Snooker

China's Wu Yize reaches final of world snooker championship after 17-16 win over Mark Allen

Wu Yize has become the latest Chinese player to reach the title match in the world snooker championship after winning an epic semifinal 17-16 against Mark AllenBySTEVE DOUGLAS AP sports writerMay 2, 2026, 6:56 PMWu Yize became the latest Chinese player to reach the title match in the world snooker championship by winning an epic semifinal 17-16 against Mark Allen, who missed an easy final black in the next-to-last frame to seal victory on Saturday.The 22-year-old Wu is looking to emulate compatriot Zhao Xintong, who won the biggest prize in snooker last year to become the first world champion from Asia. He will play Shaun Murphy, the 2005 champion, in the final after the Englishman beat John Higgins 17-15 in the other semifinal at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, northern England.Like Wu, Allen was bidding to reach a first world final and just needed to pot a straight and simple final black when leading 16-15. The Northern Irishman twitched and missed it, leaving the black over the pocket for Wu to pot and set up a decider.“You don’t deserve to be in a world final if you’re missing balls like that,” said Allen, who was full of praise for Wu