A new superstar of snooker. Another Chinese world champion.
A year earlier, it had been Zhao Xintong lifting the trophy and creating history for his country. On Monday, it was Wu Yize – who had defeated Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a compelling final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
And it was a particularly poignant moment for the 22-year-old, who relocated to the UK from his home city of Lanzhou with his father at 16 and attempted to pursue his dream amid concerns about his mother’s health.
“My mum wasn’t in very good health for a long time,” he said. “During that time, we were in Sheffield, and she has been in hospital a lot. She is forever a source of strength to me.
“She is feeling much better now. This is the second time she has visited me in the UK. I think in the future I will take her more to be by my side.
“She sacrificed everything for me. At that time, she told me, ‘Don’t come back home, I can manage everything. It was the second year I was playing in the UK.
“At that time, my ranking was very low, so it was a crucial time for me to achieve some good results and keep my professional status. She means everything to me.”
Wu, who uses a translator in his news conferences, shared a bed with his father in a windowless flat in the Steel City as he tried to carve out a career in professional snooker.
But his attacking style and individuality, in a sport known for its formal attire and disciplined approach, marked him out for greatness.
Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and Murphy, who won the title in 2005, both tipped him as a future world champion earlier in the campaign.
Jason Ferguson, chairman of the sport’s governing body, says he and others can transform the sport and deliver “a changing of the tide”.
He told BBC Sport: “This boy is just outstanding. I’ve known Wu for a number of years, known his father for many years, and seen the struggles and the tough battles to get to this stage.
“You cannot believe what it means to that family to actually be in that arena holding that trophy. It’s quite an incredible moment. We are seeing a changing of the tide, and it has to happen.
“Wu is really now entering that era of becoming a great where he can go on and win and win and win.”
Wu is seen as one of the new breed that is helping to shape the future of the game.
“This will not be seen simply as another sporting victory but as part of a broader generational storyline, following Zhao Xintong’s breakthrough,” said May Zhao, who has been in Sheffield to report for the International Sport Press Association.
“It confirms a new era for Chinese snooker at the very top level.
“The reaction in China will be enormous. During the peak moments, the number of viewers may have exceeded 100 million people.”
Is Wu changing the face of snooker?
Zhao’s victory 12 months ago was regarded as a seismic moment for Chinese snooker.
With Wu following in his footsteps, it suggests that a golden period has arrived for players from the Asian country and possibly a new chapter for the sport as a whole.
Wu’s triumph at the International Championship in Nanjing last November was a breakthrough moment, lifting him to a then career-high 13th in the world rankings.
“After that win, he was received by the vice governor of the Gansu province and this will be much bigger than that,” said Chinese snooker reporter Joe Liu, who works for World Snooker.
“Lanzhou is the capital of Gansu and is not a place where they have huge sports traditions or achievement, so this will be huge for his home city.
“During my time associating with him, at all the tournaments I’ve been to, I can sense his confidence. He’s very confident and I think he knows he can do a lot more in the future.”
Wu’s world title win has propelled him to fourth in the rankings and only added fuel to the belief that Chinese players could dominate the sport for years to come, playing a new brand of snooker.
“The game is changing, shot selection is changing, and the likes of Wu Yize are changing the face of snooker to make it much more aggressive,” said six-time world champion Steve Davis during the BBC’s TV coverage of the final.
“The modern-day players coming through have got to copy this. You can’t win playing safe.”
Seven-time winner Stephen Hendry added, “He’s just brilliant. He plays the game properly and goes for the shots.
“He’s obviously at a stage of his career when he’s not had many scars, and he’s not thinking about the consequences of missing. He just gets on with it, and he’s having fun.”
