In this Chinese name, the family name is Wu (吴).
Wu Yize
Wu at the World Snooker Green Carpet Ceremony 2026
Born (2003-10-14) 14 October 2003 (age 22)
Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Sport country  China
Professional 2021–present
Highest ranking 10 (April 2026)
Current ranking 10 (as of 6 April 2026)
Maximum breaks 1
Century breaks 145 (as of 2 May 2026)
Tournament wins
Ranking 1
Wu Yize
Simplified Chinese 吴宜泽
Traditional Chinese 吳宜澤
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Wú Yízé
IPA [ǔ ǐ.tsɤ̌]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization Ǹgh Yìh Jaahk
Jyutping Ng⁴ Ji⁴ Zaak⁶

Wu Yize (Chinese: 吴宜泽, approximately WOO EE-TSUH; born 14 October 2003) is a Chinese professional snooker player. In May 2022 he was named the World Snooker Tour's 'Rookie of the Year'. He won his first ranking title and the first professional title of his career in winning the 2025 International Championship, defeating John Higgins 10–6 in the final. He made 14 century breaks during the tournament. This win moved him into the top 16 for the first time in his career.

Early life

From Lanzhou in the Gansu province of northwestern China, he showed aptitude for snooker from a young age, and was taken by his father to the Yushan International Billiards Academy to work with the Australian coach Roger Leighton at the age of 11 years-old.[1]

Career

Wu Yize won the IBSF U-21 World Championship in 2018 when he was just fourteen years old, defeating Pongsakorn Chongjairak from Thailand 6–4 in the final.[2]

He was given a wildcard entry to the 2019 International Championship in Daqing, where he lost 5–6 to John Higgins. He made the last 32 of the 2019 Six-red World Championship in Bangkok, after progressing through the group stage. He again faced Higgins, this time losing 4–6. At the 2019 World Open in Yushan, he faced Luca Brecel, losing 2–5 but making breaks of 85 and 130.[3]

2021-22: Turning professional and 'rookie of the year'

As a result of his performances on the 2021 CBSA China Tour, Wu was awarded a tour card for the 2021–22 and 2022–23 snooker seasons.[4] In May 2022, at the end of his debut season, he was given the World Snooker Tour's 'Rookie of that Year' award following three last-32 ranking event appearances.[5]

At the 2022 European Masters in August 2022, he defeated Luca Brecel, Rory McLeod and Ryan Day in a run through to the quarter-finals that was ended by Ali Carter.[6] A relatively quiet season ensued, but during qualifying for the 2023 World Snooker Championship, Wu defeated Allan Taylor and compatriot Tian Pengfei, before facing the 2023 Snooker Shoot-Out champion Chris Wakelin. He came back from 1–5 and 4–7 down to beat Wakelin 10–8 in the final qualifying round to reach the televised stages, held at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, for the first time.[7] In October 2023, he reached the semi-final of the 2023 Wuhan Open.[8]

On 18 June 2024, he topped his round robin group at the Championship League in Leicester.[9] he reached the last-32 at the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters where he lost to Judd Trump on a deciding frame despite having a 4-0 lead.[10][11] At the 2024 English Open in Brentwood in September 2024 he reached his first ranking final with wins over Judd Trump, Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter.[12][13] In the final, he faced Neil Robertson and recovered from a 7-1 deficit to pull back to 8-7 before ultimately losing 9-7.[14] The following month he reached the last-16 of the Wuhan Open.[15]

In December 2024, he reached the semi-finals of the 2024 Snooker Shoot Out.[16] The following week, he reached the final of the 2024 Scottish Open.[17][18] He concluded the 2024-25 season by qualifying for the 2025 World Snooker Championship with a 10-9 victory over Matthew Stevens in the final round of qualification.[19] In the first round at The Crucible, he was defeated 10-8 by Mark Williams.[20]

2025: Maiden ranking tournament victory; entry into the top-16

He topped his round-robin group at the 2025 Championship League in July 2025, going unbeaten against Craig Steadman, Wang Yuchen and Kreishh Gurbaxani.[21] In September 2025, he reached the last-16 of the English Open before losing to Mark Selby.[22]

In the last-16 of the 2025 International Championship in November 2025, he came from 0-4 down to defeat Judd Trump 6-4 before whitewashing Barry Hawkins 6-0 and reached his third ranking final with a 9-6 win over world champion Zhao Xintong.[23][24][25] He won his first ranking title beating John Higgins 10–6 in the final. He made fourteen century breaks during the tournament.[26] This win moved him into the top 16 for the first time in his career.[27] On 11 December, he compiled a 141 century break to beat Craig Steadman at the 2025 Snooker Shoot Out.[28]

