one of China’s shining lights. He reached his first ranking event quarter-final at the 2022 European Masters. Although the rest of his season didn’t yield much success, he also qualified for the World Championship for the first time.
However, Wu Yize’s progress as one of China’s future stars was going relatively under the radar. Si Jiahui overshadowed his debut campaign at the world championship. Si entered the tournament as world number 80 but miraculously reached the semi-finals.
Wu Yize finished the season ranked 52nd in the world and 11th among Chinese players. Two of China’s top three players, Zhao and Yan, were among those who were banned.
Wu Yize: Emergence as a top player
While the 2023/24 season resulted in his first ranking semi-final, Wu’s real breakout came in the following campaign. One performance in particular proved to be his springboard for success.
He qualified for the 2024 English Open with a routine win over Chris Totten and beat 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham in round one. Further victories over Ali Carter, Ben Woollaston and world number one Judd Trump took him to the semis.
Wu then whitewashed Ishpreet Singh Chadha 6-0 to reach his first final at the age of 20.
His final opponent was triple crown winner Neil Robertson. Robertson is one of the greats of the game and was appearing in his 37th ranking final. He had beaten Wu 10-3 at the previous year’s World Championship.
The Australians raced into a 7-1 lead. At 8-2, the match looked all but over, but Wu had other ideas. He reeled off five frames in a row to reduce the deficit to one.
Robertson eventually triumphed 9-7 via a fortunate fluke. A star had been born. After the match, Robertson claimed that his young opponent had played some of the best snooker he’d ever seen.
Wu then reached the quarter-finals of the Shoot Out, the semis of the German Masters, and the final of the Scottish Open. He again qualified for the World Championship, losing admirably to three-time world champion Mark Williams 10-8.
Williams eventually lost to Zhao, who was returning from his ban. China had its first world champion, but Wu was not to be overshadowed.
Wu wins first ranking title
He started this season ranked world number 20. A first tournament victory was looking inevitable, and he didn’t have to wait much longer.
Six years on from his first professional appearance, he triumphed at the 2025 International Championship.
Poetically, he defeated Higgins, the man he’d lost 6-5 to in 2019, in the final. All the more impressively, along the way, he also beat Trump, still ranked number one, and world champion Zhao.
Wu also entered the world’s top 16 for the first time.
He is currently seeded 13th in the world rankings and will qualify for the 2025 Masters. He is ranked fifth on this season’s list.
Yesterday, he beat Michael Holt in the first round of the UK Championship and will face Robertson next. His combination of metronomic long potting, heavy scoring and aggressive safety play set him apart, and he now has the chance to win his first triple crown event.
What is certain is that he has all the capabilities to be at the top of the game for the foreseeable future. Wu Yize’s time is now.
