Twenty-two-year-old Chinese talent Wu Yize has booked his place in the final with a 9-6 victory over compatriot and world champion Zhao Xintong in the semi-final. 

Twenty-two-year-old Chinese talent Wu Yize has booked his place in the final with a 9-6 victory over compatriot and world champion Zhao Xintong in the semi-final.

 

Wu, from Lanzhou, turned the match in his favour after the first session ended 4-4. He fired a spectacular 140 break in the opening session and then swept four consecutive frames after the interval to move to 8-4. Zhao tried to fight back but ultimately Wu closed out the match with a break of 65 in the 15th frame.

Earlier in the tournament Wu had already produced a stunning comeback, overturning a 0-4 deficit to defeat Judd Trump 6-4 in the last 16, and then dispatched veteran Barry Hawkins 6-0 in the quarter-finals, taking his winning streak to 12 frames.

On the other side of the draw, veteran Scot John Higgins is waiting in the final after the other semi-final pits him against fellow countryman Stephen Maguire.

What stands out:

Wu’s form is electric — century breaks, big clearance, momentum firmly on his side. He now looks a serious contender for his first ranking title.

Zhao, despite being the reigning world champion, was unable to stem the tide after Wu built his rhythm. One costly miss by Zhao in the ninth frame proved pivotal.

Higgins’ presence adds the experience – if Wu meets him in the final it’ll be a fascinating contrast: rising youth vs seasoned campaigner.

For those watching from Nigeria (Africa/Lagos time zone), the final will be based on Beijing/Nanjing local time (GMT+8), so there may be late-night or early-morning sessions depending on how the schedule is set.