A magnificent battle! Snooker UK Championship report: Wu Yize defeats Higgins 10-6 to claim the title, rising to 13th in the rankings.

On November 9th Beijing time, the Snooker UK Championship final concluded with 22-year-old Chinese rising star Wu Yize dominating the match, leading throughout to beat the seasoned Higgins 10-6. Wu claimed his first career ranking event title, a highly prestigious victory worth £175,000 in prize money. His ranking surged into the top sixteen, reaching a career-best 13th place, securing a seeded spot for the UK Championship!

Wu Yize is a young Chinese talent, only 22 years old. Those familiar with him know his playing style is elegant and highly entertaining. Though he had no standout results in previous seasons, last season marked a breakthrough as he reached two ranking finals. Although he finished runner-up both times, it demonstrated his progress. The reason he hadn’t won before was due to lack of experience and mental resilience under pressure. At the UK Championship, Wu exploded onto the scene, unstoppable—he made a stunning comeback against the 80s-born powerhouse Trump, swept past the consistent semi-finalist Hawkins, and then defeated the new World Champion Zhao Xintong to reach his third ranking final. It’s truly incredible!

His opponent in the final was snooker legend Higgins, a veteran with vast experience whose skill remains outstanding on today’s circuit. Higgins possesses championship-winning ability, proven by his dominant victories over Murphy and Maguire to reach the final!

The match began with Wu Yize launching an unstoppable offensive, winning the first five frames all with single breaks to take a 5-2 lead. However, his form fluctuated afterward. Higgins used his rich experience and strong defense to gradually chip away, winning two frames to narrow the gap to 4-5 at the end of the first session. The contest was still tight. In the second session, Wu produced two 80+ breaks and staged a remarkable comeback in frame 10, then surged with a three-frame winning streak to extend his lead to 8-4. The players exchanged frames in a chaotic battle, with Wu reaching a match point at 9-5. Higgins fought back with a 53 break to save one match point. But in frame 16, Wu’s accuracy was lethal as he delivered a flawless century break to clinch the match 10-6 decisively!

Congratulations to Wu Yize for capturing his first career ranking title, delivering a magnificent performance and achieving a major milestone in his professional journey. This victory is exceptionally valuable, almost unbelievably so.

Written by/Titan Sports Community