2026: Masters semi-finalist

With his ranking up to 13, he made his debut at the Masters in January 2026, and defeated defending champion Shaun Murphy 6-2 in the first round, before reaching the semi-finals with a 6-0 win over compatriot Xiao Guodong. In the semi-final he lost a deciding frame against Kyren Wilson, who won 6-5.[29][30][31]

On 21 January, at the 2026 Championship League in Leicester, Wu scored the first 147 maximum of his career in a 3-1 win over Oliver Lines.[32] He went on to reach the final at the event, losing to Mark Selby who the title for the third consecutive year.[33] In February, he reached the semi-final at the 2026 Welsh Open, as he came back from 4–1 behind to win 5-4 against Jiang Jun.[34]

On 21 April, he secured his first win at The Crucible with a 10-2 victory over compatriot Lei Peifan in the first round of the 2026 World Snooker Championship.[35] He then reached his first world championship semi-final with victories over Mark Selby and Hossein Vafaei.[36] During his semi-final against Mark Allen he was involved in the longest frame ever recorded at The Crucible, at 100 minutes and 21 seconds. He went on to win the match on a deciding frame, securing his position in the final against Shaun Murphy. [37]

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament 2017/
18		 2018/
19		 2019/
20		 2021/
22		 2022/
23		 2023/
24		 2024/
25		 2025/
26
Ranking[nb 1] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 3] 69 49 39 20
Ranking tournaments
Championship League Non-Ranking Event A RR RR 2R 2R
Saudi Arabia Masters Tournament Not Held 5R 5R
Wuhan Open Tournament Not Held SF 3R LQ
English Open A A A 1R 2R 1R F 3R
British Open Not Held 2R LQ 1R 1R 1R
Xi'an Grand Prix Tournament Not Held LQ 2R
Northern Ireland Open A A A LQ LQ LQ 1R 2R
International Championship A A LQ Not Held LQ 2R W
UK Championship A A A 3R LQ LQ 2R 2R
Shoot Out A A A A 1R 1R SF 2R
Scottish Open A A A 1R LQ LQ F 3R
German Masters A A A LQ LQ LQ QF WD
World Grand Prix Did Not Qualify 1R 2R QF
Players Championship Did Not Qualify 1R 1R
Welsh Open A A A LQ 1R 1R 2R SF
World Open A A LQ Not Held 2R 2R SF
Tour Championship NH Did Not Qualify 1R 1R
World Championship A A LQ LQ 1R LQ 1R
Non-ranking tournaments
Shanghai Masters R A 1R Not Held A A 1R
The Masters Did Not Qualify SF
Championship League Did Not Participate F
Former ranking tournaments
China Open A LQ Tournament Not Held
China Championship A A LQ Tournament Not Held
Turkish Masters Not Held 2R Tournament Not Held
Gibraltar Open A A A WD Tournament Not Held
WST Classic Tournament Not Held 2R Not Held
European Masters A A A 2R QF 2R Not Held
Former non-ranking tournaments
Six-red World Championship A A 2R NH LQ Not Held
Haining Open 3R 1R 2R A F Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)		 QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Held means an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Event means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event means an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Event means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
  1. ^ It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
  2. ^ a b c He was an amateur
  3. ^ New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking

Career finals

Ranking finals: 4 (1 title)

Legend
World Championship (0–0)
Other (1–2)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 2024 English Open Australia Neil Robertson 7–9
Runner-up 2. 2024 Scottish Open China Lei Peifan 5–9
Winner 1. 2025 International Championship Scotland John Higgins 10–6
2026 World Snooker Championship England Shaun Murphy –

Non-ranking finals: 2

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 2023 Haining Open China Yuan Sijun 1–5 [38]
Runner-up 2. 2026 Championship League Invitational England Mark Selby 1–3

Amateur finals: 1 (1 title)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 2018 IBSF World Under-21 Championship Thailand Pongsak Chongjairak 6–4

