Perhaps the most telling sign of Wu Yize’s landmark victory in the World Snooker Championship final on Monday came from the godfather of Chinese snooker himself, in just 12 simple words.
For the second straight year, China boasts a world champion in the sport it has embraced wholeheartedly. Wu Yize followed Zhao Xintong’s triumph 12 months ago by defeating Shaun Murphy in a thrilling final. None of this, however, would have been possible without Ding Junhui laying the foundation over the past two decades.
Ding, who lost a world final 10 years ago and never managed to take that final step, wrote on Weibo: “This is not just a breakthrough—our era is approaching now!” Gone are the days when Ding carried the sport alone for China. Now, five Chinese players rank in the top 16, with Zhao and Wu sitting in the top four. Ding’s talk of a new era resonates on multiple fronts, not only for snooker in China.
There is no doubt that the country snooker has long tried to crack now stands as a premier force on the green baize. But there is also a shift toward a younger generation and an influx from Asia. Wu became the fourth consecutive first-time winner at the Crucible, an unprecedented sequence. The ages of Kyren Wilson, Luca Brecel, Zhao Xintong, and Wu Yize when they lifted the trophy? 32, 29, 28, and 22 respectively.
Long dominated by names like Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, and Mark Williams, snooker now appears to be a young man’s game. There are signs of hope in Europe as well: 19-year-old Stan Moody, 20-year-old Liam Pullen, and 22-year-old Antoni Kowalski—the first player from Poland—made their Crucible debuts this year.
Yet this year’s beaten finalist believes European snooker is already losing ground to China, given the widespread investment in Asia sparked by Ding’s rise 20 years ago. “It’s been a wonderful tournament for newcomers,” Murphy said. “The two Yorkshire lads [Moody and Pullen] conducted themselves really well and have great futures ahead. But you can see the investment the Chinese government has made into snooker over the last 10 or 15 years is now bearing fruit. Xintong last year, Wu this year—it’s great for snooker in China, and it would be great to see that kind of investment here.”
How does UK snooker keep up? Government support helped secure a new long-term deal for the world championship at the Crucible, but the man tasked with developing the sport admits more work is needed. “The talent is in a really good shape in England, but what we need is to keep expanding our facilities,” said Jason Ferguson, chair of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, before the tournament. “The biggest risk to players in England is the loss of facilities. The cost of living is high, and clubs are fighting to stay open. We’re seeing how easy it is to close a snooker club down and turn it into something else.”