References

  1. ^ "Who is Wu Yize? China's 'new superstar' tipped by Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the World Snooker Championship". Independent.co.uk. 29 April 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  2. ^ Pathak, Vivek. "Wu Yize wins World Under-21 Snooker Championship". www.ibsf.info. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Ones To Watch – Wu Yize". World Snooker. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  4. ^ "CBSA Qualifiers 2021: Event One Results". WPBSA. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Robertson Named Player Of The Year". wst.tv. May 16, 2022. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "China's players eliminated before Final Four at European Masters". china.org.cn. Xinhua. 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022.
  7. ^ "End Of An Era For Hawkins And Maguire". wst.tv. April 11, 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  8. ^ "WUHAN OPEN 2023: JUDD TRUMP THRASHES WU YIZE TO REACH FINAL AND SET UP ALL-ENGLISH CLASH WITH ALI CARTER". Eurosport. 14 October 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  9. ^ "O'Donnell edges Walden with strong finish". wst.tv. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  10. ^ "WU TOPS TRUMP FOR FIRST TIME". wst.tv. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Trump looking for flights home before remarkable comeback". BBC SPORT. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  12. ^ "BETVICTOR ENGLISH OPEN MONDAY EVENING ROUNDUP". wst.tv. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  13. ^ Southby, Ben (20 September 2024). "ENGLISH OPEN 2024: JUDD TRUMP STUNNED IN BRENTWOOD AS WU YIZE REACHES SECOND CAREER RANKING SEMI-FINAL". Eurosport. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Robertson survives Wu comeback to win English Open". BBC Sport. 22 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  15. ^ "WUHAN OPEN DAY THREE EVENING ROUNDUP". wst.tv. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  16. ^ "SNOOKER SHOOT OUT 2024: TOM FORD BEATS LIAM GRAHAM TO WIN MAIDEN TITLE IN LEICESTER - 'I'VE WON TWO GAMES ALL SEASON'". Eurosport. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  17. ^ "SCOTTISH OPEN 2024: WU YIZE WINS FOUR FRAMES IN A ROW TO BEAT XIAO GUODONG AND REACH FINAL". Eurosport. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  18. ^ "SCOTTISH OPEN 2024: WU YIZE EDGES PAST CHRIS WAKELIN IN DECIDER, XIAO GUODONG SENDS LUCA BRECEL OUT IN BIZARRE CLASH". Eurosport. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  19. ^ "WU BEATS STEVENS IN THRILLER TO REACH CRUCIBLE". wst.tv. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  20. ^ "Mark Williams outlasts Wu Yize to make World Snooker Championship last 16". The Guardian. 20 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  21. ^ Caulfield, David (July 3, 2025). "Wu Yize and Ricky Walden advance in first ranking event". Snookerhq.com. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  22. ^ "English Open recap - Mark Allen comes from behind to eliminate Ding Junhui after Elliot Slessor shocks Judd Trump in last 16". TNT Sport. 18 Sep 2025. Retrieved 6 Nov 2025.
  23. ^ "Superb Wu fightback sends Trump out in Nanjing". BBC Sport. 5 Nov 2025. Retrieved 6 Nov 2025.
  24. ^ "Zhao beats Selby, Wu dazzles, and Scots into semi-final". BBC Sport. 6 November 2025. Retrieved 7 Nov 2025.
  25. ^ "Wu reaches third ranking final". wst.tv. 7 Nov 2025. Retrieved 7 Nov 2025.
  26. ^ Day, Michael (9 November 2025). "Wu Yize wins maiden ranking event title at the International Championship". Totally Snookered. Retrieved 12 Nov 2025.
  27. ^ "JOHNSTONE'S PAINT WORLD RANKINGS UPDATE: WU EARNS PLACE IN YORK". wst.tv. 10 Nov 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  28. ^ "SHOOT OUT DAY TWO AFTERNOON". wst.tv. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 12 Dec 2025.
  29. ^ "Murphy & Selby lose on thrilling Masters first day". BBC Sport. 11 Jan 2026. Retrieved 11 Jan 2026.
  30. ^ "Wu wipes the floor with Xiao and books place in Masters semi with 6-0 rout". The Guardian. 16 Jan 2026. Retrieved 16 Jan 2026.
  31. ^ "Masters Snooker: Wilson beats Wu 6-5 to reach final". BBC Sport. 18 Jan 2026. Retrieved 23 Jan 2026.
  32. ^ "WU AND XIAO MAKE CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE MAXIMUMS". wst.tv. 21 Jan 2026. Retrieved 23 Jan 2026.
  33. ^ "Mark Selby wins Championship League for record third straight year as Ali Carter ends Jimmy White's World Open snooker hopes". TNT Sports. 13 Feb 2026. Retrieved 28 Feb 2026.
  34. ^ "WU FIGHTS BACK TO BEAT JIANG AND REACH SEMIS". 28 Feb 2026. Retrieved 28 Feb 2026.
  35. ^ "Wonderful Wu scores first Crucible win". wst.tv. 21 April 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  36. ^ "SENSATION WU INTO SEMI-FINALS". wst. 29 April 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  37. ^ Ostler, Lawrence (1 May 2026). "'An embarrassment to snooker': Pundits fume as Mark Allen and Wu Yize play out longest frame in Crucible history". The Independent. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  38. ^ "Haining Open". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 2023-05-23.